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frodofan14
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Post LotR or HP?
on: November 30, 2007 10:56
Which is/do you like better: lord of the rings or harry potter? lotr is deeper but hp is a bit funnier.... what do you think?

[Edited on 7/12/2007 by frodofan14]
Lord of the Rings by a long shot!
75% (3)
LotR by a little
8% (4)
I cant choose.... you cant make me choose!
14% (7)
Harry Potter by a little
2% (1)
HP by a long shot!
2% (1)
Neither (NOTE: if you say this then what are you doing on this site?!?!?!)
0% (0)
Dolwen
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Post RE: LotR or HP?
on: November 30, 2007 02:18
Even though I enjoy Harry Potter very much each time I read it and can't put it down, LotR means much more to me. In my opinion the story and characters have more depth and feel more real than with the Harry Potter series. I can sometimes forget that Middle-Earth is a fictional place while reading but Harry Potter has never felt that way. Anyway, I prefer LotR by a bit more than just a little so I chose the first.
Woodlandelfgirl87
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Post RE: LotR or HP?
on: December 01, 2007 07:12
I love them both very much, and I think Dolwen is right... LotR has so much more depth to it than Harry Potter. And LotR seems to cast such a bigger spell on me than Harry Potter. But I have to say that since I do love both so much, that I have to choose LotR by a little bit.
ElfmaidenofLorien
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Post RE: LotR or HP?
on: December 01, 2007 12:48
No one can beat LotR...it's just such an amazing story.
'Not even the gods above can separate the two of us, no nothing can come between you and I.'
Linwe_Saralonde
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Post RE: LotR or HP?
on: December 01, 2007 02:08
Nothing can beat LotR. I really like reading HP, but LotR has more meaning to me.
minstral_of_the_dawn
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Post RE: LotR or HP?
on: December 01, 2007 02:41
There is no comparison. You can not compare LOTR to HP except for the fact that a ton of stuff was ripped off from LOTR by J.K.Rowling and most other fantasy authors.
RodwenofRohan
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Post RE: LotR or HP?
on: December 01, 2007 05:45
Am I the only one who doesn't like HP at all? LotR is everything!
PrincessPana
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Post RE: LotR or HP?
on: December 02, 2007 01:12
You are not alone Rodwen of Rohan . . . :love:
cirdaneth
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Post RE: LotR or HP?
on: December 02, 2007 02:44
I've voted (for LotR) but am not sure if HP belongs in the PP. It's up to Belle and Awelyn of course. However, if you are an HP fan you will find a topped thread in The Palantir Forum called Hagrid's Hut, full of kindred spirits.
BelleBayard
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Post RE: LotR or HP?
on: December 02, 2007 06:27
If were only about HP, I'd move it to Palantir, but since it's more of which do you prefer, I'm leaving it here. For those who prefer HP, please do look up Hagrid's Hut!
Huorn
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Post RE: LotR or HP?
on: December 02, 2007 09:28
Am I the only one who doesn't like HP at all? LotR is everything!


I am another person who dislikes HP for reasons I'll leave not mentioned.

Because something is fantasy does not mean that I'll automatically like it. The reason why love LoTR and dislike HP has everything to do with the philosophical underpinnings of the stories.
longbe4thesun
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Post RE: LotR or HP?
on: December 02, 2007 09:56
There is no comparison. You can not compare LOTR to HP except for the fact that a ton of stuff was ripped off from LOTR by J.K.Rowling and most other fantasy authors.

It's hard to say that she's ripped off LotR, there are fans on Leaky Lounge who'd say you'd be hard pressed to make that statement true. Actually, any similarity is coincidental. I don't believe JKR has read the entire series. And that's besides the fact that LotR has become the standard for the Fantasy genre. And I would say that since fantasy itself is generally associated with magic and magical creatures, and alchemy, I'd say that it's hardly surprising she's taking common elements found in fantasy novels and incorporating them into HP's world. So to say that she's "ripped off" of other books is being a little less than kind.
Also consider, she's also heavily borrowed a lot from mythology. For instance, the Basilisk. What are we going to say, that we can't compare the two except that the two have a ton of stuff in common?
She's also borrowed heavily from the Latin language. The romance languages and English language have also heavily borrowed from Latin, what are we going to do, make a big fuss over how the romance languages and the English language aren't comparable, except for the heavy borrowing from Latin? No, because it's language.
By the same reasoning, there's no need to make a big fuss at things being "borrowed" from within fantasy and mythology. Realistically, there is no new story under the sun, it's just how you write the story that makes it original.
Legolas romance stories can only be written so many ways, but someone who's able to use common plot devices in a way that is fresh and exciting makes a story worth reading. That is what JKR has done here with her Harry Potter books. She's taken common themes, the coming of age and dealing with death, and presented them in a fresh way that makes the series enjoyable to read. I hesitate to call her a modern Tolkien, but the world she's created is so complex and well knitted together, and her works have brought with it's success a new generation of readers.
Lord of the Rings is my first love. It holds a value that HP could never have. HP is more like my easy fantasy reading. I have to have time to sit down and read the professors work. I also have to be in the right kind of mindset to read it.. a lot like Jane Austin. I have to be ready to sit and focus, because the writing styles are so different from modern English.

Sorry about the soap box, but this is a statement that really irks me every time I see it.

[Edited on 2/12/2007 by longbe4thesun]
Celedë_Anthaas
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Post RE: LotR or HP?
on: December 02, 2007 10:46
Well said, longbe4thesun Tolkien also borrowed elements from mythology - the names of the dwarves in The Hobbit, and the name Gandalf as well, are taken from The Elder Edda. The story of Turin has many similarities with that of Kullervo from The Kalevala.
Rowling includes common fantasy elements like unicorns, dragons and trolls in her works.

I voted 'LotR by a little bit.' I think LotR is deeper, because there are so many stories in one - you have all the "background stories" (Beren and Luthien, the Fall of Gondolin, Numenor, etc) which are only hinted at in LotR, but fully told in the Silmarillion. I love the timeless, mythological style
However, I also love HP. Rowling writes very well, and the world she created is deep and complex (though I personally think not as complex as Middle-earth). I think my love for HP also comes from the fact that I've been Harry's age throughout the series - I was 11 when I read the first book and 18 when I read the last one
Lothara
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Post RE: LotR or HP?
on: December 10, 2007 06:00
I voted LotR by a long shot! I never really cared for HP (no offence) and I LOVE all of Tolkien's writings :love:
I wish I lived in Middle Earth, I wish I was a Timelord, I wish I attended Hogwarts, but I must always remember, I am a Ranger's Apprentice.
elfladymarti
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Post RE: LotR or HP?
on: December 24, 2007 06:31
I can't choose!! I love them both equally!!!
awelyn418
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Post RE: LotR or HP?
on: December 24, 2007 06:38
LOTR hands down the winner.
~LadyOfEdoras~
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Post RE: LotR or HP?
on: December 29, 2007 05:47
hp is great,lotr is a masterpeic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
BlueEyedPheonix
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Post RE: LotR or HP?
on: December 29, 2007 12:21
Can i say both? I love both of them, it was because of Harry Potter that i got into Lord of the Rings.
raina_alassë
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Post RE: LotR or HP?
on: December 31, 2007 10:05
For me, LotR surpasses all. And I never liked HP. I put myself among the other three.
Rulea
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Post RE: LotR or HP?
on: January 03, 2008 12:29
Before I became a LOTR fan, I was into Harry Potter alot, then I saw the Fellowship of the Ring and after awhile, I dropped HP for LOTR. I still like a little, but LOTR takes up more of my bookshelf then HP.
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frodofan14
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Post RE: LotR or HP?
on: January 03, 2008 12:35
Before I became a LOTR fan, I was into Harry Potter alot, then I saw the Fellowship of the Ring and after awhile, I dropped HP for LOTR. I still like a little, but LOTR takes up more of my bookshelf then HP.


exactly what happened to me.
taintedmushroom1
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Post RE: LotR or HP?
on: January 06, 2008 07:14
I don't think you can really compare the two... I'm going to say I like both equally.

However I feel the need to say this, I probably stand alone here, but I truely think Harry Potter has a lot of depth to it. It's written in a simpler, easier to read way, but that doesn't make the books themselves simple.
Morwinyoniel
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Post RE: LotR or HP?
on: January 07, 2008 02:34
This is what I'd call a classic case of apples and oranges. About the only thing that's common to those books is that, both belong in the Fantasy genre.

Personally, I enjoy HP, and second taintedmushroom1 in that, it has a lot of depth in it, although it is written in a lighter style than the LOTR. Plus, I have kids of the same age as Harry is in the different books, and recognize so much of the emotions that Harry and his friends go through!

But, the LOTR (and Tolkien's other Middle-earth stories) are something that I love, and from which I always manage to find something new.
DwarfMaster
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Post RE: LotR or HP?
on: January 14, 2008 09:52
At first I thought HP was for Hewlett-Packard.
awelyn418
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Post RE: LotR or HP?
on: January 14, 2008 01:24
Dwarfmaster lol. But you did not say who you preferred
Lorien~ethel
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Post RE: LotR or HP?
on: January 15, 2008 06:33
For me, LOTR by a LONG shot!
Aegor
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Post RE: LotR or HP?
on: January 16, 2008 04:36
"Lord of the Rings by a long shot" of course, this is a LotR fan site after all .

HP isn't bad, it's an entertaining story but it still remains to be seen whether it will withstand the test of time. If it keeps it's popularity for another 40-50 years then it might be a fair comparison. We do live in a commercially oriented time and it's really not a problem to make a hype out of something (take PotC movies for example).

Great comment Dwarfmaster
Aranelien
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Post RE: LotR or HP?
on: January 18, 2008 06:30
I love them both!!
I read HP when I'm depressed and stuff because its a quick read and even though I've read through the series 5 times (3 for DH) I can't help but to laugh and feel the same emotions as the characters.
I read LOTR when I need something deep. Something entertaining, yet mature...I'm not quite sure how to explain it.

But I love them both
DwarfMaster
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Post RE: LotR or HP?
on: January 29, 2008 07:41
Am I the only one who doesn't like HP at all? LotR is everything!



I am another person who dislikes HP for reasons I'll leave not mentioned.

Because something is fantasy does not mean that I'll automatically like it. The reason why love LoTR and dislike HP has everything to do with the philosophical underpinnings of the stories.


Dwarfmaster lol. But you did not say who you preferred


I definatly like LoTR much better. The reasons I dislike HP is most likely many of the same reasons Huorn doesn't like it.
silivra
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Post RE: LotR or HP?
on: February 13, 2008 09:10
I would never say that HP is not good, I like it to, but I like the LOTR much better because it is a deeper book and there is more behind it than in the HP. It makes me think more about certain values than the HP does.

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