HP- childrens books?

[alhewison]

No: HPFGUIDX 43104

I've noticed a few posts recently referring to the Potterverse 
as "children's books" or "primarily for children". 

I can't help wondering why. I know that the books were marketed for 
children. But I thought that when JKR first conceived the idea, she 
had no specific market in mind – just her own enjoyment. She seems 
unwilling to compromise about the "darkness" which we all expect to 
see in the books, just to maintain the suitability for her younger 
readers. In short, she has written books that she likes and that are 
open for everyone to read and enjoy.

Why then do so many consider the books for children? I hear the 
phrase authorial intent. Once the books are written, it's for others 
to decide what they are about, and who they are for. Well, haven't we 
all decided that they are for adults? I know that the publishing 
companies have marketed the books at children, but in Britain at 
least, Bloomsbury has acknowledged their adult readership by 
providing different covers. Admittedly, I can not see the point in 
owning such an edition. It would mean waiting a bit longer to get the 
books, an unnecessary wait IMHO, not to mention the "sadness" of 
trying to pretend you are reading something somehow more "adult".

Perhaps the trouble with HP is that previously we have been too ready 
to categorise books into genres. Kids books, fantasy books, who-done-
its. HP doesn't readily fit any of these, although as kids love the 
books that is where they were first pigeon-holed. To be fair, I think 
that the first books were more child-orientated, but I wonder if we 
will feel the same, when (and IF) the series finishes.

I am not ashamed of reading books because they have been written for 
children, but I just don't think that HP fits neatly into this 
category. I first heard about HP just over 4 years ago in a review. 
The review talked about this children's book that had become 
established by way of word of mouth, from child to child. It gave a 
basic outline of the Philosopher's Stone. I was hooked! I told myself 
that I would buy the book and keep it for my daughter (then less than 
a year old!). So the fact that I thought I was reading a children's 
book did not matter. The fact is, I think that we have got much more.

I think that as adults we read different things into the texts, our 
favourite characters (I'm thinking here of the likes of Lupin, Sirius 
and Snape) are likely to be differ from the favourites of children. 
(Although our love of the "Trio" is likely to be common to everyone. 
I was recently talking to an 11-year-old about the books. She told me 
that PoA was her least favourite book – the ending was boring; the 
Shrieking Shack scene her least favourite. To me, the twists and 
turns we see in PoA, the psychological suspense make it my favourite. 
The fact is that JKR has managed to provide enjoyment to a great many 
different readers of many different ages. The majority of my "30-
something" friends have now read these books. They continue to 
snigger at my love for them, but it doesn't stop them from discusing 
them, or craving the next book.


Ali

now off to enjoy a Bank Holiday weekend