Subject:
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LoTR v. Harry Potter
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.fun
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Date:
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Fri, 7 Dec 2001 19:07:36 GMT
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Viewed:
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646 times
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> > In lugnet.off-topic.fun, James Stacey writes:
> > > And no you're right [HP] doesn't copy LotR at all lets look at the facts • :)
> >
> > > HP: Young wizard Harry joins three others of his kind to protect the • world
> > > from all-powerful evil.
> > > LOTR: Young hobbit Frodo joins three others of his kind to protect the • world
> > > from all-powerful evil.
snip
and James goes on to give several other striking similarities. I am 30
years old, and I have read the Hobbit, LoTR, and most all of JRR Tolkien's
other related works, as well as most of Christopher Tolkien's scholarship on
his father's writings. I have also read and enjoyed the first four Harry
Potter books.
Certainly there are elements common to both works. But these elements are
present in various forms in MANY other places in the oral and written
literature of the world...Roman, Greek, Summerian, Norse, Egyptian myth and
legend, Shakespeare, Milton, Melville, etc. Certain ideas are so nearly
universal that you could almost call them specieist or human.
Tolkien comandeered those central, legendary ideas in a way that resounded
with readers. His works were written the 40's and earlier, and became
popular in the 60's. When I first tried to read LoTR at age 12, I was
turned aside by too many big words and dated usages and forms I did not
understand. When I came back to the works years later, with a college
education and the mind of an adult, I appreciated Tolkien's style much more.
The point of all this? This is it--Harry Potter commandeers those universal
story elements and puts them in a modern context in a way that kids can
appreciate. Can you imagine a BOOK competing with TV and computer games for
the imagination, and attention spans, of kids all over? That is a neat
piece of work. Harry is accessible to the young, modern reader in a way
Frodo is not.
Has JK Rowling read J.R.R. Tolkien--undoubtedly. Is Harry Potter still an
original work of genius? I think it is.
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Message has 2 Replies:
 | | Re: LoTR v. Harry Potter
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| (...) **snip of some discussion of theme archetypes** The central issue is originality and cleverness of presentation. To this end, I would say Rowling has definitely achieved originality of the whole if not of the parts, and that's really all an (...) (23 years ago, 7-Dec-01, to lugnet.off-topic.fun)
| | | Re: LoTR v. Harry Potter
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| (...) I am not really taking issue with the above statement, but it reminded me of a great essay in cultural anthropology: "Shakespeare in the Bush" (URL) surprised to find it online and for FREE! I love that essay... -- Hop-Frog (23 years ago, 7-Dec-01, to lugnet.off-topic.fun)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Saw the movie today! (bit OT)
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| Ah yes cool I'd forgotten those. I'll add them to the list :) (by the way the list in the last posting was a JOKE) :P -- James Stacey ---...--- www.minifig.co.uk #925 - I'm a citizen of Legoland travelling Incommunicado "Dave Schuler" (...) (23 years ago, 6-Dec-01, to lugnet.off-topic.fun)
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