this post was submitted on 22 Feb 2025
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Love her or hate her (and my opinions are mixed), I must confess, JK Rowling was a huge influence on why I didn't become a regular author. No shade on people who get what they paid for, but the young reader crowd is just so gimmicky, and not in a good way, and you see that with a lot of works like Percy Jackson and Twilight (but also predominantly with Rowling's work). How do you compete in such a no-rules game?

So then let's talk about one of the cores of the issue. People often have an epiphany when divulging into Harry Potter, and they think "huh, what's the deal with this if that thing is how it is". While noting that conflicts in literary analysis don't always reflect something that doesn't add up and that it could be a hiccup in details/semantics, the questions themselves don't go away. And there's nothing that matches the amount of those having to do with Harry Potter. What example of which strikes you as the most overlooked?

If Rowling herself ever notices that I'm bringing this up, let it be known I do think of her work as a reskinned Brothers Grimm in the universe of The Worst Witch and that I'm collaborating with another author (Samantha Rinne) whose work I would argue deserves Rowling's prestige if Rowling's work deserves it. Thanks (and here is where I run for the hills).

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[–] Balthazar@lemmy.world 18 points 20 hours ago (4 children)

I don't get it. I haven't read the books, only seen the movies, but as far as I could tell, there's absolutely nothing special about Harry. He gets swept along, and he has himself no particular virtue to be extolled.

[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 29 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago) (2 children)

That's literally what makes it a fucking Tory wet dream. This gets missed on a lot of American readers.

A uniquely special boy (gotta be a boy, this ain't for girls!) from birth, he did nothing to achieve that specialness. Somehow, despite being an orphan, he is actually absurdly rich. Everyone knows of him even though he has done exactly nothing himself to justify it. He is somehow destined for greatness despite being a fucking fumbling, middling wizard. He will be the "hero" by banishing "evil" from the world because everything is in black and white and evil people are always evil and good people are always good and never the twain shall meet. There are never broken people who make mistakes, no, just good or evil.

A boy after Boris Johnson's own heart.

[–] Sarmyth@lemmy.world 3 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

I actually never got the impression he was rich from the movies. All Hagrid really says is "You dinne think they'd leave ya with nothing?" And they show a pile of coins.

To a child with almost nothing but some school expenses who lived on handmedowns, he might feel rich but he didn't rush out and replace his broom himself when it broke each time.

His parents also weren't old or particularly famous outside their role in Voldy's death, so I don't know where the richest could have come from outside his Father's family.

[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 2 points 51 minutes ago

Also... Does Gringots do interest? I assume not because it's literally a vault.

[–] Chocrates@lemmy.world 18 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago)

This is why I prefer Star Trek over Star Wars. Characters in Star Trek, by and large, work their asses off for what they think is right.

Star Wars, you are born a Lord or a peasant and basically accept your lot.

This is a good read that talks about it https://www.salon.com/1999/06/15/brin_main/

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