Oh, Dear Sweet God

[alshainofthenorth]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "elady25" <imamommy at s...> 
wrote:
> imamommy:
> 
> Sounds like a load of waffle to me.  I think I missed the point
> completely.  These two series have no connection, and nothing to do
> with one another.  
> 
> OR DO THEY?
> 
> imamommy
> --- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "abigailnus" 
<abigailnus at y...>
> wrote:
> > Some people clearly have too much time on their hands.  
> > 
> > There's an article on Slate plotting the similarities between 
Harry 
> > Potter and the Left Behind series.  The author concludes that the 
> > two series are very much alike because they share such 
> > distinguishing characteristics as - wait for it! - the struggle 
> > between good and evil.  Because we've never read a story about 
> > that before.  
> > 
> > In the end, he does try to differentiate between the two, saying 
that 
> > 
> > "In that sense, despite their similarities, at their hearts the 
two
> series 
> > are different in a fundamental but not obvious way. Left Behind 
is 
> >      istic; Harry Potter sees outcome determined by individual 
actions. 
> > Both provide a roadmap for how to live a good life, but in one 
case 
> > the key is morality, and in the other it is faith."
> > 
> > Which just means that he had a point to make and decided to use 
not 
> > one but two pop culture juggernauts to help him make it.
> > 
> > I swear, there are days when I really wish these books weren't as 
> > popular as they are.
> > 
> > You can read the whole ridiculous thing here:
> > http://slate.msn.com/id/2100637/
> > 
> > Abigail

Abigail,

Which books, out of curiosity? Harry Potter or Left Behind?

As I recall from reading the article a week or so ago, the writer 
skewed the article rather neatly by only giving examples of 
similarities instead of differences (and the similarities were very 
trivial at that). He also plays it safe by being very vague, which is 
100 % failsafe, just like applying elements of The Hero's Journey, 
but not very informative and very much open to interpretation. How 
many times does the "lose a mentor" motive play out in OoP, for 
instance? First Dumbledore doesn't talk to Harry, then everyone in 
the Order refuse to answer his deepest questions, then Arthur almost 
dies, then Dumbledore has to leave the school, James and Sirius turn 
out to have been bullies in school with Remus doing nothing to stop 
them, Snape stops giving Harry occlumency lessons, and finally Sirius 
dies.

Oh well. Perhaps this article makes someone in the "Harry Potter is 
the work of the devil" crowd come to see the light.

Alshain