Young Writers Society

Oooh... gotta love this topic.

Growing up in a Christian family, at first, my mother detested Harry Potter. We were at Wal Mart one day shopping for underwear for my little brother, and we found a pack that looked nice but she dropped them as soon as she saw 'Harry Potter' written all over them.

I can't really tell you much about HP considering I was never aloud to read (or watch) it!

As for Twilight, I don't even think my mother knows it has Vampires. And it's staying that way. I have all the books but she doesn't even touch them.

She'll let me read Harry Potter now, but I just don't wanna. It's a shame; I missed out on a great adventure, didn't I?

So, Sureal's right.

I've never HP, so Twilight's the way for me.

P.S I didn't like New Moon either. That's when I started detesting Bella.

I think...

even the controversies people could not help but fall for Edward Cullen head over heels.

HP doesn't have such an irresistable character now, does it?

Yes it does and that character is Ronald Weasley!!! :p



People just want something to be buttholes about. Obviously the Harry Potter series isn't condoning real witchcraft...it's a STORY, for CHILDREN, concocted from J. K. Rowling's IMAGINATION. And for parents and such that have never read it and listen only to what other people say about it, it probably seems worse than it is.

Who knows why Twilight doesn't get as much crap? I don't remember any vampire book ever causing as much controversy as Harry Potter. Harry Potter is big, and people just made a big fuss about it for no reason.

HP hands down.

I know what you mean about the controversy. Both of them are about fantasy, but beyond that. HP carries more themes I think, about growing up, actually thinking about the sacrifices we make and things being for the greater good. And it's big on love. And it's a coming of age story.

Whereas Twilight has infatuation, sacrifice I suppose, but it's not really explored, and Bella wants to stay seventeen forever.

Also HP pwns in intricacy, plot and well developed characters. And standing up for what you believe and not letting your boyfriend boss you around. Or being obsessed over a boy (look at Ginny, she doesn't mourn for months when Harry leaves, she gets up and does something about it, and Hermione gets her own back instead of moping around and feeling sorry for herself.)

ouch, you really shove it in Twilight's collective face, don't you?

don't worry, because, frankly, I agree with you.



peace.

Also in Twilight, Stephenie Meyer talks about religion. I don't know if anyone's mentioned this or not, but in Harry Potter they talk about witch craft and magic, but in Twilight, Carslile is Christian I think, and they even have crosses in their house.
they aren't like demonic vampires so I think that might exoplain why it's not as controversial.

I'm probably one of the few here but I actually really like the Twilight series, mainly the first book more than the others because honestly they started going downhill with New Moon.

But really Twilight and HP were for two different demographics, teenage girls and kids respectively, so maybe that had something to do with it. Perhaps they thought teenagers could handle something supernatural while kids have imaginations that are liable to believe everything they hear.

Also in Twilight, it's constantly stressed that Edward sees himself as an unholy monster that has nothing for him except eternal damnation, while Harry Potter doesn't really address the afterlife issue much, leading kids to believe that they might go off to some luxury heaven paradise, and the Christians don't want them to think that that's what witches have coming for them. Sorry for the runon sentence. x_x

I don't want to start any arguments, but I would also like to say that Eclipse DID beat Deathly Hallows on the bestseller list as soon as it came out. But then again I don't think this issue has anything to do with the popularity of the book.

I've been hearing about this topic a lot lately and it really makes me angry. Harry Potter and Twilight really just can't compare: just look at their demographics. If you look at just target audience alone, it's clear that each book is beyond successful. But what about beyond that?

Twilight's intended readers seem to be females between the age of thirteen and twenty-five, and it was targeted well; it is generally this audience who reads the books. Here's how it's categorized on Amazon:

Twilight wrote:
* Children's Books > Issues
* Children's Books > Literature > Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror > Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic
* Children's Books > Literature > Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror > Spine-Chilling Horror
* Teens > Literature & Fiction > Love & Romance
* Teens > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy
* Teens > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction

Harry Potter, on the other hand, is often marketed as a children's book. Here's how it's categorized on Amazon:

Harry Potter wrote:
* Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( R ) > Rowling, J.K. > General
* Children's Books > Literature > Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror > Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic
* Children's Books > Series > Fantasy & Adventure > Harry Potter Books > General
* Children's Books > Series > Fantasy & Adventure > Harry Potter Books > Hardcover
* Teens > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy
* Teens > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction

Each broad definition is in regards to children or teenagers. Much the same as Twilight, right? Not quite. While Twilight is generally read solely by its target audience, Harry Potter draws a much wider selection of readers. So many people who are not children, who do not like fantasy, who would generally not read a book in these categories have read and enjoyed this book.

The popularity of this book is not just contained to a solid age range or a specific gender, and I think that's really where Twilight fails and Harry Potter excels. Of course, this failure/excellence is based solidly in the stories. As people have mentioned previously, factors such as the complexity of plot, the writing style, and the characters themselves are all vital when comparing the two books.

Another thing that I think has a lot of influence in this discussion is the different ways the series appeals to people. Twilight is an emotional book, founded on the hope that the reader will be interested in the plot between Bella and Edward for the entirety of the story. Harry Potter is a different approach; this book doesn't just immerse you in the life of one person (even though he's the main character), but into an entire world (you can see the effects of this in fanfiction: most Twilight fanfiction is about Edward and Bella, or about another romantic relationship between two characters, while the only norm about Harry Potter fanfiction is that it either exists within the book's universe or revolves around one of the characters). Because of this, Harry Potter is more logical. It's inherently a book about puzzles (among other things, of course). Harry is always trying to figure something out, and we readers as the audience try to figure it out along with him (not to mention trying to figure out plots and hints from Rowling prior to the release #_#). Of course, Harry Potter appeals to emotion as well; to have characters without emotion is silly and unrealistic. But it engages you in multiple and varied ways of thinking, which is why I think it's so widely-liked.

Something else that has been bothering me about this: online and in the news and in the papers, people keep calling Stephenie Meyer "the next JK Rowling". Er, did JK Rowling stop writing or go into hibernation or something? Why does she need to be replaced with a newer version? Not to mention that if "they" are going to "replace" JK Rowling, they should find someone better than Stephenie Meyer

Stella Thomas wrote:HP hands down.

I know what you mean about the controversy. Both of them are about fantasy, but beyond that. HP carries more themes I think, about growing up, actually thinking about the sacrifices we make and things being for the greater good. And it's big on love. And it's a coming of age story.

Whereas Twilight has infatuation, sacrifice I suppose, but it's not really explored, and Bella wants to stay seventeen forever.

Also HP pwns in intricacy, plot and well developed characters. And standing up for what you believe and not letting your boyfriend boss you around. Or being obsessed over a boy (look at Ginny, she doesn't mourn for months when Harry leaves, she gets up and does something about it, and Hermione gets her own back instead of moping around and feeling sorry for herself.)

HP is also writen way better, it was well thought out and characters weren't protected. Things happened to them, some died.

Stella Thomas wrote:HP hands down.

I know what you mean about the controversy. Both of them are about fantasy, but beyond that. HP carries more themes I think, about growing up, actually thinking about the sacrifices we make and things being for the greater good. And it's big on love. And it's a coming of age story.

Whereas Twilight has infatuation, sacrifice I suppose, but it's not really explored, and Bella wants to stay seventeen forever.

Also HP pwns in intricacy, plot and well developed characters. And standing up for what you believe and not letting your boyfriend boss you around. Or being obsessed over a boy (look at Ginny, she doesn't mourn for months when Harry leaves, she gets up and does something about it, and Hermione gets her own back instead of moping around and feeling sorry for herself.)

I agree with Stella Thomas.

p.s.: I like new moon because edward got smart and left her, but then he was pull back in. I wished Meyer would have just keep the sequels to her and left Twilight the only book.

i 2nd Helen!

I cannot even compare HP and Twilight. In any way. They are two different books, entirely. Both good in my opinion.
When I was younger I wasn't allowed to read Harry Potter because I would go to hell if I did, hahahahaha. But of course, I didn't listen and read them anyways and became pretty much obsessed

i think they are afraid. i mean i have been on a website with stories about people being attacked over twilight, i have read them and they are gruesome, one kid was attacked in the middle of a wal-mart by two girls and beaten with a bat. so i propose that they are afraid that all the over the top crazies will attack them if they do that.

What? (in small voice) I like twilight... but... there's no reason to get violent...

Harry Potter, no doubt about it. The only good thing about Twilight is Jacob. If there was no Jacob, which Meyers once said she orinally had it, Twilight would be terrible. It already is, but Jacob just makes it a tad better. He's the only three-dimensional character in the whole series.