Harry potter and the half great media
When I was 19 and back in Indiana for the first summer after college, there was a division between most of us. We were a group that shared communal texts like none other. From Star Wars, to Austin Powers, Seinfeld, South Park (literally, for one night all we did was quote the Fat Abbot scenes) Ender’s Game, LOTR, and Caddyshack.
But there was a split. Those who read Harry Potter and those who didn’t. It was 7 to 1 against. It’s now about 50- 50, but for a while, my friends and I were like so many other of our age, who simply didn’t get in on the ground floor of Harry Potter. We were all in high school already and didn’t hear about it until we were too old to be reading kids books.
It took a while, which is a shame, because it’s one of the most significant texts to come along in mass media in 20 years. It’s universal, but more importantly, it’s quality, which is a rarity in the world of Survivor, Desperate Housewives (which I realize is only really for one gender, but it’s still terrible), and the Real World.
Think to yourself for a moment: how many ongoing texts (bands, books, TV, movies and sequels) of mass media reach over 10 million people and are talked about that have come along since, and starting from, 1985.
Now think of the good ones.
I can give you The Simpsons, Harry Potter and Seinfeld.
Not enough people, especially of older generations, get the genius of South Park or Arrested Development. People watched Just Shoot Me instead of NewsRadio. Too many people in America hate Oasis. Radiohead was always too slight in sales. ER was only good for 3 seasons. Same with Friends, which maybe had 4. As revolutionary and solid as it was, I think the Cosby Show is weakening with age, because even though it was better than most any other family show ever made, it’s still no All in the Family, and it’s now completely familiar and more charming than funny. Notorious BIG may be beloved by many, but there is still an entire 75% of the population that will never listen to hip-hop. I am convinced that the masses will never listen to Drive By Truckers. Nirvana had 2 and ½ great albums. Pearl Jam had 2. So did pumpkins. No one except for the elitists, learned, and Goths know of the Smiths beyond the name.
People are only now coming to realize how perfect Band of Brothers is, but almost no one watched it in the wake of 9/11. And I’ll stand by my statement I made after the bonus episode of the show (the documentary companion), this is the finest piece of work mankind has made since Catcher in the Rye. (With The Beatles albums (one by one not as a whole), Star Wars and Empire, Stanley Kubrick’s Dr Strangelove and 2001, and The Godfather 1 and 2, rounding out the top five).
Even Sopranos is a reach. It’s probably the greatest achievement of television, but it doesn’t have a tenth of the notoriety as the Godfather or Goodfellas.
Anyone 21 and above knows about Seinfeld and Simpsons. They can likely quote it to you. But with Harry Potter, it’s still a stretch.
Which is a shame. Because those below 21 grew up with a text we should all envy.
Harry Potter is the Star Wars (episodes 4-6) for the generation that is about to turn 18. While this generation is immediately fell by Britney, BSB, N*Sync, Black Eyed Peas, Blink-182, and an endless knowledge of American Idol and other reality shows, Harry Potter may prove to be a steadying and saving grace.
Outside of what the books did for reading, and what they did to make kids turn away from the TV, HP is a mythology for a generation, and is a once in a lifetime blessing. When I think of generations, I think of Nirvana and Pearl Jam for the Xers. I think of the Beatles and Stones for the Boomers. I think of Hemingway and other writers for the lost generation. I think of the Golden Age of cinema (Casablanca, Gone With the Wind, and Philadelphia Story, and so on) for the Greatest Generation.
As for my generation, the small bit between 1973 and 1983, it is Star Wars, Saved by the Bell, and every cartoon TV show from Thundercats to Transformers to Simpsons and the Cosby Show. And I will go on.
We all live our lives, but we are always going to be connected to the media of the time on the same level as we are to our presidents. They are not who we are, but what we grew up with and will remember.
Harry Potter, in terms of the books is a good thing. What J.K. Rowling did by making them is a great thing.
Book Six, is a book that is impossible to put down. But that’s only because of the compelling aspect of the plot, not so much the story itself, but because it’s one huge build, inevitably to book seven and the end, but for fans of the series this is where the story shifts into top gear.
As a whole, it’s a weak book. Sadly, it feels too much like buildup than progression in terms of storytelling. It relies, almost by a third of the story, on memories. As much as we need and want to know the back-story, this section is not a side plot, but the driving force. While it’s somewhat interesting, it’s all exposition, which should be dealt with more tactfully by an author on her sixth book.
There are some great moments and chapters though. Harry and Dumbledore’s trip to the cave is thrilling to no end. The kiss that Harry has is sublime, as is match of wits between the “real” Prime Minister and the Wizard Minister.
But maybe I judge this book too harshly because of the last book.
Order of the Phoenix (OOTP), two years later, has aged to the point of absolute beauty. It’s not that it was good and better than the next and previous books, but because it’s absolutely genius as is.
OOTP is as good as book I have read in the last 10 years. It’s not just that it is the best book in a series of entertaining books, it’s like “Mr. Brightside,” in the fact that everything is done so well in the book that there are few scenes in the text that are not perfect.
The antagonist is perfectly matched to the protagonist (and with the readers sympathy). The protagonist begins to face their shortcomings, yet at the same time, figures out their importance. The side stories and characters steal the show (Fred and George, mainly), and it’s done so well that one can’t wait for them to show up again.
I talked about the build of book 6, how it just seems to ratchet everything up to the end. Book six is the first half of the third (of 3) act of the seven book series. (Sorry, I had to make that overly complex for esoteric reasons). OOTP is essentially the second act of the whole Harry Potter saga.
The book is a slide into darkness, both in terms of the depth of the plot and the world around. Starting with the end of Goblet of Fire, the Potter series became much more about real life than whimsical fantasy. The first four books were fun for their pure wonder, but they hinted at a future of more consequence.
The book slowly eases the whole series into the darker finality, taking a step down the serious path, but then letting up with a lighthearted plot moment. After every loss is a small victory.
Harry finds the mass of the wizarding world doesn’t believe what he says, and finds himself as a pariah. But he then finds that those he is aligned with are more loyal than ever. Mr. Weasly is nearly killed, but we are able to learn about one of the side characters and enjoy a Christmas season. Harry is being assaulted by his new teacher, and loses most of the battles with her, but is able to then start his own club that allows Harry and his friends to learn more about their skills and to mature beyond their years. When Dumbledore is forced out of the school, he does so in a blaze of glory.
His new teacher, Ms. Umbridge, deserves her own paragraph. In terms of all time great enemies or foes, Umbridge is able to fill a role that all of us are familiar with, the unrelenting teacher; the professor who for one reason or another, hates you as a person, and seems to align themselves with the people you despise. They don’t listen to your reasoning. They harshly over criticize everything you do. You literally cannot win any battle, and with each round of fighting, you find yourself even further down on the scoreboard.
As the reader, you find yourself investing so much hatred in this character you cannot wait for the comeuppance of Umbridge. And Rowling is able to time this with exquisite pacing. Each time you think Harry has a shot to a victory, she is able to hurt him more. The final stroke is that it’s not Harry that brings among her ultimate downfall, it’s Umbridge herself who brings the battle to an end. Harry doesn’t have to step over a line of morality and the war ends.
The only things I can really compare the book to, as a second act of a series, are The Empire Strikes Back and The Two Towers.
Part of a series, but able to taken on their virtues in stand-alone form. And of course, all three of these are my favorites of the series.
But to finish the analogy, the overall potency of book 6 in Harry Potter is like the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi. Not so much in the fact that it nearly ruins the final chapter, but that you can get where both creators were going with their idea, but it just seems undercooked.
The Ewoks started as Wookies, which we all KNOW FOR A FACT WOULD HAVE BEEN A THOUSAND TIMES BETTER, and the whole point was that it was not industrial might, but an indigenous race of nature that helped tear down an empire. It’s a great concept. It just was done horribly wrong. Add to the mix that all of the atmosphere of the non Luke scenes seems to be flat in ROTJ, and you just feel let down, because it’s missing the potency of the earlier installments.
Half Blood Prince was not a bad book, but you just get the feeling it could have been a lot better. As is, it just seems like the series treaded water for a book before moving on.
That said, I have no doubts that book seven will be amazing. So much was set up in book 6 that the exposition that held back Half Blood Prince will not be an issue. It’s set up to go full steam and we can get to the end. And then read it all again. After that, pass the books on to your parents. They shouldn’t miss out just because they thought were too old for a book about a teenage wizard.
But there was a split. Those who read Harry Potter and those who didn’t. It was 7 to 1 against. It’s now about 50- 50, but for a while, my friends and I were like so many other of our age, who simply didn’t get in on the ground floor of Harry Potter. We were all in high school already and didn’t hear about it until we were too old to be reading kids books.
It took a while, which is a shame, because it’s one of the most significant texts to come along in mass media in 20 years. It’s universal, but more importantly, it’s quality, which is a rarity in the world of Survivor, Desperate Housewives (which I realize is only really for one gender, but it’s still terrible), and the Real World.
Think to yourself for a moment: how many ongoing texts (bands, books, TV, movies and sequels) of mass media reach over 10 million people and are talked about that have come along since, and starting from, 1985.
Now think of the good ones.
I can give you The Simpsons, Harry Potter and Seinfeld.
Not enough people, especially of older generations, get the genius of South Park or Arrested Development. People watched Just Shoot Me instead of NewsRadio. Too many people in America hate Oasis. Radiohead was always too slight in sales. ER was only good for 3 seasons. Same with Friends, which maybe had 4. As revolutionary and solid as it was, I think the Cosby Show is weakening with age, because even though it was better than most any other family show ever made, it’s still no All in the Family, and it’s now completely familiar and more charming than funny. Notorious BIG may be beloved by many, but there is still an entire 75% of the population that will never listen to hip-hop. I am convinced that the masses will never listen to Drive By Truckers. Nirvana had 2 and ½ great albums. Pearl Jam had 2. So did pumpkins. No one except for the elitists, learned, and Goths know of the Smiths beyond the name.
People are only now coming to realize how perfect Band of Brothers is, but almost no one watched it in the wake of 9/11. And I’ll stand by my statement I made after the bonus episode of the show (the documentary companion), this is the finest piece of work mankind has made since Catcher in the Rye. (With The Beatles albums (one by one not as a whole), Star Wars and Empire, Stanley Kubrick’s Dr Strangelove and 2001, and The Godfather 1 and 2, rounding out the top five).
Even Sopranos is a reach. It’s probably the greatest achievement of television, but it doesn’t have a tenth of the notoriety as the Godfather or Goodfellas.
Anyone 21 and above knows about Seinfeld and Simpsons. They can likely quote it to you. But with Harry Potter, it’s still a stretch.
Which is a shame. Because those below 21 grew up with a text we should all envy.
Harry Potter is the Star Wars (episodes 4-6) for the generation that is about to turn 18. While this generation is immediately fell by Britney, BSB, N*Sync, Black Eyed Peas, Blink-182, and an endless knowledge of American Idol and other reality shows, Harry Potter may prove to be a steadying and saving grace.
Outside of what the books did for reading, and what they did to make kids turn away from the TV, HP is a mythology for a generation, and is a once in a lifetime blessing. When I think of generations, I think of Nirvana and Pearl Jam for the Xers. I think of the Beatles and Stones for the Boomers. I think of Hemingway and other writers for the lost generation. I think of the Golden Age of cinema (Casablanca, Gone With the Wind, and Philadelphia Story, and so on) for the Greatest Generation.
As for my generation, the small bit between 1973 and 1983, it is Star Wars, Saved by the Bell, and every cartoon TV show from Thundercats to Transformers to Simpsons and the Cosby Show. And I will go on.
We all live our lives, but we are always going to be connected to the media of the time on the same level as we are to our presidents. They are not who we are, but what we grew up with and will remember.
Harry Potter, in terms of the books is a good thing. What J.K. Rowling did by making them is a great thing.
Book Six, is a book that is impossible to put down. But that’s only because of the compelling aspect of the plot, not so much the story itself, but because it’s one huge build, inevitably to book seven and the end, but for fans of the series this is where the story shifts into top gear.
As a whole, it’s a weak book. Sadly, it feels too much like buildup than progression in terms of storytelling. It relies, almost by a third of the story, on memories. As much as we need and want to know the back-story, this section is not a side plot, but the driving force. While it’s somewhat interesting, it’s all exposition, which should be dealt with more tactfully by an author on her sixth book.
There are some great moments and chapters though. Harry and Dumbledore’s trip to the cave is thrilling to no end. The kiss that Harry has is sublime, as is match of wits between the “real” Prime Minister and the Wizard Minister.
But maybe I judge this book too harshly because of the last book.
Order of the Phoenix (OOTP), two years later, has aged to the point of absolute beauty. It’s not that it was good and better than the next and previous books, but because it’s absolutely genius as is.
OOTP is as good as book I have read in the last 10 years. It’s not just that it is the best book in a series of entertaining books, it’s like “Mr. Brightside,” in the fact that everything is done so well in the book that there are few scenes in the text that are not perfect.
The antagonist is perfectly matched to the protagonist (and with the readers sympathy). The protagonist begins to face their shortcomings, yet at the same time, figures out their importance. The side stories and characters steal the show (Fred and George, mainly), and it’s done so well that one can’t wait for them to show up again.
I talked about the build of book 6, how it just seems to ratchet everything up to the end. Book six is the first half of the third (of 3) act of the seven book series. (Sorry, I had to make that overly complex for esoteric reasons). OOTP is essentially the second act of the whole Harry Potter saga.
The book is a slide into darkness, both in terms of the depth of the plot and the world around. Starting with the end of Goblet of Fire, the Potter series became much more about real life than whimsical fantasy. The first four books were fun for their pure wonder, but they hinted at a future of more consequence.
The book slowly eases the whole series into the darker finality, taking a step down the serious path, but then letting up with a lighthearted plot moment. After every loss is a small victory.
Harry finds the mass of the wizarding world doesn’t believe what he says, and finds himself as a pariah. But he then finds that those he is aligned with are more loyal than ever. Mr. Weasly is nearly killed, but we are able to learn about one of the side characters and enjoy a Christmas season. Harry is being assaulted by his new teacher, and loses most of the battles with her, but is able to then start his own club that allows Harry and his friends to learn more about their skills and to mature beyond their years. When Dumbledore is forced out of the school, he does so in a blaze of glory.
His new teacher, Ms. Umbridge, deserves her own paragraph. In terms of all time great enemies or foes, Umbridge is able to fill a role that all of us are familiar with, the unrelenting teacher; the professor who for one reason or another, hates you as a person, and seems to align themselves with the people you despise. They don’t listen to your reasoning. They harshly over criticize everything you do. You literally cannot win any battle, and with each round of fighting, you find yourself even further down on the scoreboard.
As the reader, you find yourself investing so much hatred in this character you cannot wait for the comeuppance of Umbridge. And Rowling is able to time this with exquisite pacing. Each time you think Harry has a shot to a victory, she is able to hurt him more. The final stroke is that it’s not Harry that brings among her ultimate downfall, it’s Umbridge herself who brings the battle to an end. Harry doesn’t have to step over a line of morality and the war ends.
The only things I can really compare the book to, as a second act of a series, are The Empire Strikes Back and The Two Towers.
Part of a series, but able to taken on their virtues in stand-alone form. And of course, all three of these are my favorites of the series.
But to finish the analogy, the overall potency of book 6 in Harry Potter is like the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi. Not so much in the fact that it nearly ruins the final chapter, but that you can get where both creators were going with their idea, but it just seems undercooked.
The Ewoks started as Wookies, which we all KNOW FOR A FACT WOULD HAVE BEEN A THOUSAND TIMES BETTER, and the whole point was that it was not industrial might, but an indigenous race of nature that helped tear down an empire. It’s a great concept. It just was done horribly wrong. Add to the mix that all of the atmosphere of the non Luke scenes seems to be flat in ROTJ, and you just feel let down, because it’s missing the potency of the earlier installments.
Half Blood Prince was not a bad book, but you just get the feeling it could have been a lot better. As is, it just seems like the series treaded water for a book before moving on.
That said, I have no doubts that book seven will be amazing. So much was set up in book 6 that the exposition that held back Half Blood Prince will not be an issue. It’s set up to go full steam and we can get to the end. And then read it all again. After that, pass the books on to your parents. They shouldn’t miss out just because they thought were too old for a book about a teenage wizard.
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