Finally Nick opens his mouth, but I still haven't heard why he doesn't support HP as a literacy tool.
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6 comments:
Okay, so my original question to Deb was: "In 20 years do you think HP will be considered a classic or simply the beneficiary of a fantastic cultural marketing campaign?" I have my doubts. Thus began an hour-long discussion of HP's effect on children's literacy (so not really my point). I love the HP bonanza as much as anyone, but I guess we'll have to wait and see on its lasting legacy.
...and my point is that I think it is fairly established enough as a "beloved children's book" to make it stand the test of time. The literacy angle was merely ONE of my arguments in this debate. There is no doubt that Rowling has changed the world of children's publishing by creating a children's novel that is not character-driven, or issue-driven, but plot-driven (just like real adult novels! Oh boy!) It also contains a more complex plot, and several subplots, which at the time,was virtually UNHEARD OF! I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Many adults seriously underestimate children...
I guess I could argue that, yes, plot-driven children's novels have existed well before J.K.'s time: Chronicles of Prydain, the novels of Dianna Wynne Jones, the Redwall Series, Lord of the Rings, and other books that do not underestimate children. They just don't have Harry's blockbuster sales. At least LOTR didn't before the movies. And I'm not begrudging Rowling her success, in fact I think its well deserved. But will we ever know how good these books are on their own? How much is hype and how much is a unique story?
Hmmm...well, at least in my mind, it's obvious! When was the last time we saw a children's novel that was THIS rich in detail, that created an entire new world? Hmmm...let's think...oh, I don't know, say, maybe when Roald Dahl created the Willy Wonka Factory?!?!? Oh, but of course, nobody remembers that book--it isn't a classic, or anything!!!
This just in...
HARRY POTTER ENDORSES ROWLING'S BOOKS!
Daniel Radcliffe: I had read the first two, and after I got the part, I obviously thought well, I must read these, obviously. And-- and I did, and just loved them. And, you know, I'm sort of a case in point, really, of somebody who didn't really read at all, and-- and read the Harry Potter books and then have now, from then on, been devouring as much literature as I possibly can-- which is, I think, the effect they've had on everybody.
--from the Dateline NBC interview, July 29,2007.
I don't think that HP is all that original. There are plenty of other books that create a world for children (The Hobbit, or Bridge to Terabithia). The richness of detail? That just reminds me of how much more I wish the editor had done as I read each book in the series. I LOVE it that kids are excited about the books, but being beloved by popular culture does not a classic make.
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