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Harry Potter vs. Twilight: Harry Rules All!
Since 1998, J.K. Rowling has captured the hearts of millions with her incredible Harry Potter series. For nearly a decade, each of her seven books have left the reader anticipating the next adventure; but, for some reason, even some of the most fanatic Harry Potter fans have sunk their teeth into Stephanie Meyer’s best-selling Twilight series, and have all but forgotten the magic their previously favorite series had brought them.
What is it about either of the series that has drawn so many fans, that causes them to immerse themselves in the many paged fantasy novels? For Harry Potter, the answer is complicated yet simple in its own way: the story is much more intriguing and well-thought out compared to the vampire love story that some claim to be the best all around.
What is so amazing about the Twilight series? Oh, just the fact that Meyers provides deliciously graphic adjectives and ten-page-long descriptions of how “gorgeous,” “perfect,” and yet incredibly “dangerous” dear Edward Cullen is. This and, of course, the tragically wonderful love story between Bella and her two true loves Edward the vampire and Jacob the werewolf. Just looking at those words, anyone in their right mind would think it’s the type of
story that only silly, sentimental fools would read.
Harry Potter actually has a story, with a goal and developing plot that lasts our hero’s youth. He faces difficult times -- much more than just a lovesick dilemma -- and struggles with both insignificant and exceedingly crucial topics that all people face when growing up.
Harry has a love story as well; between the third and fifth books, he has a crush on Cho Chang, just like any other teenager. But J.K. Rowling reveals it in a different manner. Instead of going on about it, she merely hints it with Harry’s behavior around Cho, and occasionally talks about it. She also includes a lot of clever humor, so that the story is not focused on Harry’s far-off love, but rather on him and other characters. Plus, when it turns out that Cho is not the right one for him -- because normal guys are generally very uncomfortable around girls sobbing over their dead boyfriend -- he begins a crush on Ginny Weasley, but refuses to be with her for a long time because he is loyal to his best friend, Ron Weasley.
Besides that, the series has many different characters that affect Harry’s life in both good and bad ways. The Weasley’s are a second family to Harry, seeing that the Durseley’s treated him worst than a muddy dog around the immaculate house. Ron befriends Harry on the first day, and Mrs. Weasley is the mother he never had. And of course, there’s Hermione, who remains true to Harry even during the few times Ron begins to fade away. Then, there’s jovial Hagrid, wise Professor Dumbledore, and many other friends. Severus Snape, Draco Malfoy, and other
Slytherins provide the list of Harry’s school enemies, and provide most of the plot, because realistically, a story is never a good story unless there are some “bad guys.”
Furthermore, Rowling’s humor is used to let the pages pass by quickly and sometimes even be used to mock something more serious. Fantasy is meant to be a metaphorical way of presenting a theme, idea, or opinion.
But most important of all, Rowling alludes to controversial topics, that Harry and his friends become involved in as the series goes on. The Ministry of Magic intervening in Hogwarts’ education in Order of the Phoenix is a huge example of government becoming so corrupt in their own power, it’ll do anything to save their reputation, as what the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, tries to keep Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore from telling the world that Lord Voldemort has returned. Also, the prejudice that Rowling describes between the pure-blood families and the muggle-borns (called “Mudbloods,” a derogatory term towards people like Hermione), and how people treated house-elves as no more than inferior servants that do not mind working hard all the time. These topics are highly significant, for it describes the class-warfare that goes on today, and what turncoats people can be, as the books describe Harry’s rises and falls from popularity at Hogwarts.
It is said by certain fans that Bella in Twilight is the more realistic heroine than Harry, perhaps because she doesn’t have magical powers. She also acts like any other troubled teenager who thinks she’s madly in love, but it is just an infatuation. Harry, at least, has flaws like any normal human being, while at the same time preserving the traditional traits of any other literary hero: he’s noble, brave, willing to face death when in danger, willing to save his friends, and tries to discover where he belongs.
Also, within the wizard series, there’s the question of creativity. How can anyone, who has read the series, think that Stephanie Meyer portrays a better example of fantasy? Last time anyone checked, there are no words within Twilight that are similar to “Wingardium Leviosa,” or “Hogwarts,” or even “Albus Dumbledore.” Not that anyone is judging against Stephanie Meyer’s lack of creativity, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that there is nothing to compare when people go on about how Twilight is way better than Harry Potter.
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This article has 74 comments.
Harry Potter wins hands down.
n i first read twilight i liked it but a few weeks later i gave it a deep thought and realised that i had been a fool there was nothing in the book. i get it that when your loved one dumps you one feels sad, heartbroken and angry but no one goes to commit a suicide. bella is a weak person. edward is a control freak who feels that he can force bella to do anything by breathing over her. pathertic.. in breaking dawn in the end they let the voltuiri go and do not even fight because they did not want to harm their body gliter. in harry potter , harry and his friends were not afraid to fight for something better. when ron left hermione in deathly hallows hermione cried for a week but still saved harry from nagini and tended to him. hermione did not give up living. harry potter series is far better and the best book series ever. harry too had to break up with ginny in half blood prince for her won good. ginny was heartbroken but did not commit suicide.. she believed in harry.. harry too felt lonely in deathly hallows ...
I love Harry Potter much more than Twilight. I have read most of each series multiple times each.
But I feel like the real plot of Twilight is being unrepresented here. The driving conflict of the whole novel is that Bella wants to become a vampire. Each novel, like in HP, there is a smaller storyline that ends up dragging Bella closer to an end. In Harry Potter the main conflict is ridding the world of Voldemort, yet each story also has a trial that Harry must endure in order to get closer to the end and his fate.
Although the love triangle is a major part of Twilight, it isn't the main focus; it just allows for many times to happen. When Edward left, Jacob was there. It is realistic. Girls, I know that you know the feeling you have after you get dumped by a guy you really like. It sucks. Why can't she feel that way and want to lock herself up in a room? Jacob is there and is able to comfort her, which is something that is normal for a teenage girl. From there comes the love triangle. And it is this love triangle that allows further development of the novel.
The Triangle ends with Edward and Bella married - you know that legal matter that tends to resolve in children after the honeymoon? Having Renesme is normal, almost expected. It could be possible, it could not, but Stephenie Meyers got to decide that because as far as I know, we on earth today don't know of any vampire-human children. It is FICTION. Renesme can turn out SM wants.
The way I see it, SM used the excessive description of Edward as a way for her reader to understand how captivated Bella was. Normal girls may not sit there spend pages talking about the guy they like, but every time a girl starts gushing over how hot a guy is.... Well it is the same thing, they just aren't getting paid for it.
As for typos? Editors fault. They should have caught it.
I believe that both Twilight and HP took a long time to plan out. Granted, I find HP more intriguing and complexly webbed together, but there are part of the Twilight series that brings it all together. Breaking Dawn put an abrupt halt on the books and wrapped, I believe, a lot of things up - which led me to not like it. It was a abrupt ending, I agree, but it was an ending with the biggest plots worked out and with detail. All the smaller plots of each book were wrapped up.
Don't give SM junk about how she uses too much detail - it was all to show how meaning the described person was to the onlooker.
And yes, her other books are great. The Host was unable to be pryed from my hands. Keep giving her chances; authors have ups and downs. Does JK Rowling have other books? Has anyone read them? For all those who haven't, they could be trash.
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Giving up doesn't always mean you are weak, sometimes it just means you are strong enough to let go.