[HPforGrownups] Re: Official Philip Nel Discussion Question #4--Will HP b...

[Edblanning at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 38169

In a message dated 23/04/02 15:23:08 GMT Daylight Time, jweaver at s-tec.com 
writes:

Jayseeweezer:
> > 
> > Nigel Newton, the chief executive of Bloomsbury Publishing, has 
> > predicted the HP books "will still be bought for children in 100 
> > years' time."  (Prynn).  Is he merely promoting his company's 
> > interests?  Will the Potter novels be classics?   
> > 
> I think the discussion of whether or not the Potter novels are/will 
> be classics is a little premature?we've only seen four of the
> seven 
> and it appears that after two years JKR has hit something of a
> wall?
> until the series is resolved I think it's a little early for
> judgment!

I respectfully disagree. Sure, we don't know about the whole series, yet, but 
if we didn't know that seven books were projected, would we feel unable to 
comment on the worth of what we have? And if they never materialised, would 
the four we have be consigned to oblivion? Schubert's 'Unfinished' Symphony 
is still a classic despite its truncated nature, isn't it? (Apologies that 
due to delayed posting, Pippin has already made the same point.)

I for one think that they are books that will last. The themes of magic, of 
the tension between good and evil, of the young hero finding himself are 
enduring ones which will not date. Her views of good and evil (which don't 
seem fully to be revealed yet) are perhaps more complex than some of her 
predecessors, at least in the genre of children's literature, so I would not 
describe her as totally derivitive in using these themes.

In addition, the books are successful at different levels, which is why they 
are not *just* children's books. They appeal on an intellectual level 
(witness this list's very existence); we could say this is their adult 
appeal. They appeal to the child and allow us adults to indulge the inner 
child in their pure fantasy adventure. And, dare I say, they appeal to the 
inner adolescent - all that crush material which keeps this list so busy! 

JKR's prose style itself has come in for some criticism from some (myself 
included). I don't think it's great *writing*. But it *is* great 
story-telling. Although the style may not be of the highest order, it does 
have the benefit of being easy to read, which is not a bad quality in books 
designed to appeal to children. And the stories are anchored in and 
interlinked with the elements from so many other tales, references which 
enrich, without being didactic or irritating.

Along with story lines which carry the reader forward, she has developed 
characters who interest and intrigue us, whose motivations puzzle us and 
leave us asking questions, wanting to know more. The strength of her 
characters is often just there: not in the way they have been developed, but 
in what has not yet been developed, what is left unsaid, in these very 
unanswered questions. Many of her characters, adults in particular, are 
enigmatic. They are mysteries in themselves which beg explanation. Witness 
this list again! Hands up everyone who joined the fandom because they were 
intrigued by the history/motivation of one or another of the characters. :-)

So.....Strong plots, great characters, appeal to different age groups. Yes, 
these books will last.

Eloise. 


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