Harry Potter has over the years developed a complicated legacy. JK Rowling has drawn controversy thanks to her transphobic statements, but the original works...

TW: Harry Potter

Was Harry Potter Ever Good?

No

Video discusses flaws of the Harry Potter works by J.K. Rowling with comparisons to how other fictional YA novels/tv shows handled problematic topics.

  • Aggravationstation@feddit.ukEnglish
    1·
    2 months ago

    I was never a fan. But the first book came out when I was 10 and started getting really popular a year or two later and I was 14 when the first movie came out so wanting to seem super cool and mature around that time I dismissed the whole franchise as “kiddy” stuff and never really gave it a chance.

  • RION [she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
    0·
    2 months ago

    disclaimer: i’m not watching all that so congratulations or sorry that happened to you

    for kids/YA books, it’s fine. nothing amazing, and it didn’t earn its widespread success on merit, but acting like it’s uniquely bad because the author is a shithead and libs are in love with it is silly

    still blown out by Percy Jackson, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and The Caretaker trilogy (Did anyone else read the caretaker trilogy? shit was dope)

    • Red_sun_in_the_sky@lemmy.mlEnglish
      0·
      2 months ago

      I don’t know what the video’s critiques are, but no it isn’t uniquely bad cause of terf writer. There are legit criticisms to be made. I’ve read only fifth and small amount of the fourth book. I couldn’t stand the writing in the fifth. Granted I watched all the movies. Still my main problems with it are : 1) that its world is shallow and uninteresting. 2) For a series centered on witchcraft its magic is not even well fleshed out or developed. That’s some off the top of my head.

      • Tabitha ☢️[she/her]@hexbear.netOPEnglish
        1·
        2 months ago

        but no it isn’t uniquely bad cause of terf writer

        actually the video does mention that there is almost no positive representation of minorites, demonstrates that what little there is problematic, examples of JKRowling missing opportunities for good representation, and examples of JKRowling attempting to retcon representation in after the series was over. Then the video gives examples of other authors succeeding for comparison.

        The video essentially says that the books series is like a Thatcherite monument to the status quo, which is reflected in the overarching story and (lack of) progression for most characters, which is to say, her ideology may actually be the root that which the rot stems from.