How many of you think harry potter is childish?

Discussion in 'Discussion of Published Works' started by sereda008, Aug 26, 2010.

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  1. Steerpike

    Steerpike Felis amatus Contributor

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    I don't know whether that one was intended. Rowling did say that her Christianity had quite a bit of influence on the books, and that there are many religious parallels that she thought would be obvious to people. I know some of the tomb-stone inscriptions in the last book are Bible quotes.

    As to whether something like the Chamber of Secrets was meant to be a symbolic death and resurrection, I couldn't say. I didn't view it in that manner.
     
  2. Unit7

    Unit7 Contributor Contributor

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    In that case I suppose maybe there is more to it then I had thought.
     
  3. Loki7734

    Loki7734 New Member

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    I'd say yes, it is. There are vast inconsistencies and absurdities, in the plot but mostly in the world, which I didn't notice when I was a child but from the viewpoint of an adolescent/adult are very off-putting. It's clearly written for children, and I think that's reflected in the overarching theme of angelic Good versus absolute Evil. It's a fairytale at heart, just one that deals with a few grown-up issues from time to time.
     
  4. Heather Munn

    Heather Munn New Member

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    I think it's true that in some of the later books there's a horror-type edge to some stuff. A friend of mine had a little boy who was reading... oh man they're blurring together in my head, but he was reading the one where that evil Dolores woman was having Harry copy lines with a scarlet quill and the lines would cut themselves on the back of his hand... anyway, that gave the kid the serious creeps, to the point where his mom took the book away till he was a little older.

    And yeah, he was a sensitive kid. But really, when you think about it... that little detail is a very, very effective writerly detail; it does a marvelous job of showing the character's cruelty. And that's what makes it scarier and less kid-appropriate than monsters, etc--I think because cruelty is real, and deep down the kid knows it and that's scary. And Rowling's good at that--at showing the reality of human evil--and it's good for kids to know that but it's probably good to pace the rate at which they find out. I am definitely going to give the books to my kids (whenever I have them) but I might have to save the later ones for when they turn certain ages or something.
     
  5. purplerevolution

    purplerevolution New Member

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    It may have been written for the young adult, but I think all ages can enjoy it, if they enjoy the story. I personally love the books.
     
  6. lost123

    lost123 New Member

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    it is not childish, because harry potter's plot is very smart I would say..
     
  7. Cornflower

    Cornflower Member

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    well I think its makes more sense if Lucius was short for Lucifer-since the other two reasons don't really make any sense since the Malfoys never really saw "the light" so to speak until the Battle at Hogwarts. if it might light why were the Malfoys so bad to begin with? or the one Roman Emperor named Lucius who fought against King Arthur in legend (it would be a good basis against Mr. Arthur Weasly and Mr. Lucius Malfoy)
     
  8. The Degenerate

    The Degenerate Active Member

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    Watership Down. Animal Farm. They're about talking animals. Talking animals who are motivated by violence and social reform. Childish? Hardly.

    Rogger Rabbit. It's a juxtaposition of our favorite cartoons that made us laugh as children, but it's only the backdrop for dark, noir themes and allegory.

    Harry Potter. Children doing magical, childish things in a magical world. At least, until they're forced into becoming adults relatively quickly.

    Some things may appeal to younger readers, but that doesn't mean there aren't themes that can appeal to adults as well.
     
  9. Annûniel

    Annûniel Contributor Contributor

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    This. Rowling didn't name her characters lightly (except most of the Hogwarts students). Almost all her characters are named after their personalities. So it is very likely she named these two characters Arthur and Lucius as a throwback to the Arthurian legend. Even if Lucius was an antagonist, I seriously doubt Rowling would actually name a character after the devil!
     
  10. Cornflower

    Cornflower Member

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    Don't forgot most of Ron's brothers (with the exception of Percy and Fred) are named after British kings-or Princes-Bill-William, Charles, and George. Percy is more of the name of a Knight from Arthurian Legend--Percival which means ""pierce the veil" it could also be be consider a short form of Perseus. I consider the first idea to be correct since their Dad is called Arthur and their ONLY sister, is called Ginevra, a version of Guinevere.

    Besides JK Rowling uses examples of other mythology in her works Fluffy=Cerbus (well people think what's under the trapdoor represents more of the Greek/Roman Underworld-than what we would consider to be H-E-L-L), Harry and Ron's Yule Ball dates' names=Hindu. Snakes been a big deal in many cultures=but mostly bad.
     
  11. Elgaisma

    Elgaisma Contributor Contributor

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    Err could be overthinking it as William, Charles and George were at the time Harry Potter was released were also some of the most popular names in the UK at the time, Frederick was the name of Prince of Wales a few times and think a king or two, it just wasn't their king name. Charles is considered a cursed name for a king so doesn't work - why Prince Charles is going to I think be George VII. Where does Ronald come into it? Fred and Harry were also up there as popular names at the time.

    Dumbledore means bumble bee or village idiot - Hogwarts means a type of poison. Not entirely sure they were intentional.
     
  12. Cornflower

    Cornflower Member

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    Arthur is one of Prince Charles's other names (Charles Philip Arthur George) -he might use. and I didn't say the whole Weasly family had anything to do with Kings or Queens of England since Molly is short for "Molly Cuddle". The if it was so popular in the time "only Fred, George Harry, Charles, I know of are either 1)the HP characters themselves or b)Princes/ and past Kings of England. I know of no Harry, Fred Georges, etc for the HP characters and royalty in RLF and I was 7 in 1997. Names like "Laura" and "Morgan" were more popular at that time.
     
  13. Elgaisma

    Elgaisma Contributor Contributor

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    You were at school in Scotland in the 1990s ?

    In the England in 1998 (the government website only goes back to 98) all the names were in the top 100 with the exception of Ronald and Frederick. Harry, William, George were in the top 20, only reason Charles wasn't was because both Charlies and Charles were in the top 50 so the numbers were split making it actually more popular numberwise. Harrison was starting its major rise to accounting for even more Harry's and Bill/y was also in the top 100.

    Frederick was just starting to rise in popularity along with other old man names like Arthur, Winston, Wilfred etc (Arthur was also proving popular and was in the top 100 about then)

    Rowling is a Scot, George and Frederick are even more popular here.

    Molly has been a stupidly popular girls name in the UK for a number of years.

    EDIT: My deduction would be that the Weasley names if chosen deliberatly were chosen for their 'normality' next to the fancier names of the Malfoys. They are a 'common' everyday family. Ginerva possibly chosen because she was the odd one out. Kind of like a family with 6 kids I know girls have fantastic unusual names - son is John.
     
  14. Cornflower

    Cornflower Member

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    My country is part of the British Commonwealth-including Scotland. So if it was popular in Britain/Scotland you would think it would be popular in other countries-like Canada.
     
  15. Elgaisma

    Elgaisma Contributor Contributor

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    No doesn't work that way - Canada, Australia, South Africa etc have their own naming traditions.

    Scotland is different to even England and Wales. Laura was considered an old lady name here by the 1990s and Morgan something a bit trendy. in 1997 Laura in Scotland would probably be Ellie and Morgan - Molly or Olivia.
     
  16. lost123

    lost123 New Member

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    It is just a theory and you don't have any evidence to support it, so nobody can prove it. (;
     
  17. WingedAngel

    WingedAngel New Member

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    When I read harry potter, i couldnt wait for the next book or movie. I just think its interesting.
     
  18. Ellipse

    Ellipse Contributor Contributor

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    There were points where the storyline did become childish. The reporter Rita Skeeter was my pet peeve. She gets away with writing a bunch of lies in the newspaper, is an unregistered animagus, and virturally goes unpunished for it. Hermoine's method to punish her wasn't even a punishment.

    I mean a tabloid writer is the most trusted and read reporter of the wizardling word? :mad:
     
  19. Elgaisma

    Elgaisma Contributor Contributor

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    She is a satire though - there are indeed many reporters just like her :) One can't help but wonder if she was based on someone real - the whole bugging thing is horribly prophetic with the current scandals going on :)
     
  20. Cornflower

    Cornflower Member

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    blackmail is an effective-sp? punishment. and Skeeter means Mosquito in slang terms. I mean she had to keep her quill to herself for a year OR be told on by little Ms. Hermione Jane Granger. If you were in her spot would you risk not keeping your quill to her spot if a 15 year old child (that how old Hermione would have been at the time) was going to report you as an unregistered Animagus-if you didn't?

    I CAN backup my theory about Fluffy and Cerbus=same thing 1)Cerbus and Flubby have 3 heads, 2. In the book 1 Hagrid says "I got him from a Greek chap". and Cerbus is from Greek Mythology (the idiot scriptwriter was unaware of the reference)-so its very likely they are the one and the same.
     
  21. Unit7

    Unit7 Contributor Contributor

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    Wait is someone actually arguing the origins of Fluffy? I mean its a three headed dog. Its not exactly common is it?
     
  22. Elgaisma

    Elgaisma Contributor Contributor

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    Actually my weird bizarre back of the mind itching kind of neurons are trying to fire and say there is an ancient Scots legend with a three headed something, I seem to remember a Pictish stone with it on. Probably came from the Greek though.
     
  23. Unit7

    Unit7 Contributor Contributor

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    Well in celtic mythology there was a three headed/faced God. According to wikipedia he doesn't have a known name. Though not sure if that falls under scottish legend.
     
  24. Elgaisma

    Elgaisma Contributor Contributor

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    Might do - it would be Pictish so the tradition would have been oral they didn't write just spent their days chiselling pictures into stones. It was definitely an animal.

    It could be a cat - there are some indication that cats were revered like with Egyptians.
     
  25. Steerpike

    Steerpike Felis amatus Contributor

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    The Greek Cerberus is generally depicted as a three-headed dog.

    EDIT - nvm. I see Cornflower already made the point :)
     

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