Harold Bloom on HP

[Amy Z]

No: HPFGUIDX 11240

Andrea wrote:

> His opinion really surprised me. Does any of you also think that the 
language is so poor in the HP books? Have critics been that harsh in 
general? 

No and no. 

I think HP is not only a blast but very well-written, otherwise I'd 
never be able to read and reread it (whoever asked:  I'm on listen #2 
and read #3 or more of the books--only started reading them in 
November--yikes!) I think I have pretty picky literary standards; for 
example I agree that Stephen King is a terrible, terrible writer.  (NO 
FLAMES PLEASE!)  One thing JKR does incredibly well that SK couldn't 
do to save his life is write realistic dialogue.  Bad dialogue makes 
me put a book down faster than anything else.  And I know the kind of 
writing Bloom is criticizing (no one ever walks, they just stretch 
their legs) and I couldn't disagree more with his opinion that JKR is 
guilty of it.

As for critics, they've been pretty kind to HP here (e.g. the New 
Yorker, snobbish determiner of What Cultured People Should and Should 
Not Read par excellence, raved).  Every critics has his or her own 
opinion--some well-supported, some not, many simply idiosyncratic--and 
I think people take them entirely too seriously.  Harold Bloom is a 
very smart guy and I respect a lot of his opinions, but I'm not going 
to take them or anyone else's as gospel.

Amy Z

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Many people said he hadn't noticed he was dead.
                        --Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
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