[HPforGrownups] series/growing up

[Julia L. Ciesla]

No: HPFGUIDX 2492

/lurk mode

Hello All!

I posted once before I believe... awhile ago. This is such a fantastic
discussion group!  I don't post more because I actually don't have time to
re-read all the HP books. But I do remember so much from the first time
around that I'm tremendously enjoying everyone's thoughts! 

I was getting itchy about reading Book 5 as well.. that was a great
observation about the Pickwick Papers.  One thought I had:  the series is
now at a book a year.  Maybe it's intentional, maybe not.. but if the
series is getting darker book by book.. the original target audience would
be getting older as the books come out.. and therefore, would be mature
enough to handle the details.  (Sorry about grammar).  One thing that gets
in the way of this is that the books are thought to be more aimed at the
11-13 year old set.. right? Although, by many observations.. it's the
grown-ups who are enthralled!

I just think that if I was 10 when the first book came out (1995?)...was
still interested.. I would be 15 when I read GoF.. so while Cedric's death
would be a blow.. it wouldn't have the same devastating effect than if I
was that 1o year old reading it.  So the kids that were 10 when the first
book came out (and assuming a book a year is published), would be 17 when
book 7 comes out.  I wonder how many kids read HP when it first came out
and are still interested?  I think most of the fans today got ahold of the
books after SS and CS came out... maybe even after PA was released.  

That's my rambling thought.  LOL.. pick it apart.

Julia 


>> I can see the first two as being aimed at kids and young people.  But PoA
>> and GoF?
>> No way.  Not just at kids anyway.  The last two are just far too "adult"
>(in
>> a non-sexual sense) in my view.  HP may have started out relatively black
>> and white, but things are getting ever greyer by the book.
>>
>
>Exactly: as HP gets older, he is compelled to deal with a greater degree of
>moral complexity (e.g., showing mercy to Pettigrew will ultimately prove to
>be a good thing, although by the end of Book IV, it seems to have only
>resulted in several deaths, and the restroration of Voldy to a corporeal
>state.
>
>    - CMC