As to the snap, Kasper's right, not as shrewd as usual.
As to the Harry Potter book: I am waiting my turn to read it,
so please Patrick no spoilers.
Alright, Harry Potter is not great literature, but if you've read the
books you have to admit it's a gripping story with well-drawn characters
and clear description (the description is overdone at times, as
often happens in fantasy novels).
And it doesn't pull any punches or condescend to the child reader,
which is probably why adults enjoy it too. But it's not in the same class
as Terry Pratchett (who I'd guess has been a strong influence on JK Rowling).
His kids' fantasy novels are something else.
I thought the writing in the first couple of Potters (the thin ones!)
was OK, but after that it looks like the editor ran away in fear.
They're a good example of what we were talking about before:
the effect of word processors on writers -- the sententiousness!
the passive voice! the pomposity!
I'm currently reading the sixth Potter out loud to my son...frequently
editing as I go! It's not very good bedtime reading for a
nightmare-prone 8-year-old, though. Too much torture, death
and unmitigated evil.
The recently released movie based on the 5th book is one of the few
movies that I've thought on the whole is better than the book.
The scriptwriter did the job the editor should have, particularly
on the action sequence at the end.
Janet
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Janet Jackson <[log in to unmask]>
Poems at Proximity: www dot proximity dot webhop dot net
There are naked pilgrims who wear only
sunlight. Don't give them clothes!
Rumi, trans. Coleman Barks
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