'Cultural Significance'

[bluejeans07]

This isn't about the seventh book, which I did finish around three pm after starting on it around nine thirty am. I laughed, I cried, I loved it, I'm befuddled by it, that'll come later when I get a chance to actually THINK about what I read.

But I wanted to write about fandom for a little bit and honestly, at first I wasn't sure what to write until I happened across a letter from the Calender section this morning. If anyone gets the LA Times, today's is filled with Pottermania from a slightly bemused, but mostly enthralled point of view. However, this one letter states that because Harry Potter is a book series, it gains 'cultural significance' which the writer deems it unworthy of. The writer also criticizes the facts that critics are comparing the books to T.S. Eliot, D.H. Lawrence and Charles Dickens, as well as quoting Joseph Campbell and his work of comparative mythology and theory. A direct quote from this writer states, "Alas, if the Potter saga had been written directly for the movies, like 'Star Wars', it might not have had to carry the burden of so much critical nonsense."

Honestly, I just want to know who poked the wand up his butt. While there are plenty of faults in the books and perhaps a comparison to Charles Dickens is rather grandiose, dismissing Harry Potter for the fact that it entertains as much as it enriches is a bit ridiculous. Harry Potter is obvious that it's a pop culture phenomenon, a giant marketing machine, and in the hearts of teenagers as much as (or more) Justin Timberlake is in, but that's what makes it so interesting. With all the cheesy merchandise there is, it's from a series of books and it's getting the world to read again.

I can understand that it's frightening to some high-brow academic who is specifically snobbish about the books he reads because it causes his world to change. For him, reading is not just a mark of the intellects anymore, but the obvious point is that it never really was. Anyone can read, it's just that not everyone does even though reading is ultimately good for society. It's not even about the difficulty of the book or about the genre either, it's about reading, learning and being inspired from what was read especially for a world where the majority of people actually didn't read a lot until these books came out.

Some other facts in general is that Harry Potter is a hero story with elements that can be traced from ancient religions, mythologies and history. Merlin is obviously the wizard of the Arthurian legends that has been around around for decades, many characters are named after Greek/Roman deities, figures, or heroes (i.e. Hermione, daughter of Helen of Troy and Menalaus of Sparta; Andromeda, wife of Perseus; Remus, of Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, etc). Joseph Campbell's theories were also used on Star Wars and was a prime inspiration to George Lucas as stated in many documentaries.

Also, cultural significance resides in the fact that this book series is part of a revolution in the entertainment industry that not only involves television, video games, and movies, but books as well. When 'Lord of the Rings' came out to the world, yes, many people read the books and loved them, however, Harry Potter makes a different sort of statement of arriving at a time where more outlets are possible now for HP than it was for LOTR! It's new, it's different, it hadn't been done before and it does make a huge impact on society!

All because of series of children's books that anyone can read and anyone can enjoy. Isn't why people read in the first place?

Comments

[thebluelady.livejournal.com]

The HP books are supposed to be fun, not a great literary works. Whatever, how many kids beg for Dickens ( that aren't us )