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Harry Potter and the Haters -Reply
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From: Roger Sutton <rsutton>
Date: Fri, 05 Nov 1999 08:51:18 -0700
As a person with publicized reservations about the Potter books, I know that Big Grandma may dismiss anything I have to say on the subject. My demurs are that the books (I have only read the first two) are frenetically paced, the magic is arbitrary, and the dialogue banal. As a friend of mine put it, "It's like one big Scooby-Doo episode." I suggest that their popularity has as much to do with these flaws as anything else.
But in any case I have been outvoted. My reason for posting is to caution us not to, um, demonize, the Christian Right. If you look at the webpage for Family Friendly Libraries (fflibraries.org, I think) you will see their reasons for leading the attack on Harry. I think their reasons are misguided, too, but they don't have the paranoic edge that Ruth is suggesting, and they do limit their attack to the issue of using the book in the classroom and, to a lesser extent, to allowing unrestricted access to it in the school library.
We've got someone working on an article for us about looking at fantasy from the conservative Christian perspective. I think this is a point of view that is too readily burlesqued by the library profession. Sometimes when we talk about the need for "insiders' perspectives" we get too limited as to who we actually want to hear from.
Roger Sutton Horn Book Fellow Non-Muggles: Re; Harry Potter and all the folk at Hogswart School for W & W: I cannot tell you how very pleased I was to read the the X-tian right (read, "wrong") has attacked these books which so attract the young, the older, and even the oldest (among whom I consider myself). But what has amused me--in a somewhat horrorific way--is how those who hate anyone anywhere to enjoy themselves have attacked Harry and his friends. One of the reasons these folk believe that the Harry books are so very popular and sell so very well is that the DEVIL (a.k.a., Satan, Jesse Helms, Istook, etc., etc.) has made them sell well--obvious evidence of evil incarnate. HOWEVER, I think that we, in the Western world, should remind these very unhappy folk is that; THE NUMBER ONE (1) BEST SELLER IS...hold onto your hats--THE BIBLE--mostly combined testaments--the OLD one NEW one ) So--obviously the Devil--as bookseller--must also be pushing Testament--not Harry Potter.
I think it was Mencken who stated that Puritans were people who were unhappy when they thought someone was enjoying something. I won't tar the Puritans with that brush, but I think it fair to paint the X-tian Wrong with it.
In my next revelation, I will, of course, stick to the subject of a few reasons why the Rowling books are so enormously popular--and scare the hell out of those who shiver when they think of anyone having a good time.
Extremely Left Reverend Doctor Ruth Gordon, a.k.a., Big Grandma
==================
"You may not be able to change the world, but at least you can embarrass the guilty." Jessica Mitford (191796)
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Received on Fri 05 Nov 1999 09:51:18 AM CST
Date: Fri, 05 Nov 1999 08:51:18 -0700
As a person with publicized reservations about the Potter books, I know that Big Grandma may dismiss anything I have to say on the subject. My demurs are that the books (I have only read the first two) are frenetically paced, the magic is arbitrary, and the dialogue banal. As a friend of mine put it, "It's like one big Scooby-Doo episode." I suggest that their popularity has as much to do with these flaws as anything else.
But in any case I have been outvoted. My reason for posting is to caution us not to, um, demonize, the Christian Right. If you look at the webpage for Family Friendly Libraries (fflibraries.org, I think) you will see their reasons for leading the attack on Harry. I think their reasons are misguided, too, but they don't have the paranoic edge that Ruth is suggesting, and they do limit their attack to the issue of using the book in the classroom and, to a lesser extent, to allowing unrestricted access to it in the school library.
We've got someone working on an article for us about looking at fantasy from the conservative Christian perspective. I think this is a point of view that is too readily burlesqued by the library profession. Sometimes when we talk about the need for "insiders' perspectives" we get too limited as to who we actually want to hear from.
Roger Sutton Horn Book Fellow Non-Muggles: Re; Harry Potter and all the folk at Hogswart School for W & W: I cannot tell you how very pleased I was to read the the X-tian right (read, "wrong") has attacked these books which so attract the young, the older, and even the oldest (among whom I consider myself). But what has amused me--in a somewhat horrorific way--is how those who hate anyone anywhere to enjoy themselves have attacked Harry and his friends. One of the reasons these folk believe that the Harry books are so very popular and sell so very well is that the DEVIL (a.k.a., Satan, Jesse Helms, Istook, etc., etc.) has made them sell well--obvious evidence of evil incarnate. HOWEVER, I think that we, in the Western world, should remind these very unhappy folk is that; THE NUMBER ONE (1) BEST SELLER IS...hold onto your hats--THE BIBLE--mostly combined testaments--the OLD one NEW one ) So--obviously the Devil--as bookseller--must also be pushing Testament--not Harry Potter.
I think it was Mencken who stated that Puritans were people who were unhappy when they thought someone was enjoying something. I won't tar the Puritans with that brush, but I think it fair to paint the X-tian Wrong with it.
In my next revelation, I will, of course, stick to the subject of a few reasons why the Rowling books are so enormously popular--and scare the hell out of those who shiver when they think of anyone having a good time.
Extremely Left Reverend Doctor Ruth Gordon, a.k.a., Big Grandma
==================
"You may not be able to change the world, but at least you can embarrass the guilty." Jessica Mitford (191796)
~~~~~~~~~~ To remove your address from the mailing list, send a message with the header...
To: listserv at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
Subject: signoff ccbc-net
Received on Fri 05 Nov 1999 09:51:18 AM CST
