Readers in the WW (was: JKR and "Think of the Children!")

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 162181

Betsy HP:
> 
> Harry, on the other hand, will enjoy a book about his interests now 
> and again.  But if you were going to buy him a gift, would you buy 
> him a book or a quidditch kit?  When he's in Diagon Alley do you 
> think he'd lose himself in the bookstore, or the quidditch shop (or 
> the joke shop, for that matter)?

Potioncat:
I've narrowed it down. Most of us, whether we know it or not, 
consider "loving books" to be an important character trait, and feel 
something is lacking in one's character, if one does not love to 
read. That's why we are (were) scrambling to show that Harry "reads". 
Someone upthread pointed out that Harry reading the quidditch book 
shows how much he loves quidditch, (not how much he loves to read). 
To Harry, reading is a useful skill, not a recreational activity. 

And I think Betsy is right, JKR decided to make him a boy of action, 
not of reading. Now, JKR has also said that the trio have found their 
answers in books and libraries. We see her love of the written word. 

Let's be honest. A person can love books too much. Spending too much 
time reading can be almost as bad as spending too much time watching 
TV, at least in terms of other health issues. 


In Post 162138 Carol closed with:
> Carol, who agrees with Betsy that the WW needs some good literature
> and thinks they'd benefit from a dose of Shakespeare, Austen, 
Dickens,
> and Melville for starters

Potioncat:
I've always suspected that Shakespeare and Dickens were wizards who 
chose to also publish in the Muggle world--or perhaps a nefarious 
Muggleborn stole the works and had them published in the Muggle 
world.