6 and a half hours later...
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Warrior
Member # 2128
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written Sunday, June 29 2003 12:02
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I am extremely sorry for this post :( [ Sunday, June 29, 2003 12:03: Message edited by: Iolanda ] Posts: 55 | Registered: Tuesday, October 22 2002 07:00 |
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Shock Trooper
Member # 3026
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written Monday, June 30 2003 13:56
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Yes, I have read Ende, but I was nine years old. I agree that his stories held a certain fascination for me when I was that age, but when I try to read 'Momo', 'The Night of Wishes' or 'The Neverending Story' now, ten years later, for nostalgia's sake, there's just something lacking for me. I need more description and plot complexity to be able to enjoy a book. Though Ende's ideas were good and his imagination amazing, the mechanics of the story are just too simplistic for me to gain pleasure from them. The content is not aimed at me any more. It is aimed at the nine year old I once was. As I read over that last paragraph, I realise how much my argument is centred around my tastes and my pleasure. Hear me out; I technically have nothing wrong with adults reading children's books if they still find the content entertaining. Reading is, in my opinion, an activity meant to give pleasure, and people should read books that satisfy their individual tastes. However, I don't think very many people realise that there is a wealth of literature beyond Harry Potter and its ilk. People read Harry and they find it entertaining because it is the extent of their experience. HP, compared to most of its genre being published today, is, granted, quite a good book. But there are certain books, popular fiction too, which, when compared to it, make good old Potter read like a kid's comic beside the TLS. From as far back as Homer's Iliad to Jose Saramago, Ishmail Kadare, and Yann Martel of today, there are hundreds of books, not necessarily that intellectual or profound, but which are the same sort of story as Harry Potter yet express this story much more gracefully and eloquently. I can not understand why anybody would choose Rowling over Kadare. The pleasure is so great in reading something so beautiful and interesting. I realise that people may not share my tastes, but really, of all the millions of books in the world, there has to be better literature, literature more deserving of HP's fame than HP itself. It is just so mediocre in every aspect. Mundane, predictable, generic. Its like Hollywood movies; people watch them because that's what they're used to, that's what they know, that's what is most widely available. But then there are the foreign or independent films, many of them awful, but several rare, sophisticated gems. Abbas Kiarostami comes to mind. I'm not suggesting all mainstream, in style stuff is mediocre, I'm only trying to point out that if people took a little more time to search and took a few more risks to try, their lives would be much more vibrant. -------------------- And this was very odd because It was the middle of the night - Lewis Carrol well well well aren't we resilient Oh the fun Most generalizations are, unfortunately, true. Posts: 212 | Registered: Sunday, May 25 2003 07:00 |
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Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire!
Member # 919
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written Monday, June 30 2003 15:53
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Hey, your tastes are different, as you said. You like some types of books, other people like other types. And you say you read for enjoyment, and talk like that's why everybody reads; I often read for education, and enjoyment is a nice side effect, and maybe others read because they just need to relax, and HP is the best way they know how to do so. If you don't look through your own eyes, judging by your own tastes, it makes a lot more sense. -------------------- And though the musicians would die, the music would live on in the imaginations of all who heard it. -The Last Pendragon TEH CONSPIRACY IZ ALL Les forum de la chance. In case of emergency, break glass. Posts: 3351 | Registered: Saturday, April 6 2002 08:00 |
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Infiltrator
Member # 2669
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written Monday, June 30 2003 17:19
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I've resisted picking up a Harry Potter book so far (although everyone I know has given them the thumbs up), but have watched both movies (good effects, but disjointed). The good thing about HP: People that haven't read a book in years are running out and buying them and reading to or with their kids. Is that so bad? Maybe a small percentage of these people will use this little jumpstart to pick up further books in the fantasy genre and discover some of the better, lesser known authors. -------------------- ... Posts: 647 | Registered: Wednesday, February 19 2003 08:00 |
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Guardian
Member # 2476
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written Monday, June 30 2003 17:28
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Optimist. -------------------- Polaris Posts: 1828 | Registered: Saturday, January 11 2003 08:00 |
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Shaper
Member # 517
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written Tuesday, July 1 2003 00:33
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I agree with ef: most of them only read HP because of the publicity, and when will another book get that much publicity? Plus, plenty of people I know read HP but won't read anything more 'difficult', precisely because it is more 'difficult'. If anything, HP creates the impression that a book can be good without the reader thinking, which IMHO isn't a good thing... -E- -------------------- Let them eat cake! Polaris Boards: The System is Up. Perennially. Posts: 2314 | Registered: Tuesday, January 15 2002 08:00 |
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Shock Trooper
Member # 3026
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written Tuesday, July 1 2003 16:55
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That's a very good point, Omlette. David - I really don't think very many people read Harry Potter for educational reasons; or if they do, I hope somebody helps them back on the road to sanity. As for relaxation, wouldn't you categorize that under 'reading for pleasure'? Relaxation is the relief of tension and the gaining of enlightenment and inner peace. -------------------- And this was very odd because It was the middle of the night - Lewis Carrol well well well aren't we resilient Oh the fun Most generalizations are, unfortunately, true. Posts: 212 | Registered: Sunday, May 25 2003 07:00 |