Harry Potter is this generations Star Wars

We have just finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. My wife was shaking through the climax of this book, and there are news reports that it has had a strong effect on children everywhere.

J.K. Rowlings has created a phenomenon in Harry Potter, in many respects it is very similar to what Star Wars was like when I was a kid. I was the perfect age when Star Wars came out, 10. While I am much older many of the same feelings have come up in reading Harry Potter.

I fully expect Harry Potter to be around in 30 years. It is a classic like few others. I would not be surprised if Rowlings will be up there with Shakespeare in 100 years. It is so incredible to be a witness to history like this.

She writes about strong archetypes, with clear good guys and bad guys. A smart villain and a resourceful hero. Even great role models for girls.

This is a touchstone books series for this generation and it is going to be a bigger effect then she ever could have imagined.

Besides any writer who can write a good sight gag is a really good writer in my book. She has also captured some of the feeling of running a business in Fred and George, though they are more successful then average.

The last book should be a blast. I can't wait.

Comments

[KC]

"She writes about strong archetypes, with clear good guys and bad guys. A smart villain and a resourceful hero. Even great role models for girls."

I'd challenge a bit of this... The bad guys seem to only be the bad guys because what they do is intolerably worse than some of the "bad" stuff the good guys do.

As we learned from every horror movie, kids always know/understand more than adults, but this seems to take it a bit far. Sirius Black - my favorite character by far, even before we found out that he wasn't a bad guy - was a jackass to Snape and Kreacher which led to his own death. Remus Lupin is also a great character, but he didn't even try to reign Sirius and James in... even though he was a Prefect.

Voldemort, Beatrix, the Malfoys are *obviously* evil characters but mostly because they do things such as sacrifice others for their own power, murder/torture, and are generally unpleasant...

Though, after all of that, I laughed outloud when Fred and George told Peeves to "Give her hell!" and Peeves saluted (OotP). And I read HBP within a day of starting it...

[Stephan F]

We are not getting the whole back story of Lily and James Potter and the rest and what we have seen of them in the Pensieve was just an hour or so after a stressful day from a biased source. Memory is a funny thing.

I find Snape more a mystery then any other character, he is very complex, too bad he seems to be the only one.

I see a big difference between High School style hazings and torture and killing for personal gain.

Personally, I think the last book is going to be really thick as JK tries to tie up all the loose ends she has dangling out there.