I hate Harry Potter
In 2001 my wife, then girlfriend made me come to the local flea pit with her to see this cinematographic feast.

I arrived late, having gone to the wrong cinema, (well how was I to know it was considered an arthouse film for the love of god?), and was then put off by the number of toffee nosed (bear in mind this was in Cambridge, seat of learning and home to a large proportion of the countries fat-headed, overprivelidged youth), guffawing, vacuous little toe-rags seated in my immediate vicinity.

At one point some little fauntleroy who had been muttering to her friend for the past hour about what was going on in the film (I am an adult, and as a result had not partaken in any of Ms Rowlings tomes on the teenage wizard, and before any of you bleeding hearts start bleeting on about how great they are, they were written for children, no matter how much you dress them up), actually stood up in the cinema and raised her arms to the side in a sort of Jesus christ pose.

I tapped her on the shoulder and barked at her to sit down, please. (Never let it be said I forget my manners even when being assertive).

Her hook nosed harridan of a mother quietly asked her to sit down, and then cast me a reproachful look.

Clearly 'gifted' children should be allowed to do whatever they like.
(Vic Flange, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 11:40, 18 replies)

Congratulations
I like this post because A) You dislike that ferking little wizard, and B) You reminded me of Jesus Christ Pose by Soundgarden, a totally excellent song.

B+
( Bert Monkeysex is waiting for the mods to delete him, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 11:44, closed)

That came on my ipod
just yesterday. It is an excellent song.
(Bazongaloid, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 11:49, closed)

I'd totally do Chris Cornell
and I mean hard. By the time I was finished with him he'd just be a bloody, severely bruised mess on the floor.
( Bert Monkeysex is waiting for the mods to delete him, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 11:55, closed)

Goog god Bert
you know how to get a guy going don't you.

*shivers*

*wanks*
(Bazongaloid, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 12:01, closed)

Weirdly enough....
... that song came to mind as I wrote the line....
(Vic Flange, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 11:50, closed)

I'm not sure if that makes the little brat spoilt
or just bloody weird.

But I like it, either way.
(LongJohnBaldry, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 11:45, closed)

I agree
It is a kids book.

But I still love it, hehe.

It's not as good as Redwall though
( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 11:49, closed)

never again
will I buy you a pint!

You Harry Potter loving cretin!
( SpikeyPickle wishes he was mabazaritchie, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 15:09, closed)

Ah, Cambridge...
I've fallen into the "two cinemas" trap before.
Bloody annoying.

Are you still in the area, Mr. Jim?
I'm thinking of organising a Cam-Bash some time this year.
( Cawl, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 11:49, closed)

I'm in Milton Keynes now.....
... I swapped culture and history for social engineering.
(Vic Flange, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 12:28, closed)

Just because a book was written for kids doesn't mean adults shouldn't read and enjoy it
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass for example

Kipling's Just So Stories for another

Rowling is merely a clever thief though, and I hate her, even though I did quite enjoy reading the books.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 12:14, closed)

I dont see how you can compare Kipling and Rowling
Other than the last syllables of their names.

Through the looking glass challenged the reader and was written for a time when children had imagination and could understand complex prose.
The only laudible thing about Rowling's prose was she managed to get kids reading again... but sadly many stopped at the last Harry Potter book.
(Vic Flange, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 12:27, closed)

The point was you are very dismissive of the books
BECAUSE they were written for children, as if that's some sort of justification.

I think some of the best authors out there at the moment are childrens writers. Pratchett, Gaiman, Doctorow come to mind.
( chenobble rocking his explorer beard on, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 12:33, closed)

Yeah, but there are different levels of "being a children's writer."
I attempted to read the first couple of Potters, and just found they were far too inane and juvenile. The difference between Pratchett and Rowling is that Pratchett doesn't talk down to the reader - which is probably why I can still enjoy what Discworld I've read.
(LongJohnBaldry, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 12:53, closed)

I wasn't comparing the works of Kipling and Rowling in terms of merit
but the OP had dismissed the books as children's books, so I was making a point.

As I said, Rowling is a clever thief. Anyone read the Worst Witch books when they were young?

a more blatent rip-off I can not imagine. Just add extra peril to make it "new".

edit: I've never considered the Discworld books to be written for children, am I alone in that?
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 13:59, closed)

They weren't
or rather they aren't.

He has written lots of childrens books too, the Bromeliad Trilogy, the Johnny Trilogy, The Carpet People, and the Tiffany Aching books are ostensibly "childrens" books, but again, they are written in a way that doesn't talk down and so can be appreciated just as easily by adults.
(Bazongaloid, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 14:08, closed)

I dismissed the books as childrens books...
... because I am not a child. (I apologise for not making that point originally)
What irks me is that adults laud these works as some kind of literary phenomenon, and yet they were originally aimed at children.

There is a cornucopia of adult literature out there, which people classed in the eyes of the law can partake in.
(Vic Flange, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 15:08, closed)

Kipling Vs Rowling.
His battenbergs can't be beaten.
(ice9, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 15:44, closed)