I agree that the creepiest thing about Disney movies is that they make the story more sexist not less, sometimes they make the story worse in their attempts to make it more enlightened. It's weird. Their addiction to weak plot cliches is what does it.
"Harry Potter... though in that case, it was on purpose. But back when I first read them, I didn't think anything of a bunch of preteens fighting three headed dogs and dark lords and dealing with attempted mass murder. I mean, I always thought the books got darker in the third book, but when I think about it... yikes. O_o Obviously it was Jo Rowling's point, but I don't think I really got how chilling it was until later."
I read Potter for the first time as a grown woman with children the ages of the characters. (My youngest so graduated high school the year DH came out.)
I used words like sinister to discribe Dumbledore because that is the way he is to a parent. I finished the first books wondering what kind of strange headmaster allows a preteen to have invisibity cloaks or wander the school in search of adventure, or punishes kids by having them roam at night in forests filled with dangerous creatures. I felt JKR hinted that Dumbledore knew about Harry's adventures. I was confused by his portrayal and wondered if it was a hole in the characterization. In the end we found out that he did plot it and saw endangering a 11-12 year old as part of his plan to prepare him to die fighting Voldemort. That's just cold, however charming the man was.
Children's literature is filled with disturbing stories that touch on cruelty, violence, failure, callousness and the inhumanity of humans. IN some ways they are more frank about it than adult lit. That's why kids like them. I'd say more books deal with it than those that don't. My feelings about Dumbledore didn't make the books bad kids Lit. I think the first three Harry Potters were great examples of kid lit. The first book was a perfect example; the ending was perfectly satisfying from the perspective of a child. Harry's winning the class cup for Gryffindor from Slytherin would have pleased a ten year old more than finding the Philosopher's stone. I just don't see Dumbledore as such a wonderful character. One of the things kids learn from books is that things and people aren't always what they seem.
no subject
"Harry Potter... though in that case, it was on purpose. But back when I first read them, I didn't think anything of a bunch of preteens fighting three headed dogs and dark lords and dealing with attempted mass murder. I mean, I always thought the books got darker in the third book, but when I think about it... yikes. O_o Obviously it was Jo Rowling's point, but I don't think I really got how chilling it was until later."
I read Potter for the first time as a grown woman with children the ages of the characters. (My youngest so graduated high school the year DH came out.)
I used words like sinister to discribe Dumbledore because that is the way he is to a parent. I finished the first books wondering what kind of strange headmaster allows a preteen to have invisibity cloaks or wander the school in search of adventure, or punishes kids by having them roam at night in forests filled with dangerous creatures. I felt JKR hinted that Dumbledore knew about Harry's adventures. I was confused by his portrayal and wondered if it was a hole in the characterization. In the end we found out that he did plot it and saw endangering a 11-12 year old
as part of his plan to prepare him to die fighting Voldemort. That's just cold, however charming the man was.
Children's literature is filled with disturbing stories that touch on cruelty, violence, failure, callousness and the inhumanity of humans. IN some ways they are more frank about it than adult lit. That's why kids like them. I'd say more books deal with it than those that don't. My feelings about Dumbledore didn't make the books bad kids Lit. I think the first three Harry Potters were great examples of kid lit. The first book was a perfect example; the ending was perfectly satisfying from the perspective of a child. Harry's winning the class cup for Gryffindor from Slytherin would have pleased a ten year old more than finding the Philosopher's stone. I just don't see Dumbledore as such a wonderful character. One of the things kids learn from books is that things and people aren't always what they seem.