Is the Last Game of Quiditch Over for Harry Potter?
Washington Post Book Critic says “reading Harry Potter was one of those chores of parenthood that I was happy to do — and then happy to stop.’
All is not well in the murky world of Harry Potter. Just as the fate of the Horux is released on the world of Muggles pottermore quiz all questions the pages of the nation’s newspapers are as much alive with news about Harry as the Daily Prophet and like the plot of the book, dark and sinister forces are at work.
With the advent of Potter 7, it seems that the once friendly press and media are now turning on the creator of the worlds most popular book series ever. All seemed well in Potter world until cracks appeared in the leaky cauldron and the latest installment of Potter movies opened in theatres to a mixed reception from critics. One Channel 4 (a TV network in the UK) said recently that “The Order Of The Phoenix is formulaic and lacking in depth, and does not make the most of the intensity in the fifth instalment of JK Rowling’s epic story.”
Paul Ardent of the BBC said “Order of the Phoenix is entertaining enough, but it feels like a stopgap, a stepping stone to later, greater thrills.This new maturity makes for a spooky atmosphere, but the glum visuals can’t hide the fact that not much actually happens.”
Strong words from a once loyal press pack that could see no wrong in the Potter franchise. Statements such as this would have once been cursed and the writers hounded by Potter fans intent on spilling blood and turning the writers in to pillars of salt. Now criticism of the cult of Potter is commonplace. There is moaning on the internet as if an army of Dementors has mysteriously taken control of keyboards around the world.
JK Rowling was once heralded as halting the decline of reading amongst teens and now even that hallowed bastion of respectability is under attack.
Motoko Rich writing in the New York Times reported recently that, “some researchers and educators say that the series, in the end, has not permanently tempted children to put down their Game Boys and curl up with a book instead.
Some kids have found themselves daunted by the growing size of the books (“Sorcerer’s Stone” was 309 pages; “Deathly Hallows,” will be 784). Others say that Harry Potter does not have as much resonance as titles that more realistically reflect their daily lives. “
Dana Gioia, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, who has reviewed statistics from federal and private sources that consistently show that children read less as they age said “The Harry Potter craze was a very positive thing for kids. It got millions of kids to read a long and reasonably complex series of books. The trouble is that one Harry Potter novel every few years is not enough to reverse the decline in reading.’
More shocking than this was the frank confession of renowned and very respected journalist and critic Ron Charles writing in Sunday’s Washington Post, he said. ‘It happened on a dark night, somewhere in the middle of Book IV. For three years, I had dutifully read the “Harry Potter” series to my daughter, my voice growing raspy with the effort, page after page. But lately, whole paragraphs of “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” had started to slip by without my hearing a word. I’d snap back to attention and realize the action had moved from Harry’s room to Hagrid’s house, and I had no idea what was happening. And that’s when my daughter broke the spell: “Do we have to keep reading this?” O, the shame of it: a 10-year-old girl and a book critic who had had enough of “Harry Potter.” We were both a little sad, but also a little relieved. Although we’d had some good times at Hogwarts, deep down we weren’t wild about Harry, and the freedom of finally confessing this secret to each other made us feel like co-conspirators.Along with changing diapers and supervising geometry homework, reading “Harry Potter” was one of those chores of parenthood that I was happy to do — and then happy to stop.’
So has Harry lost his charm? Millions of children would disagree. For them they had stories that were accessible, enjoyable and more importantly readable. The books touched all age groups and even adults could join in the fun. But the question has to be asked — what will keep our children reading over the next few years?
Many publishers believe they have the answer and in the months to come we will see some of the hardest marketing for many years. Space in bookshops will be bought for top dollar with children’s titles being pushed in faces like unwanted ice cream. Librarians will be scanning every new release to see if it has the right formula of good versus evil — mild mannered characters and as little violence as possible.
