Rowling article
From ChildLitWiki
What’s So Great About J. K. Rowling?
It is not a terribly original insight to compare author J. K. Rowling to Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of his time, in her Harry Potter books. After all, not only has she created the most successful literary series of all time, but it would not be unreasonable to state that she has, single-handedly and in an era of educational crisis, raised the reading level of an entire generation of children worldwide. Pretty powerful magic.
When the first Harry Potter book came out, before it became a worldwide phenomenon, many reviewers recommended it. But they had no idea what they were looking at. It seemed at the time like a very good, enjoyable fantasy, worth recommending, but nothing out of the ordinary
Many have commented since then that the Harry Potter books, though wildly popular, are not the greatest children’s books ever written, not even the greatest fantasies ever written. So why are they the most successful books ever written?
The articles on this subject basically fall into two categories. The first group talks about our need for fantasy, the mythological and folkloric underpinnings of the series, the appeal of Harry and his friends as characters, the plot-driven nature of the series, and so on. The trouble is that all of that could apply to many other books as well.
The second group has said rather sniffily that Harry Potter is not literature, and that this is just further proof that the great unwashed masses are dolts, our culture is fad driven, and that, like all other fads, the Harry Potter books will just fade away into oblivion in a decade or two, certainly never becoming classics. English professors arguing over what constitutes literature are about as illuminating as Biblical scholars arguing over how many angels can dance on the head of a pin – plenty of heat, not much light. And their crystal balls into the future of popular culture don’t seem to be any more effective than, well, Sibyll Trelawney’s.
Since Harry Potter became such a sensation, it’s been tempting to compare them with each new book, especially the fantasies, and here is what J. K. Rowling does better than just about anyone else.
- Rowling is the reigning wizard (well, witch, if you want to be technical) of plotting. Most other authors meander a bit, go into little byways that fascinate them, introduce little elements that seem to have no purpose. Those who don’t tend to write exceedingly simple, linear stories. Rowling, despite the intricate complexity of her plots, never has an unnecessary element – if she mentions it, you can count on it coming back later as integral to the story. The only time this hasn’t been true was her introduction of Hermione’s elf liberation obsession in book 4, and continuation in book 5, which is why many believe that house elves, and Hermione’s campaign to free them, will be essential to the ultimate defeat of Voldemort.
- Related to this is, as Jim Trelease (author of “The Read-Aloud Handbook) has pointed out, the plot-driven nature of the books. It’s simple: when most children (and most adults) want to read purely for fun, they choose plot-driven stories, rather than character studies, slices-of-life, or message-driven stories.
- Rowling is also the queen of pacing. Most children don’t like slow books. On the other hand, nonstop thrills and excitement is exhausting (think “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’). To keep readers hooked through 870 pages without losing them either to boredom or exhaustion you have to have variety, rhythm, and flawless timing, blending action, suspense, mystery, cliff-hangers, conversation, and description in just the right proportions to keep the reader turning the pages.
- Some have said that children don’t like description. Not true. They just don’t like unnecessary description. All of Rowling’s descriptive passages are essential to the plot, to creating that inner-eye experience of seeing the story unfold in your mind. The incredible clarity of her imagery was shown dramatically when the first movie came out – many viewers had the exhilarating experience of seeing on the screen what they had been picturing in their minds. They had all had the same mental picture.
- Along with that clarity of imagery goes clarity of characterization. There are few characters in children’s literature as clearly drawn as the major characters in the Potter books, especially in plot-driven stories. Yet they are not simplistic or one-dimensional, and they keep getting richer and more complex as the series progresses.
- If the Potter books are not the greatest children’s books, or the greatest fantasies, ever written, they are the most perfectly tuned to their audience, the Digital Generation. It’s been said that they have short attention spans. Clearly that’s not true. What they do have is much less patience with the extraneous. Clicking through websites, channel surfing, racing through video games have taught them to go for the meat and ignore the bread. Teachers can tell you that they have higher visual intelligence and a less linear, more three-dimensional way of processing information. Simply put, Rowling’s books are all meat.
When book 4 was announced at over 700 pages, many thought the editors had just lost control of an author who was too popular to say no to. They were wrong. It seems incredible to say about an 870 page children’s book, but all of these elements have in common an economy of language – not a word is wasted. All of this is indicative of a tremendously disciplined writer, and that is what separates J. K. Rowling from the pack. And isn’t it interesting that the most disciplined writer is the one chosen by the Digital Generation, who supposedly have no discipline (not to mention literary taste) at all, as their favorite?
