JKR's originality

[Jim Ferer]

No: HPFGUIDX 1317

--- In HPforGrownups at egroups.com, "Sister Mary Lunatic" <klaatu at p...> 
wrote:
"If JKR has borrowed certain elements from previous fantasy fiction, 
I will say that she has taken those elements and combined them in a 
way that no  other author has ever done before.  There's never been a 
phenomenon like the Harry Potter books - they appeal to all ages, all 
nationalities, all types of kids and adults.  It's like the 
difference between a good cook and a bad  cook.  They can take the 
exact same ingredients and produce a masterpiece or  a garbage-
disposal disaster."

I like the good cook/bad cook analogy.  Tolkien himself borrowed 
mythic elements from all over for The Lord of the Rings. 
Shakespeare used old stories for much of his work. JKR has taken 
whatever elements she used and combined them brilliantly into 
wonderfully entertaining stories that have real themes.

Every one of us is a bundle of influences and cultural heritage. It's 
what we do with it that makes us original or not.

I see very little influence of fantasy fiction in JKR's work.  The 
parallels with Tolkien are inevitable: at their elemental levels, JKR 
and JRRT are talking about good versus evil; the evolution of a hero; 
and the price that heroes pay. They have done it each in a wonderful 
way that makes them transcend genre.