Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Zipes view on Harry Potter
This week I will like to talk about Zipes. We havn't talked about him for quite sometime now. When reading the section on Harry Potter I developed some strong interests. I have to confuess I have never read these books nor seen the movies. I have a very poor perception of the books because I have seen my friends and family obsess over the reading and the movies. My sister was one of those who stood in lines for hours just to see the first showing. It have gotten crazy. I often find myself out of conversation because people refernece the books. I am not in a hurry to see them primarily because my friends and family have obsessed over them too much and they have become the new craze. So many people have thought of my as in human because my lack of interest in them. I appreciate both literature and the film industry, however I am not interested because I have this obligation to fall in love with the books and movies so I can join the rest of the crowd. I would like feed back from my fellow class mates on the topic of harry potter. How do you feel about the book? Also do you agree with Zipes when he states: "I felt they were formulaic and sexist". Really what does Zipes mean by this? I havn't read the books but I have come to the conclusion that they might be formulaic because each book is a transition of another. This week I would like my group to educate me. Zipes was right when he stated: "Anyone working in the feild of children's literature cannot avoid Harry Potter". It is kinda ironic that he is the reason the topic has been brought up.
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3 comments:
Well I have never read the Harry Potter books but I have seen the movies. My mom really loves the books so I went with her to see the movies. I really didn't care about seeing them. However, after watching them I really enjoyed the movies. Except the second one, the graphic could have been better for the big spiders. This however did not inspire me to read the books. I have to admit I have seen all the movies and they are good. And supposedly the books are also. I don't know if I would agree with Zipes about them being sexist as I never really saw anything that would suggest that. However, they are somewhat formulaic in that each book there is a battle of good vs. evil with good winning each round and other ideas that go throughout the book. But I think this is to be expected in a series of any type of book. I agree with you and Zipes about the Harry Potter being impossible to avoid when discussing children's literature and also when discussing adult's literature too. As many adults read the book and are as big of fans as the younger children. I think if they inspire children to read then they are a good thing but people should not feel the need to read them to fit in so way to go in standing up for your principles and not conforming by reading them and feeling a need to like them.
I can agree with Zipes to some extent about the books feeling formulaic--each book after the first one must summarize the events of the previous book, so new readers can catch on, and children's memories can be jogged. However, the mere fact that there are forums dedicated to the discussion of each upcoming book is proof that the plot is anything but predictable. If everyone knew what was going to happen, there would be no need to discuss it. Aside from the necessary summarization, I would not say that the plot feels formulaic. There isn't always a happy ending, and we can't see the characters' fate coming from a mile away. I don't feel that the books condescend to their readers, which I appreciate.
I agree with the fact that the books are hard to avoid can remember the day my best friend told me about Harry Potter. She caught the bug early, and felt that I sholuld share in the awesome experience with her. I was appalled by the names--Hagrid? Hermione??--and thought the story was a little too fantastic for me. Since then, I have read three of the books, and come to appreciate their portrayal of the empowerment of children. I enjoy them for what they are, but have not been swept up in the Harry hysteria. Personally, I think Zipes is trying to play the devil's advocate, and spurns the stories because of their popularity.
I haven't read Harry Potter books or seen the movies either. They never seemed to catch my interest. Not many of my friends are too into Harry Potter so I never got into it. I do know that once you are into Harry Potter, you get addicted to it though. I have heard the book is better than the movie though, which is usually the case. I cant argue with what Zipes says about how the movies are sexist since I havent even seen any of the movies or read any of the books so I cant agree or disagree with reasons to back up what I would have to say. Zipes does point out how adults and children are interested in reading Harry Potter books and watching the movies which is good that both can enjoy Harry Potter at the same level.
I think the Harry Potter books are good for children to read since it seems like they would bring out their imagination and be good for enhancing their reading skills. But I agree with Nicole that children should not feel like they need to like them or that they have to read them. There are many other books out there that can bring out their imagination and improve their reading.
Nobody mentioned the book Coraline in this blog entry. I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed it. It was a bit strange but creative at the same time. I like how she woke up from a dream about being with the other parents, but then once she woke up, there were things that existed from the dream. She woke up with a scratch on her knee, and the snow globe she had, etc. I like how the author incorportated the two worlds as if it really did happen. Great book!
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