Gender balance (Children v Adult Lit)

[Penny & Bryce Linsenmayer]

No: HPFGUIDX 15201

Hi --

Magda Grantwich wrote:

> I said it was asking too much of ANY AUTHOR to have to create a
> socially perfect setting for their books.
>
> Children's literature is not some fictional ghetto that adults cannot
> enter.

Believe me -- I'm the last person to think of childrens' lit as a
"ghetto" (I'm writing a biography of childrens' author Laura Ingalls
Wilder after all!).  But, JKR herself has said she did not intend to
write childrens' books.  She didn't think that's what she was writing
(granted she also didn't realize she was writing in the fantasy genre
until nearly done with PS).  Children were not her intended audience.

> Children can identify with Harry and his friends because so many of
> their experiences are the same they face: what if I go to school and
> no one wants to be my friend?;  the people I live with aren't REALLY
> my parents - I'm really special; that boy/girl looks different than
> me and everyone picks on them and that's not nice; that teacher
> doesn't like kids.
>
But, the books are becoming more & more adult in tone.  She's said that
she doesn't intend to keep the Trio & their peers mired in
pre-pubescence forever, and I believe her.  GoF is *not* a childrens'
book in my mind.  There are lots of plot points that will strike a chord
with "teenage" readers in GoF, but the 3 main characters have moved
firmly into adolescence.  They aren't children any longer.  In Book 7,
the Trio will be 17/18 yrs old.  My guess is that they'll be behaving as
though they are 17/18 (*adults* for all intents & purposes).  How could
that possibly be classified as a childrens' book?  Where do you draw the
line?  Are Books 1-3 "childrens' books" but GoF and the subsequent ones
aren't?

The other thing that sets these apart from other childrens' literature
is the large adult audience.  Sure, many adults enjoy certain childrens'
books.  But, the numbers here are staggering.  Heidi just posted
something a few weeks ago that indicates that a majority of the HP books
sold in 2000 were sold to and for readers over the age of 14.  I just
don't believe that all of this evidence warrants a narrow classification
of the books as children's literature.  They really defy classification
in my mind.  But, don't even get me started on the NY Times .....<g>

Penny


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