JK Rowling vs Enid Blyton ...comments?

[bluedolphin]

How do people look upon JKRowling Vs Enid Blyton could JK be a one hit wonder?

[arabella]

harry potter's great but i think once the harry books are finished she's unlikely to do as well with anything else. all of enid blytons stories on the other hand were fantastic and i dont think JK could live up to her standards (even if she does earn squillions more)

[Cetti]

The Enid blyton books were the first reading for many kids, and started them on a lifetimes discovery of books - I think I read every one - just for the sheer love of it, not because anyone told me to. I haven't read any Harry Potter, only because they don't appeal to me - but thousands of children are now reading, whereas at one time they weren't interested. - so here's to both of them!

[tracymort]

i loved my enid books. i remember them as if they really were a part of my childhood. i really did go up the faraway tree! iykwim!

[DavidUK]

No competition - Blyton's books were well written, Rowling's books are not.

[mikewith]

Never having read either (but I promise, I loved reading as a child!) could anyone explain how JKR can be dismissed by so many people as a poor writer while still selling so many books that so many people very obviously love reading so much?

[treaclefight]

i loved endi blyton when i was a kiddie and starting reading a famous five book to my own children last summer. we have never laughed so much at a book, but unfortunately it wasnt for the right reasons, Blyton is incredibly outdated now, my children were incredulous at the useless grownups who didnt give a stuff where the children were, the way the children spoke etc etc, it was all too funny for them whereas harry potter is something that my children's generation really is in to, sometimes they check the post for hogwarts invitations and they love the notion that there might be more to the world than meets the eye... harry potter will be outdated too one day, i think we should enjoy harry while we can. one thing that never dies though is the national obsession with dragging down anyone who's succeeding, is it fair to call someone a one hit wonder if they never get a chance at a second hit? personally i'm in favour of anything as innocent as harry potter that gets kids reading. :-)

[arabella]

even if JK writes another good book its always going to be compared to harry potter and its unlikely really that anything could sell as well as harry has.

[andy hughes]

Comparions of this type are invalid for one reason - each author is of her time. Compare the PC on which you read this, with the typewriter on which I for one learned my keyboard skills - no comparison, but state-of-the-art only lasts until something else comes along. Enid Blyton's stories were of their time - the early 1950's, and an affluant 1950's at that. Modern children would indeed find her characters and situations twee, and sexist, but they were of their time - Empire, being British, and all that. To compare Blyton and Rowling is to compare a Model T Ford with a Formula One - four wheels and an engine, but that's the end of the similarities. Maybe 'Harry Potter' is all Ms. Rowling will write - let's face it, she doesn't need the money!

[Gef]

"but at least she has got children interested in books again for which she deserves the unstinting praise of the civilised world" Just a thought einstein, not a criticism of your answer, but I wonder if this is really true. Do these kids (and adults) read anything else or do they just wait for the next episode of HP?

[Gef]

That's a very good point Einstein and I hope it is true. After all 30 minutes reading every day is 30 minutes less spent watching TV, playing computer games etc. I have no problem with these but it would be good to get children reading again.

[JohnPPotts]

Well, JKR obviously isn't a one hit wonder as she's written (so far) a series of five, but whether she'll write any others is another matter. But it does seem as if HP is pretty much Enid Blighton with magic - imagine a child today who ran away from home, as Harry does as the start of Chamber of Secrets - there'd be a nationwide manhunt. And the entire atmosphere of Hogwarts is very reminiscent of EB - they seem to be able to run around with very little overview by any adults. Oh, and the difference between the Secret 7 and Famous Five is actually 3, since Timmy the dog counted as one of the 5, but the 7's dog didn't.