 Stuart Craig, Harry Potter & Fantastic Beasts films' production designer, dies at 83 Malfoys, Dursleys, Hogwarts students, more cast in HBO 'Harry Potter TV series Tom Felton to reprise Draco Malfoy role in NYC 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' "Harry Potter" HBO MAX TV series casts Harry, Ron, and Hermione Harry Potter HBO/MAX TV series casts Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall, Hagrid, more 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' announces 10 cities, part of North American tour Universal Orlando launching U.S. portal tour for Epic Unvierse attraction opening PUMA to release new Harry Potter and Hogwarts-House themed sportswear this month
| |
If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above.
You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed.
To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
| | Harry Potter News Fresh off the press! Stay informed on the latest Harry Potter news, updates, and whispers here. All News Rules and FAQs apply. | 
01-30-2005, 09:18 PM
| | |  Potter not 'grudge lit'
In an unobtrusive yet fascinating article, Jenny Jackson of the Ottawa Citizen’s Weekly Reading section comments on the lamentable lack of quality writing for today’s youth. In particular, she mourns the popularity of “grudge lit” among authors: Quote:
Grudge lit slams its hapless protagonists up against ever-more drama by challenging them to transcend not just abysmal home lives, but the injustices and missteps of their entire generation.
This sort of endless calamity is usually a sign of a second-rate writer who is trying to jolt his one-dimensional characters to life by raining down disaster.
Ms. Jackson continues by describing several books guilty of “grudging”, and the unfortunate tendency for awards to be bestowed upon such books. She then describes the plight of one mother and her pre-teen son: Quote:
This bleak literary climate caught the attention of author and writing teacher Barbara Feinberg, whose 12-year-old son hated all the books he had to read for school, even though he loved great galloping reads like Harry Potter.
Worse, he was told by his teachers that if he didn’t like them, he wasn’t reading them closely enough.
(I have to interrupt here and say that my own brother was recently faced with a similar dilemma, his English teacher firmly placing the blame for his confusion on his shoulders, rather than the heavy philosophies present in Pilote de guerre, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.)
His mother is quoted making a very astute observation, which few parents have the guts to make (unlike many a die-hard HP fan): Quote:
“Adults have nothing against fun for themselves,” she said from her New York home where she shooed away the dog and tried to figure out the phone as we spoke.
But they almost resent a child having easy, open-ended fun, especially that time in a child’s life when his imagination is free simply to play.
Jackson ends on a lighter note, rightly, if somewhat subtly, observing that Ms. Rowling is an author of quality: Quote:
The good news is that there are all sorts of wonderful books of the imagination out there, some from decades past, like Mary Norton’s The Borrowers, and others more recent, like, well, Harry Potter.
Of course, we all know that someone died in the last book. But then, even Harry has to grow up.
A final comment:
I applaud the mother’s astuteness in realizing the problem lies with some schools’ choice of books rather than with children’s tastes. Obviously, both the writer and the mother are more concerned with the children's happiness and well-being than with themselves.
Source: Ottawa Citizen  | |
01-30-2005, 09:22 PM
|
#2 (permalink)
| | Billywig
Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: ~*Loving the warmth of Dan's lips*~
Posts: 3,885
|
Thats good to hear. It's nice that they really care about children's reading ability and interest.
| 
| | |
01-30-2005, 09:29 PM
|
#3 (permalink)
| | Firecrab
Join Date: May 2004 Location: New York
Posts: 770
|
Quote:
Thats good to hear. It's nice that they really care about children's reading ability and interest.
I agree with that completely......
| |
| | |
01-30-2005, 09:42 PM
|
#4 (permalink)
|  R/Hr Ship CaptainKeeper of Ginny's ChocolateRon's Sausage CookerFirecrab
Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Icons in siggy by variousmeats @Lj. I'm shipping the seas!
Posts: 951
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Nargles
Third |
That's just swell! Hey! I love your siggy fairladyhermione!
| |
| | |
01-30-2005, 10:14 PM
|
#5 (permalink)
|  Jarvey
Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: I don`t remember
Posts: 688
|
That woman has got very reakistic point of view, I think.
Good!!!!!
| |
| | |
01-30-2005, 10:32 PM
|
#6 (permalink)
| | Jarvey
Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Marietta, Georgia!
Posts: 588
|
Ahhhhh...finally
| |
| | |
01-30-2005, 10:45 PM
|
#7 (permalink)
| | Puffskein
Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Posts: 1,642
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Ebony Wandson
Graduated | Zombie Hunter Korn-y
winner! i like that article! it's nice to see that there are some adults who have heard of and are not direct fans of HP that are willing to see some of what we do in the books! hooray!
__________________
"I must not tell lies"
| |
| | |
01-30-2005, 10:47 PM
|
#8 (permalink)
| | Kappa
Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Kanto
Posts: 14,865
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Eino Uronen
Sixth Year | ♛ Certified Pogrebin Hunter ♛ Lucki Minaj ☠ RAH RAH I'M A DUNGEON DRAGON ☠
yay! thats about time!
| |
| | |
01-30-2005, 11:10 PM
|
#9 (permalink)
| | Gnome
Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Telling you would take the fun out of it...
Posts: 253
|
that's really cool! about time! hehehe...
__________________
I am Spam... Queen Spam.
*MARAUDER* | |
| | |
01-31-2005, 01:11 AM
|
#10 (permalink)
| | Puffskein
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,935
|
agreed, it is about time!
| |
| | |
01-31-2005, 02:12 AM
|
#11 (permalink)
| Admires Ginny's Sanity DA Galleon KeeperSS Featured Author Snidget
Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Limerick =)
Posts: 2,554
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Mione Borthwick
Sixth Year |
Thats wonderful to hear!
| |
| | |
01-31-2005, 03:49 AM
|
#12 (permalink)
| | Guest |
the lady has obviously NOT read the books!!!!
| |
| | |
01-31-2005, 06:32 AM
|
#13 (permalink)
| | Imp
Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Los Angeles, Ca
Posts: 491
|
I think we all have some experiences with having to read the required literature....some really hard hard to read and understand and totally suck.
__________________
I am not worried, Harry, I am with you -Dumbledore
| |
| | |
01-31-2005, 10:03 AM
|
#14 (permalink)
| | Sphinx
Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: GMT +8
Posts: 48,776
| Nabs!Ama | | The Happy Hufflepuff
aww.thats lovely and the teachers sound mean!
| |
| | |
01-31-2005, 12:52 PM
|
#15 (permalink)
| | Billywig
Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Vienna, Austria
Posts: 3,686
| Grim Lover
that's good to hear!
| |
| | |
01-31-2005, 01:27 PM
|
#16 (permalink)
| | Imp
Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: O---hi---O!!
Posts: 413
|
Quote:
Of course, we all know that someone died in the last book. But then, even Harry has to grow up.
I applaud that woman!
| |
| | |
01-31-2005, 02:46 PM
|
#17 (permalink)
| | Flobberworm
Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Florida, USA
Posts: 10
|
I agree that's good to hear
| |
| | |
01-31-2005, 03:30 PM
|
#18 (permalink)
| | Mooncalf
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 7,729
|
Very nice!  | |
| | |
01-31-2005, 04:58 PM
|
#19 (permalink)
| | Puffskein
Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Virginia, USA
Posts: 1,134
|
I agree. 
__________________   | |
| | |
01-31-2005, 05:48 PM
|
#20 (permalink)
| | Guest |
absolutly right
| |
| | |
01-31-2005, 10:21 PM
|
#21 (permalink)
| | Dugbog
Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: indiana, usa
Posts: 142
|
great!!
| |
| | |
01-31-2005, 10:29 PM
|
#22 (permalink)
| | Billywig
Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: TeXaS!!! UsA!!!
Posts: 3,476
|
lol! cool!
__________________
~smile like you mean it~ the killers~ | |
| | |
02-01-2005, 12:48 AM
|
#23 (permalink)
| | Gnome
Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: the chamber of secrets
Posts: 256
|
awesome!
| |
| | |
02-01-2005, 01:38 AM
|
#24 (permalink)
| | Billywig
Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: In a Sanrio store spending big bucks!
Posts: 3,877
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Cocoa
Third |
thats great!
| |
| | |
02-01-2005, 03:03 AM
|
#25 (permalink)
| String Queen Puffskein
Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Busy w/ homework & ba
Posts: 1,902
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Rollo Michael Chou (M, current), Ceci & Diana Wei
Second |
That's nice. But on one fair point, I think some teachers are trying to encourage children to read and explore other books. But having them children to read one not their level/liking and thus, utterly boring? I'd say that's preposterous.
| |
| | 
Posting Rules
| You may not post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts
HTML code is On
| | | All times are GMT. The time now is 05:18 PM. |
