I was having a discussion with Rainamoinen about Harry Potter and Twilight the other day. I think the conclusion we came to was not very popular, but I'm going to share it with you anyway. Harry Potter is better than Twilight, but not by much. Now bear with me, and please don't crucify me -- as is tradition, usually -- but Harry Potter is not literary canon. It, in my opinion, falls into the same category as the Chronicles of Narnia (Leena Fitzgerald said this to me the other day, and I found that statement to be adroit as fuck). It's beautiful children's literature, but it should not stand against big boy literature like Tolkien.
I'm not here to talk about whether or not these two texts are fantastic or not, though. I am, however, here to talk about what both are not.
Twilight has taken a lot of flak since its release. My Senior Symposium class kind of hijacked Twilight and used it to talk about how shitty literature has become. I think this is fucking retarded. First of all, I would be really fucking surprised if 90% of the people who bash Twlight have actually read Twilight. I've only read snipits of chapters -- most of which were orated from my troll friend, David. So, I think people need to calm down and stop ripping on Twilight. Secondly, I die a little inside whenever someone suggests that Twilight is one of the worst books written, and that it is a sad showcase of the literary world. This, too, is a stupid claim. Twilight is popular not because it of literary merit, but because it is a simple, pop-lit read aimed for YA audiences. I know, it sucks that there is a Paranormal Teen Romance section at most Barnes & Noble, but that's just the market. Twilight stories simply sell.
Further speaking to the whole "Twilight is the cornhole of the literary world" issue, it's not. Harlequin Romance and Clive Cussler-esque novels are much worse; in fact, they might as well be written by machines. These types of novels are released everyday, and each and every one of them could basically be the same. These are simply written, mindless adventures that, perhaps, provide some sort of catharsis for people in their forties, but not much else. I would be hard pressed to find someone who would say this is untrue. So please, quit talking about Twilight -- it's bad, but it's not that bad.
On to Harry Potter. Harry Potter is not as great as you think. Sure, there's a class for it, but seriously, calm down, fan boy/girl. I can actually talk about this because I've read most of them. Granted, after the fifth one, I lost interest. These books are great for a couple of reasons, especially for my generation. I remember when these books first came out. I was in about sixth grade or so, and I knew a lot of people who had never read a book. When HP came out, people flocked to the bookstores and read it. This is great for obvious reasons. Kids need to read -- it doesn't really matter what it is, in my opinion. However, just because these books hold a special place in the hearts of many people my age, it does not mean these are works of literary merit.
One could say that J.K. plays a lot with language. I suppose this happens at parts, but the whole spell system is basically pig-latin. J.K. knows how to spin a narrative most of the time, but, overall, the HP series is just an adventure novel. These books are fantastic, and they serve a purpose; however, lumping them in with greater books seems unfair. Calling everything art or canon takes away from the achievements people have made in the past.
I've noticed, though, that many people today just want to call everything art. Many people think because something is beautiful, it must be art. This is silly, and that sort of thinking is dangerous. Total equality and inclusion of everything under the umbrella of art justifies anything becoming coined as such, when in reality, this is simply not the case. If literature with limited literary merit is regarded as equal to something like the Great Gatsby, then artists such as Fitzgerald will no longer be necessary.
That's it, I guess. HP is not the top, nor is Twilight the bottom. So please, let's move on from these two series of books. They're exhausting.
JF
No comments:
Post a Comment