Interest from third book on and Rowling as author

[Randy]

No: HPFGUIDX 153631

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "minerva_523" 
<minerva_523 at ...> wrote:
>
> >Snip
> > Karen F wrote:
> > My sentiments exactly----I only started reading the books just
> > before book 4 came out because my students were all toting copies
> > around and the series was getting a lot of attention. <snip>  I
> > didn't get truly hooked until PoA, which is when elements from 
the
> > first two books started coming back into play in a significant
> > way...not to mention it packed a substantial emotional punch.
> > There was no turning back after that. <snip>

SNIP

 If one takes the story at a strictly
> > superficial level, it wouldn't have the broad appeal it has
> > and could be labeled as "just another children's book".  <snip>
> 
> 
> Now Cacaia:
> I must also agree about the third book grasping my attention moreso
> than the previous two. To tell the truth, I've sort of "suffered"
> through the first two books, :-) but it was not until the third one
> that Rowling started to bewitch me. ;-)
> 
> I agree that the series are replete with mythology and philosophy,
> not to mention the very cool parallel between the Wizarding World 
and
> our own- The series, as many scholars would say, are "loaded" with
> good symbolism. I find myself talking Potterism a lot to my 
students,
> using examples from the books, etc- I even have one kid who claims
> he's a Slytherin and speaks in Parseltongue to me. ;-)
> 
> About Rowling as an author: It is my opinion that she has evolved 
as
> a writer during the series,  being that by the third book, her use 
of
> language and symbolism improved superbly, and her grasp upon the
> Wizarding World and how it works became all the more tighter- thus
> almost tangible and quite enjoyable. So, yes, I must agree- from 
the
> third book on, that's where the series takes momentum. :-)
> 
> Cacaia
>

Randy replies

I think you will see an exponential increase in HP fandom between 
1999 and 2000 when POA started to capture the imagination of many 
people.  Look at the lists on the internet.  

POA sparked the imagination of the adults reading to the kids.  
GOF set the forest on fire....IMO

Randy