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Wrote this on my blog (http://marshalmelee.tumblr.com/), but thought I'd add it to the TL list as well. Just some random thoughts.
I began reading Harry Potter when I was in elementary school and was hooked pretty early. Being able to stand in line, grab the next book, and devour it with glee was a defining part of my young life. Moreover, I felt I was a part of something big: even my Mom and my military-oriented brother read them avidly, as well as classmates and society at large. Even when reading was not convenient, loaning the excellent Jim Dale audiotapes from the library was a common method of keeping up.
As I look back on them now from a more critical and aged perspective, the Harry Potter novels are not the flawless creations I had remembered. But there’s no denying their effect on the young mind, and in particular my own. I reflect on this now as the Harry Potter saga draws to a close, with the final movie out in short order.
An end to all things is good. It keeps things in perspective; after all, what is life without death? What is a beginning without an end? To quote: “Someone once told me that time was a predator that stalked us all our lives. I rather believe that time is a companion that goes with us on a journey. It reminds us to cherish each moment, because it will never come again.”
Even as I reflect on these words though, I realize there was a part of me that always looked forward to something coming out from the Harry Potter universe. This always maintained connection to my childhood, and to my past. Even if its only the latest installment in a movie series safely assumed to be not quite as good as the books (that’s not to call it bad).
I’m going to go see Harry Potter 7 Part 2, probably very near release, probably twice (I owe it to the aforementioned family to see it with them), and I am probably going to enjoy the ride. But overlooking it all is the fact that this is the end of something that has influenced my life, and I will miss it. In a way I wish Rowling would write something more to this universe she has created: but in another way, I feel that would cheapen the experience. In a way I am sad for the end: but in a way, I am also happy to see it done.
So thanks J.K. Rowling for influencing so many and writing such a readable work. And here’s to the post Harry Potter era: may it be ripe with opportunity, creativity, and maybe even something just as effectual.
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dont cry dude :D
its kind of like when LOTR trilogy finished. If youve ever seen the extended DVDs and also if youve seen the special features disc. Must be pretty sad for the cast who have spent pretty much their life being part of Harry potter
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Find something better to read. Seriously.
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Good blog. 
Gonna reread the series at some point. They have that great nostalgic effect on me. Just kind of an entrancing thing, and I love that.
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I have booked to watch this in the cinema on Sunday cannot wait, me and the missus in premier seating in the middle!! lol
Probably surroudned by 12-21 years olds will feel very old haha
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On July 13 2011 18:06 minus_human wrote:
Find something better to read. Seriously.
What? The HP series is/was incredible. HP fans are so sad about times like these (him when the movies are coming to a close, mine was back when I finished the 7th book t.t) because we feel a strong connection with the characters, considering we grew up with them. And not only that, the fact that Rowling seemed to be growing[as a writer] with us as well. I could read through the first few books at 10-11, and keep reading throughout each books release and be hooked to every word by the time the last book was when I turned 18 is incredible. She's an absolutely gifted novelist, and to tell us to simply find something "better to read" is incredibly insulting at the very least.
And who's to say we aren't reading better/more sophisticated works alongside HP? In fact, I'll bet that most of the people who read HP did in fact get led to other great literary works. I know plenty of peers that were turned into readers thanks to Rowling, and considering books were not really dying but certainly losing a lot of kids, she turned a whole fucking generation into readers. Some people would never move onto 1984, Frankenstein, Gatsby, etc if not for Rowling. So, while, yes it's great to find something different, saying to find something better is stupid and just doesn't get it.
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Rowling really doesn't get enough credit for her wonderful style. I'm not certain that her books actually encourage people to read more heady stuff, but that shouldn't detract the merit of the books themselves. It may not be the appetizer to pique the hunger, but it is a very good snack in between denser stuff.
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On July 13 2011 18:27 shavi wrote:Show nested quote +On July 13 2011 18:06 minus_human wrote:
Find something better to read. Seriously. What? The HP series is/was incredible. HP fans are so sad about times like these (him when the movies are coming to a close, mine was back when I finished the 7th book t.t) because we feel a strong connection with the characters, considering we grew up with them. And not only that, the fact that Rowling seemed to be growing[as a writer] with us as well. I could read through the first few books at 10-11, and keep reading throughout each books release and be hooked to every word by the time the last book was when I turned 18 is incredible. She's an absolutely gifted novelist, and to tell us to simply find something "better to read" is incredibly insulting at the very least. And who's to say we aren't reading better/more sophisticated works alongside HP? In fact, I'll bet that most of the people who read HP did in fact get led to other great literary works. I know plenty of peers that were turned into readers thanks to Rowling, and considering books were not really dying but certainly losing a lot of kids, she turned a whole fucking generation into readers. Some people would never move onto 1984, Frankenstein, Gatsby, etc if not for Rowling. So, while, yes it's great to find something different, saying to find something better is stupid and just doesn't get it.
The books turned me into a reader for sure, just to back up this post.
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Has anyone just held the last book for a great series and just feel a huge wave of sadness enveloping you?
I truly loved the Deltora Quest series and after I finished reading the last book, I just held it and felt immense sadness that the story was finally done and over. I think I've done the same for Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. After I'm done with the last book, I just hold the book, closed, in my hands and quietly think about finality.
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On July 13 2011 18:50 Jerubaal wrote:
Rowling really doesn't get enough credit for her wonderful style. I'm not certain that her books actually encourage people to read more heady stuff, but that shouldn't detract the merit of the books themselves. It may not be the appetizer to pique the hunger, but it is a very good snack in between denser stuff.
It turned a lot of people into readers, why wouldn't that encourage them to go to something more? All reading takes a logical progression, I feel. I started with Roald Dahl, Rowling, and Orson Scott Card and worked my way into Lewis Carroll, Bradbury and Orwell. Why couldn't someone skip Roald Dahl and go straight to Rowling into something meatier?
Rowling's world opened up children to reading larger books, and the story was so magical and the progression so perfect that of course they wanted to stay. Why wouldn't someone finish like HP5 and want to read something else to get through the long wait from 5-6? After finishing the series, why wouldn't the people who grew up with Rowling want to go out and find more books to immerse themselves in more great fiction?
edit: and just for quick clarification, I'm not saying they're like oh Harry Potter's over I can pick up some Ulysses now, I'm saying they're not going to stop reading and just typical progression will get them to the other, "heavier" books.
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Hasn't Rowling said that she's not done with the series? I remember her opening some sort of website to continue the plot and add stories, and she talked about continuing the books some years from now. IMO shes just in it for the $.
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On July 13 2011 18:58 cha0 wrote:
Hasn't Rowling said that she's not done with the series? I remember her opening some sort of website to continue the plot and add stories, and she talked about continuing the books some years from now. IMO shes just in it for the $.
She'd be dumb not to revisit the world, but I doubt she goes back to the characters in the books.
And yes, she opened up pottermore.com, which is a free website and doesn't really have much information except that it "opens" in October and you can pre-register starting July 31st.
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Never think these things are over if they have meaning to you!
I've just bought HP1 in Chinese and am reading it as fast as my Chinese will permit. Reading the books in another language can be a very rewarding thing and be very good for learning languages!
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On July 13 2011 18:50 Jerubaal wrote:
Rowling really doesn't get enough credit for her wonderful style. I'm not certain that her books actually encourage people to read more heady stuff, but that shouldn't detract the merit of the books themselves. It may not be the appetizer to pique the hunger, but it is a very good snack in between denser stuff.
Do yourself a favor and never delve deeply into the world of Harry Potter.
You will quickly find out that JK rowling made the most dysfunctional world possible. Nothing makes sense from the government to the monetary system and everything has loose ends all over the place. A world like she describes really couldn't function at all.
If anything Harry Potter made me realize how amazing it is that Tolkien was able to create a world from basically scratch.
That aside I really loved the first 5 books. The last 2 I wasn't really a fan of but hey...gotta finish it.
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On July 13 2011 19:36 Jayme wrote:Show nested quote +On July 13 2011 18:50 Jerubaal wrote:
Rowling really doesn't get enough credit for her wonderful style. I'm not certain that her books actually encourage people to read more heady stuff, but that shouldn't detract the merit of the books themselves. It may not be the appetizer to pique the hunger, but it is a very good snack in between denser stuff.
Do yourself a favor and never delve deeply into the world of Harry Potter. You will quickly find out that JK rowling made the most dysfunctional world possible. Nothing makes sense from the government to the monetary system and everything has loose ends all over the place. A world like she describes really couldn't function at all. If anything Harry Potter made me realize how amazing it is that Tolkien was able to create a world from basically scratch. That aside I really loved the first 5 books. The last 2 I wasn't really a fan of but hey...gotta finish it.
When one of the principles of your book is that magic exists, anything is possible. Ask me any question about the internal logic of Harry Potter and I can justify it.
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On July 13 2011 18:06 minus_human wrote:
Find something better to read. Seriously.
Edit: beaten to my main point by others, bad times
I'd argue that when Harry Potter first came out, reading books wasn't nearly as popular as it is today. Far more people got into reading due to the book's simple writing style and good plot, and was no doubt a 'gateway drug' into other books. Having more people reading can't be a bad thing, even if what they are reading isn't your taste in literature.
Personally I stopped reading after the 6th book and stopped watching after the 5th film for no other reason then I didn't feel like continuing, as the gaps between the books was too large for me to keep interest.
Still, it was a good franchise and I can definitely see the appeal, and will be interesting to see what the actors all do afterwards, since like Mark Hamill was forever Luke Skywalker, I'm pretty sure Daniel Radcliffe is forever Harry Potter (and someone who got naked on stage with horses  )
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On July 13 2011 19:46 deathly rat wrote:Show nested quote +On July 13 2011 19:36 Jayme wrote:On July 13 2011 18:50 Jerubaal wrote:
Rowling really doesn't get enough credit for her wonderful style. I'm not certain that her books actually encourage people to read more heady stuff, but that shouldn't detract the merit of the books themselves. It may not be the appetizer to pique the hunger, but it is a very good snack in between denser stuff.
Do yourself a favor and never delve deeply into the world of Harry Potter. You will quickly find out that JK rowling made the most dysfunctional world possible. Nothing makes sense from the government to the monetary system and everything has loose ends all over the place. A world like she describes really couldn't function at all. If anything Harry Potter made me realize how amazing it is that Tolkien was able to create a world from basically scratch. That aside I really loved the first 5 books. The last 2 I wasn't really a fan of but hey...gotta finish it. When one of the principles of your book is that magic exists, anything is possible. Ask me any question about the internal logic of Harry Potter and I can justify it.
Both of you, read this:
http://www.brandonsanderson.com/article/40/Sandersons-First-Law
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Papua New Guinea1059 Posts
End? She's already writing a book about his son or some shit like that. There's no end to it as long as there's cash in it.
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On July 13 2011 18:06 minus_human wrote:
Find something better to read. Seriously.
I have to agree with that.
The first couple of Harry Potter were fine children literature with a lot of imagination, everything else has been plain mediocrity.
The movies are all terrible imo. Really really terrible. Same for LOTR.
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On July 13 2011 19:36 Jayme wrote:Show nested quote +On July 13 2011 18:50 Jerubaal wrote:
Rowling really doesn't get enough credit for her wonderful style. I'm not certain that her books actually encourage people to read more heady stuff, but that shouldn't detract the merit of the books themselves. It may not be the appetizer to pique the hunger, but it is a very good snack in between denser stuff.
Do yourself a favor and never delve deeply into the world of Harry Potter. You will quickly find out that JK rowling made the most dysfunctional world possible. Nothing makes sense from the government to the monetary system and everything has loose ends all over the place. A world like she describes really couldn't function at all. If anything Harry Potter made me realize how amazing it is that Tolkien was able to create a world from basically scratch. That aside I really loved the first 5 books. The last 2 I wasn't really a fan of but hey...gotta finish it.
Just think that there are 40 student/year (5 male + 5 female / house). Yes, that's right.
That means the total population which has been to Hogwards is 40 * 65 = 2600.
Since we never ever hear of an other magic school in the UK, and that most wizard seem to have been there, you really have a problem finding where all theses guys have been educated.
Now I don't think that the fact that HP world doesn't make sense is really a problem. It's not supposed to make sense, since it is a caricature of some aspect of England anyway.
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EPT
