Comments on: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, J.K. Rowling

By: Jenny

Jenny — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 23:11:14 +0000

In reply to Hannah. Tolkien, really? I don't see it. What do you think was stolen from Tolkien?

By: Hannah

Hannah — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:56:05 +0000

The critique of being unoriginal was not countered at all. Sure, Rowling has created a world of wizards and everything, but most things in it were stolen from Tolkien! Hence, Harry Potter is very unoriginal.

By: Childrens Audio Books » Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, J.K. Rowling « Jenny’s Books

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 21:34:24 +0000

[…] from: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, J.K. Rowling « Jenny’s Books Tuesday, October 14th, 2008 at 16:30 Tags: audio, children, endings, evils, harry potte […]

By: Andi

Andi — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 19:56:19 +0000

I need to buckle down and re-read the whole darn series in succession. I’m curious what I would catch this time around.

By: Catching up « The Books of My Numberless Dreams

Catching up « The Books of My Numberless Dreams — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:12:27 +0000

[…] bit. My fantasy interested regressed. I reread The Hobbit and the entire Harry Potter series (like Jennysbooks is doing now). That was my third time with Tolkien’s first tale. The first time I was a tween […]

By: imani

imani — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 02:41:38 +0000

True, but I guess for me it read more like Rowling doing a DWJ rather than showing mere influence. I was reading them both at the same time though. And I came to the series as an adult so there’s not nostalgic glow to overcome. (Unlike me and LOTR which I can’t be very objective about at all.)

By: jennysbooks

jennysbooks — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:16:55 +0000

I’m never bothered by seeing people’s influences. You can see it with everyone – it’s just a question of whether they do new things with the ideas they’re stealing. Neil Gaiman’s one whose ideas owe a lot to Diana Wynne Jones, but it actually just showcases his own creativity, to see what he does with them. (I think.) Plus I have years of emotional attachment to the Harry Potter books, so it’s hard for me to be completely objective about them. I’m on to Chamber of Secrets now, and I still have the warm fuzzies even though it’s by far my least favorite.

By: imani

imani — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:12:09 +0000

I reread the entire series this summer and enjoyed it although it wasn’t as fuzzy as experience as you had :). The last three books really needed an editor. Really. (It probably doesn’t help that it kind coincided with my quest to read all of Diana Wynne Jones backlist. Rowling is good writer in her own right but I can definitely see where she got a lot of her ideas from (possibly).)

By: Jeane

Jeane — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:07:20 +0000

Great review. I didn’t start reading Harry Potter until I was halfway through college, and then every time a new book came out I would read all the previous ones before I read the new one, just to remember all the details! So I think I’ve read the first one three times. I find them all enjoyable. And I agree with you about the title. It’s annoying. Isn’t it published in Europe as Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone? They did that with the title of the Golden Compass, too. Originally it’s called Northern Lights and I like that title much better.