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Harry and the Greater Good
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From: Nina Lindsay <linds_na>
Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2000 15:49:34 -0700 (PDT)
On 6 Sep 2000 Brenda.Bowen at simonandschuster.com wrote:
C.
I think HP is on a "different" notch than Lewis or Tolkein; someone's bound to call it "lower." One of the strengths of Rowling's work to me is that there IS no "greater good or evil"-- which makes characters like Malfoy and Snape so enigmatic and therefore dangerous. There's also obviously some danger of evil building in Harry himself (along the lines of Luke Skywalker?), as hinted at especially in #4 with the dueling wands.
At a broader level, a comparison of Rowling with Lewis or Tolkein isn't particularly useful. Lewis and Tolkein wrote high fantasy (i.e. taking place in an imagined world ... someone is bound to take issue with me here for throwing these two into the same pot, but bear with me!), while Rowling's books, for all their fantastical elements, are pretty well rooted in this world. The fantasy, to me, is her weak point; I think she's written compelling coming-of-age/school-stories, with magical tones that augment the character development, as well as lend an enticing setting.
Nina
Nina Lindsay, Children's Librarian Oakland Public Library, CA linds_na at oaklandlibrary.org
Received on Wed 06 Sep 2000 05:49:34 PM CDT
Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2000 15:49:34 -0700 (PDT)
On 6 Sep 2000 Brenda.Bowen at simonandschuster.com wrote:
C.
I think HP is on a "different" notch than Lewis or Tolkein; someone's bound to call it "lower." One of the strengths of Rowling's work to me is that there IS no "greater good or evil"-- which makes characters like Malfoy and Snape so enigmatic and therefore dangerous. There's also obviously some danger of evil building in Harry himself (along the lines of Luke Skywalker?), as hinted at especially in #4 with the dueling wands.
At a broader level, a comparison of Rowling with Lewis or Tolkein isn't particularly useful. Lewis and Tolkein wrote high fantasy (i.e. taking place in an imagined world ... someone is bound to take issue with me here for throwing these two into the same pot, but bear with me!), while Rowling's books, for all their fantastical elements, are pretty well rooted in this world. The fantasy, to me, is her weak point; I think she's written compelling coming-of-age/school-stories, with magical tones that augment the character development, as well as lend an enticing setting.
Nina
Nina Lindsay, Children's Librarian Oakland Public Library, CA linds_na at oaklandlibrary.org
Received on Wed 06 Sep 2000 05:49:34 PM CDT
