I spent the rest of last night trying to figure out why the Harry Potter books are so devilishly addicting. I think it really boils down to one thing: imagination. Mrs. Rowling can spark the reader's imagination like no author I know.
I don't know exactly how she does this, but without a doubt the most significant factor I personally have noticed is all the names. Whether characters (Neville Longbottom), institutions (Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare, or SPEW), spells ("Expelliarmus!"), items (Marauder's Map), towns (Hogsmeade), buildings (The Leaky Cauldron), or anything else, Mrs. Rowling brings Harry Potter's world to life with names I'll never forget.
There are certainly other tactics the author employs to suck the reader in, but it's really hard for me to describe them. I've found that, when I pick up the book, it takes only about three lines for me to become completely and hopelessly immersed in the story. It's as if there's a movie playing in my mind, and all I have to do is sit back and watch. My imagination goes wild, and it seems as though instead of the words on the page forming the images in my head, the images are themselves so vivid and detailed that my brain is actually interpreting them as words that appear on the page. There are times I'm convinced there is no way this story could be fiction; surely the author must be able to see inside my head and she is simply transcribing the events. This is also why I will never watch the Harry Potter films: no amount of CGI or acting talent will ever be able to produce a graphic recreation of this epic that is not utterly eclipsed by that which has been crafted in my brain. Anything the cinema folks manage to create, even if it's the best film ever made, will be inexorably disappointing.
In any case, I applaud Mrs. Rowling, not only for creating such an unforgettable, truly epic tale, but also for something even more important: for reminding kids, teenagers, and adults alike of the raw power of the human imagination.
I don't know exactly how she does this, but without a doubt the most significant factor I personally have noticed is all the names. Whether characters (Neville Longbottom), institutions (Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare, or SPEW), spells ("Expelliarmus!"), items (Marauder's Map), towns (Hogsmeade), buildings (The Leaky Cauldron), or anything else, Mrs. Rowling brings Harry Potter's world to life with names I'll never forget.
There are certainly other tactics the author employs to suck the reader in, but it's really hard for me to describe them. I've found that, when I pick up the book, it takes only about three lines for me to become completely and hopelessly immersed in the story. It's as if there's a movie playing in my mind, and all I have to do is sit back and watch. My imagination goes wild, and it seems as though instead of the words on the page forming the images in my head, the images are themselves so vivid and detailed that my brain is actually interpreting them as words that appear on the page. There are times I'm convinced there is no way this story could be fiction; surely the author must be able to see inside my head and she is simply transcribing the events. This is also why I will never watch the Harry Potter films: no amount of CGI or acting talent will ever be able to produce a graphic recreation of this epic that is not utterly eclipsed by that which has been crafted in my brain. Anything the cinema folks manage to create, even if it's the best film ever made, will be inexorably disappointing.
In any case, I applaud Mrs. Rowling, not only for creating such an unforgettable, truly epic tale, but also for something even more important: for reminding kids, teenagers, and adults alike of the raw power of the human imagination.
2 comments:
Hear Hear
I think you hit the nail on the head. Imagination is quite a powerful thing and Rowling is a master of creating it.
It's funny that you mention that you will never watch to movies as they would spoil the imagination, because that is Exactly why I have not and will not watch any of them. The story in my head is too perfect.
Post a Comment