Le Guin's Potter bashing

[Jim Ferer]

No: HPFGUIDX 90615

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Tim Regan" <tim_regan82 at h...> 
wrote:
> Another great author joins the ranks of those who don't get the 
fuss 
> about HP. In The Guardian on Monday February 9 Ursula LeGuin wrote:
> 
> Question: Nicholas Lezard has written 'Rowling can type, but Le 
Guin 
> can write.' What do you make of this comment in the light of the 
> phenomenal success of the Potter books? I'd like to hear your 
> opinion of JK Rowling's writing style
> 
> Answer: I have no great opinion of it. When so many adult critics 
> were carrying on about the "incredible originality" of the first 
> Harry Potter book, I read it to find out what the fuss was about, 
> and remained somewhat puzzled; it seemed a lively kid's fantasy 
> crossed with a "school novel", good fare for its age group, but 
> stylistically ordinary, imaginatively derivative, and ethically 
> rather mean-spirited.

Let me start with LeGuin's 'ethically mean-spirited' comment, 'cause 
it got me fired up: LeGuin represents a passivist New Age philosophy 
that denies the existence of Voldemorts, of whom there are many in 
the world.  Maybe LeGuin would like to try conflict resolution on LV, 
or find out what Lucius's real needs are. Bah.  People in the 
Potterverse do get comeuppance sometimes, something LeGuin probably 
doesn't believe in. JKR hasn't got a problem with it, apparently, and 
neither do I.  You don't see Harry, Ron, Heremione, or the twins 
bullying, do you?

As far as 'stylistically ordinary' goes, LeGuin has a point, although 
to me it's not a negative. JKR uses a straight ahead storytelling 
style, a clean, clear narrative, not rich in language like Tolkien or 
Eddison, but well suited to telling her tale.

Imaginatively derivative?  Devilish antagonists aren't new, nor 
conflicts amongst students, nor a trio of close friends, but those 
elements haven't been combined in the way JKR has before. Would we 
criticize a cook for using flour, salt, and sugar in his cooking? 
Shakespeare's plots weren't very original.

I wouldn't compare JKR with Shakespeare, but one of the secrets of 
her success is the same as one of Shakespeare's: she gave us 
incredibly rich, complex, real characters that have survived us 
discussing them to death for years now. The power of these characters 
is reflected by the millions of words of HP fanfiction out there; 
these characters are good enough that we want to work their poor 
fingers to the bone in our plots. The power of Shakespeare's 
characters is shown in the challenge to actors of interpreting 400 
year old characters.

I care what happens to everybody in the Potterverse; were any of you 
that wrapped up in Ged's fate? (Wizard of Earthsea, by LeGuin, which 
I liked and have a good opinion of).

Of course, the biggest difference between JKR and Shakespeare that 
comes to mind is he reinvented about half the English language and 
JKR hasn't; but  she's done all right.

LeGuin should have asked us what all the fuss is about.