Criticism's of Harry Potter

For my next two blogs, I will explore two opposing views on J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter.  This week I will be discussing the criticism’s the novels faced since they have been released.

In a notable article written for the Wall Street Journal, Harold Bloom explains why he feels Harry Potter will not stand the test of time. Harold Bloom is a Yale University and New York University professor. Bloom’s article discusses the idea that the Harry Potter novels are not “classics”. He asks the question “Can more than 35 million book buyers , and their offspring, be wrong?” While I feel the obvious answer to this is no, Bloom feels differently. “Yes, they have been, and will continue to be so for as long as they persevere with Potter,” was the answer he gave to his own question. Harold Bloom goes on to state that J.K. Rowling “feeds a vast hunger for unreality”. He feels that the world created by Rowling is too far into the imaginary world. Lastly, Harold Bloom believes that the writing done by Rowling involves too many clichés. He says that on one single page of her writing he counted 7 clichés. Overall, it is clear from Bloom’s article that he hopes the Harry Potter phase ends quickly.

In response to Harry Potter, author Richard Abanes argues that the books are inappropriate for children. Abanes wrote the book entitled Harry Potter and the Bible: The Menace Behind the Magick. The book suggests that the shocking and violent imagery displayed in Harry Potter are extremely disturbing and the humor is often harsh. He claims that Rowling herself has stated that the novels were not originally envisioned for children. Abanes states “During a National Public Radio interview with Diane Rehm, J.K. Rowling explained that she did not necessarily write her books for children.” It is clear that Richard Abanes is accusing of Rowling for believing that adult-oriented material is suitable for young children. He even goes on to compare passages from the bible to show that Harry Potter is not on the same path as Christian values.  The author accuses Rowling’s theme behind the novels to be “return evil for evil, and treat others well only if they treat you well”, which does not promote Christian values. In the end, Richard Abanes does not believe that the Harry Potter series is something that should be read by children.

From these two opinions, we see the dark side of Harry Potter, which is not celebrated by fans. It is clear these two authors will not accept Harry Potter for all that it is, a classic children’s novel, which has turned into a part of pop culture. In my next blog I will go on to explain the opposing views and opinions and why people do respect Harry Potter.