HP Press (News & Articles)
Shitty take from Professor Sprout:
Harry Potter actor Miriam Margolyes on the series' adult fans: "It's for children"
First, not every adult fan is a Millennial. Many of us are Gen X, myself included, and one of the biggest Snape fans I know is a Boomer.
Second, many of the characters are adults, and in most cases, those are the characters we're drawn to. That's one of the things that makes the series so compelling (and successful)... different characters and storylines appeal to different generations, to the point where there really is something for everyone.
Third, criticizing fans while continuing to make money off them is tacky as hell. It's also hypocritical, scolding us for not moving on while she continues to milk a bit part she played almost 20 years ago.
"It's for children" is just a weak argument; the books age up with Harry and the readers, the entire thing being a coming-of-age story, while also being written to be child-appropriate/approachable for children (because parents, not children, were the ones buying the books).
And the implication I've heard that's typically associated with it is that, because the target demographic is children, the work doesn't have to be complex or written intricately (meaning that people shouldn't analyze said work too deeply because iTs FoR kIdS).
The fact that there are so many adult fans speaks for itself. A book that could be read by children doesn't necessarily make it a kids book, and there's lots of examples of that other than HP. You can read The Little Prince at 8, and 18, and (allegedly) 68, and find completely different meaning in it, and the same absolutely holds true for Harry Potter.
It's the fact that there's so many different characters, and so many of them are well developed. I could understand Harry when I first read the books, I can understand, say, Snape now... And who knows, maybe when I'm 115 I'll understand Dumbledore better.
So I came across this response that's been going around my feed and I think the rest of you would like it too:
It doesn't matter if it's for children or not. It also shouldn't matter what age the fans are too. Everyone is allowed to enjoy what they want and the series is full of a variety of amazing characters to love and gives positive messages about topics like love, friendship, and good winning over evil in the world (just to name a few.) Why wouldn't anyone want to focus on things like that?
“I am almost inclined to set it up as a canon that a children’s story which is enjoyed only by children is a bad children’s story.”
-C.S. Lewis
Essay: “On Three Ways of Writing for Children”& “On Stories”
I should add that most of the emotional growth I have learned has come from characters within books and through them I have experienced a lifetime of joys, betrayals and love. I have learned to truly appreciate life and looking fondly back on those books, sometimes I remind myself of lessons I’ve forgotten and delve further into the adventure to explore what I couldn’t as a child because I didn’t understand.
Sometimes reading those books as adults can bring nostalgia, answers to adult problems, and a way to escape the chaos of the world. Sometimes reading something safe and predictable can bring comfort when immersed in danger. It helps remind us what we are fighting for and what we are living for.
Hey, aren't we all children? Children of God, ayylmao.
