Urgent email opinions request from journalist in Chile (about Potter adult fans)

[Sternel]

> 1. In an article published by The Orlando Sentinel about Nimbus
> 2003, it says that individuals on that event were "college 
professors
> and college students, advertising copywriters and unemployed 
computer
> consultants, substitute teachers and wanna-be teachers. They've come
> from California and New York, Australia and England. Above all else,
> they are Harry Potter fans. And they are adults". First of all:
> Could you tell me how did you get fascinated by the saga of this 
small
> kid? And how could you explain that many adults feel fascinated by a
> book with a kid as a protagonist? From that point of view: Do you
> agree with miss Rowling when she says that "it is my sense of humour
> in the books, not what I think children will find funny, and I 
suppose
> that would explain some of the appeal to adults"?

I first read Harry Potter after a boyfriend recommended them to me, 
and I fell in love with them instantly. I really can't explain why 
they enraptured me so much.  I think despite the protagonist being a 
child, all the characters are well-depicted -- adults as well as 
children, all seen through Harry's eyes. I think what we are reacting 
to is this story of someone trying to make sense of the world around 
him; that's something we all have experienced, and we all understand.
 I agree with Rowling's statement; there is a definate sense of humor 
running throughout these books that make reading them enjoyable.  If 
not for that tongue-in-cheek quality, people wouldn't want to return 
to them.  


> 
> 2. From that point of view: Which are the elements of the books that
> you feel as most appealing to you? Stories, characters? Do you think
> that this is a good read for any adult? You think no one should feel
> ashamed of reading these "child" books?

The characters are what keeps me reading; they are multilayered and 
rich, and we discover new things about them in every book.  JKR's 
characterizations are one of the strongest aspects of Harry Potter.  
I don't think one should be ashamed of reading a 'child's' book as an 
adult -- if it's good enough for you as a child, what should that 
change as an adult?  A good story is a good story, and if it's 
written on a level children can understand but with depth that adults 
can appreciate, it allows a wider audience to appreciate it, both 
seperately and together. 


> 3. Bloomsbury spokeswoman Lucy Chapman said in an article from BBC
> that she "thinks that adults can find another level in the Potter
> books". She said that people can read "into the mythology that runs
> through the novels, they pick up on more, such as the Latin school
> mottos." Do you think that is a key for success between adults? From
> that same point of view: It is possible to think, like mister Joel
> Rickett - news editor of the Bookseller website- says, that 
the "Harry
> Potter phenomenon also coincided with a time when it became
> fashionable for adults to indulge in children's activities, such as
> computer games"?.

The word games and puns, the references to history, the mythological 
background are all terrific aspects and has actually increased my 
education -- my Latin has gotten more use since I stopped studying it 
in school, I have begun to pursue mythology outside of the Greco 
Roman myths I learned as a child, and have learned a great deal of 
comparative religion as I read about the responses of various 
organized religions to the series.  

> 
> 4. Mister Rickett also says that the aura surrounding the author as
> a factor in Harry Potter's appeal to an adult audience. "The books 
are
> the product of one person which gives them an air of authenticity.
> The romantic image of a single mother writing stories in a café is
> appealing.", he says. What do you think about that?

I knew nothing about Rowling when I first read the books.  I did not 
learn of her background until after I had sought out the first three 
volumes, so that statement isn't valid at all in my case.

> 
> 5. "Families were going into bookshops and buying up multiple copies
> on the first day of sale. Adults could not wait for the paperback
> grown-up version to come out," said a Bloomsbury spokesperson. Have
> you gone to midnight sales and waited for the books like hundreds of
> kids? Do you remember any story or anecdote about those events or
> about being an adult fan of Potter? Have you gone with your family
> to buy the books?

I waited with friends on line at the Toys'R'Us in Times Square for 
the release of Order of the Phoenix.  We were able to hear Jim Dale, 
the narrator of the audiobooks, do a reading and had our books by 
12:30 am.  We went in costumes, and had a great time -- it made that 
last bit of waiting enjoyable rather than a chore.  I hope we're able 
to repeat the experience for the next book.

> 
> 6. In the Order of Phoenix Harry is much more mature than in the
> first one. How do you react on this progressive growing process? You
> think this could make him loose some appeal?

I'm very glad JKR is writing him this way.  Part of what I love about 
her characterization of Harry is the realistic nature of it.  If she 
hadn't matured Harry that realism would be lost and the story would 
ring false to me.  

Sternel (Abigail) age 23
Long Island, New York.