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Original poster

Why did Harry Potter become so popular?

373 replies

KindergartenKop · 16/10/2021 21:38

I'm not a huge fan personally, but I think they're quite well written. I'm not sure they deserve all the hype though. So why did they become so popular?

OP posts:
offyougotwantychops · 17/10/2021 15:18

@FrippEnos

Clymene

Its called having an opinion so no need to back it up.

Where as you seem to think that in order to criticise someone you have to (In this case) be a published author.

As I have said, I think that part of her success is that she doesn't go for the standard literary prose and this appeals to many people .

What is 'standard literary pros' then? Because I would have said her way of writing was reasonably standard? I'm not being deliberately obtuse I just don't think I understand what you mean, please could you also give me some examples of modern English authors who fit the 'standard literary pros' footprint.? Thank you Smile
Pumperthepumper · 17/10/2021 15:22

@Pythonista

No but they were responsible for some pretty deep scenes in an adult drama, not a children's film.

The point being that there are talented child actors out there but they chose less talented ones due to looking right

I disagree, acting is a craft and at age 11 you’ve had very little time to work on it. I think your opinion on the child GoT actors would be different if you spent three hours watching them, and only them, carrying the franchise.
Pythonista · 17/10/2021 15:26

Some children are naturally talented and can act convincingly by 11.

To be fair. Emma Watson still can't act

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Children's books Films
NeonTetras · 17/10/2021 15:27

[quote HowardNoir]@NeonTetras Non-transphobes disagree.[/quote]
@HowardNoir All of us are Non-transphobes. There are no transphobes on this thread, only a very deeply confused and misinformed poster. Who also happens to be femphobic.

Pumperthepumper · 17/10/2021 15:28

@Pythonista

Some children are naturally talented and can act convincingly by 11.

To be fair. Emma Watson still can't act

For an entire 3-hour long, 8-film franchise? I can’t think of any.
Pythonista · 17/10/2021 15:30

You would hope that by the time they had carried ONE film, they would have 'honed their craft' enough to be able to act.

PartyStory · 17/10/2021 15:31

Again, GOT - young unknown Brits. There are plenty (eg someone like Tiger Drew Honey, Emily Jones, who are super talented .

Did they go to an open casting call that literally accepted anyone? Or that would accept a tape of them rapping (as in Rupert’s case) or went to schools specifically to find actors (Emma’s case)? Even if GOT actors were amateurs, I doubt they were that unexperienced.

Pumperthepumper · 17/10/2021 15:32

@Pythonista

You would hope that by the time they had carried ONE film, they would have 'honed their craft' enough to be able to act.
Age 12?
Notonthestairs · 17/10/2021 15:32

Did you watch all of the films then Python? I would have assumed you'd given them the swerve after the great "gotten" failure.

Pythonista · 17/10/2021 15:33

Like a PP said, at 11 they wouldn't be that experienced.

And the fact they went to specifically find Rupert and Emma shows that they were only interested in them looking right. A casting call might have unearthed young talented actors.

ThePoisonousMushroom · 17/10/2021 15:33

The films are kind of irrelevant though. First and foremost, Harry Potter is a series of books. Having actors you don’t like in the films shouldn’t affect whether you enjoy the books or not.
@Pythonista you said you haven’t read the books because they’re ‘for kids’, but you’ve watched the films… which are also ‘for kids’.
My 8 year old has just finished reading them but hasn’t shown any interest in watching the films yet.

GettingLardy · 17/10/2021 15:33

I started reading the first one because all the kids in my class were writing about the story in their diaries and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I got hooked pretty quickly! My current class are mad about David Walliams books so I triedmto read a couple and couldn't get past the first couple of pages as they were so awful.

Pythonista · 17/10/2021 15:34

@Notonthestairs

Did you watch all of the films then Python? I would have assumed you'd given them the swerve after the great "gotten" failure.
No I had the misfortune to work in a cinema at the time. The trailers in the lobby were bad enough but we used to have to sit in the screen sometimes so I was forced to see more than I ever wanted to!
Pythonista · 17/10/2021 15:35

@ThePoisonousMushroom

The films are kind of irrelevant though. First and foremost, Harry Potter is a series of books. Having actors you don’t like in the films shouldn’t affect whether you enjoy the books or not. *@Pythonista* you said you haven’t read the books because they’re ‘for kids’, but you’ve watched the films… which are also ‘for kids’. My 8 year old has just finished reading them but hasn’t shown any interest in watching the films yet.
Please see my previous comment.
Pumperthepumper · 17/10/2021 15:35

@Pythonista

Like a PP said, at 11 they wouldn't be that experienced.

And the fact they went to specifically find Rupert and Emma shows that they were only interested in them looking right. A casting call might have unearthed young talented actors.

Have you much experience in casting 11 year old actors?
Notonthestairs · 17/10/2021 15:37

And yet you seemingly went to the trouble to research how they cast the actors. I voluntarily went to see the films and wouldn't have a clue.

Anyway the books are a fun immersive read.

Snoopsnoggysnog · 17/10/2021 15:37

@WhoWearsShortShorts

Awful lot of snobby people on this thread.

If you genuinely think that the Narnia series, Worst Witch and Mallory Towers are better than HP, go back as an adult and read them. Awful books - especially the Silver Chair

Totally agree with this. I have always been an avid reader and I absolutely hated the Narnia books - so, so boring, I almost cried reading Prince Caspian. The worst witch are fun but not a patch on HP. Mallory towers I love but they’re not the same style / don’t have same appeal as HP. I was late teens when Harry Potter came out and I also feel I grew up with the books despite not being the same age as the characters. I’ve re-read them several times (as I have done with Enid Blyton and other childhood favourites).
NeonTetras · 17/10/2021 15:37

All of the child actors seemed to be extremely gifted imo and if they weren't classically trained in acting you wouldn't know it. The performances of Harry, Hermione and Ron were so well done.

LooksGood · 17/10/2021 15:38

@offyougowantmychops

What is 'standard literary pros' then? Because I would have said her way of writing was reasonably standard?

I'm not being deliberately obtuse I just don't think I understand what you mean, please could you also give me some examples of modern English authors who fit the 'standard literary pros' footprint.? Thank you

Don't have a full answer, but you know the first chapter of book 1, where we don't really have a point of view character? McGonagall appears as cat, talks to Dumbledore; we get second-hand info on celebrations in wizarding world. Dursley's are described. We read about something - baby sleeping away on the doorstep - that nobody in universe sees.

There's no point of view character. It's what's called "third person omniscient" - the narrator is telling us what happens. We aren't feeling or seeing it through anybody's eyes.

This style has fallen out of favour among some critics. Show don't tell is their mantra.

Do readers dislike it? Not sure they do. But cutting out that first chapter would be the kind of thing JKR could do to deflect some criticism.

To me it's very obvious why that chapter is there and why it works.

Pythonista · 17/10/2021 15:39

So they wouldn't have been able to find someone better? Wow.

And as I said, having 'carried' the first film, you would expect them to have the experience by the second or third

Pythonista · 17/10/2021 15:40

@Notonthestairs

And yet you seemingly went to the trouble to research how they cast the actors. I voluntarily went to see the films and wouldn't have a clue.

Anyway the books are a fun immersive read.

Was that to me?

I had no idea how they cast them, a PP pointed it out

Pythonista · 17/10/2021 15:40

I think it's just a little sad that grown adults adore children's books, that's all.

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 17/10/2021 15:40

@Pythonista

It was the use of the word 'gotten' in the first chapter of the first book that made me eye roll and stop reading
I may be misremembering, but I think when book one came out, because JKR was an unknown she couldn't push back against having a US "translation" of the book with the title "HP and the sorcerer's stone". So "gotten" and trainers changed to "sneakers" etc.

I found accidentally reading the US version very jarring too, and gave up fairly quickly. The proper versions are great though, as are the Strike novels. It may not be "literature" but they are great reads.

Pumperthepumper · 17/10/2021 15:42

@Pythonista

So they wouldn't have been able to find someone better? Wow.

And as I said, having 'carried' the first film, you would expect them to have the experience by the second or third

I’ve no idea, I doubt it.

And as I’ve said, by the third film they were still only 14. And were responsible for the majority of dialogue and scenes for an absolutely massive franchise. I can’t think of any other child actors with that kind of responsibility.

NeonTetras · 17/10/2021 15:42

Gotten is true traditional old English wording. Also the books are as much for adults, if not more so, than children.

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