Was Lord of the Rings better written than Harry Potter?
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M$2 Answers
Consider this quote from the first book in the series - the phrases are shorter, the world is untainted, and Harry is very much only concerned with what's happening in his own life (never mind politics, magical vs. non-magical issues, the bad guy Voldemort, etc):
Harry left the locker room alone some time later, to take his Nimbus Two Thousand back to the broomshed. He couldn't ever remember feeling happier. He'd really done something to be proud of now - no one could say he was just a famous name any more. The evening air had never smelled so sweet. He walked over the damp grass, reliving the last hour in his head, which was a happy blur: Gryffindors running to lift him onto their shoulders; Ron and Hermione in the distance, jumping up and down, Ron cheering through a heavy nosebleed.
And take this quote from the last book in the series - the phrases are longer, Harry is now conscious of what other people may be thinking, and it's not just about the magic of the world Harry's introduced to (the differences between magical and non-magical peoples' perspectives on things are very clear here):
“You know how to drive, I take it?” Dedalus asked Uncle Vernon politely.
“Know how to - ? Of course I ruddy well know how to drive!” spluttered Uncle Vernon.
“Very clever of you sir, very clever, I personally would be utterly bamboozled by all those buttons and knobs,” said Dedalus.
He was clearly under the impression that he was flattering Vernon Dursley, who was visibly losing confidence in the plan with every word Dedalus spoke.
I wish I could find you better quotes - the only ones that are online are the funny ones, but there are some really, really fantastic excerpts from the last book that I would love to put here.
Now compare that to an excerpt from Tolkein's "The Children of Hurin":
In the year that Turin was seventeen years old, his grief was renewed; for all tidings from his home ceased at that time. The power of Morgoth had grown yearly, and all Hithlum was now under his shadow. Doubtless he knew much of the doings of Hurin's people and kin, and had not molested them for a while, so that his design might be fulfilled; but now in pursuit of this purpose he set a close watch on all the passes of the Shadowy Mountains, so that none might come out of Hithlum nor enter it, save at great peril, and the Orcs swarmed about the sources of Narog and Teiglin and the upper waters of Sirion. Thus there came a time when the messengers of Thingol did not return, and he would send no more. He was ever loath to let any stray beyond the guarded borders, and in nothing had he shown greater good will to Hurin and his kin than in sending his people on the dangerous roads to Morwen in Dor-lomin.
I don't know about you, but I get bored about halfway through the paragraph. Perhaps it's just the wording Tolkein used because of the time period he wrote it in, but it's just not that interesting to me. Some people may argue that Tolkein's writing is more sophisticated, but I don't think JK Rowling expressed anything less beautiful or sophisticated in her books. (Again, I wish I had better quotes at my disposal, the last book was really beautifully done.) It's like trying to argue that British English sounds more sophisticated than American English - both dialects can still express the same ideas, one just has more prestige than the other in the minds of all English speakers because of political reasons, etc.
Anyway, that's just my opinion. Please comment if you'd like to discuss! :)
Harry Potter fan since 1997.
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M$Tolkein created an incredibly rich and complex world, and in the process probably invented the modern fantasy genre. His writing is detailed and his use of language superb, and LOTR goes far beyond a simplistic good vs. evil look at the world, although the battle between good and evil is certainly a centerpiece of his writing. But his characters are much more complicated - just like real people. His characters struggle with their flaws, and sometimes give in to them.
personal opinion
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M$
But the question wasn't which series is the most financially successful, or which has sold the most books. The question was which is the better written. Sales figures do not determine quality.
What sells, entertaining or style?
In business, success is determined by sales. So dismissing sales is throwing the baby out with the dish water.
What are the total dollar sales for each author?
At the risk of sounding snarky, I don't know and don't actually care. After all, my position is that those sales aren't relevant to the issue of which is the better written series.
And there's no realistic way to compare number of books sold - after all, there are far more books in the Potter series than in the LOTR. There's also no way to effectively compare the dollar amounts of those sales, for much the same reason, compounded by the difference in the price of the book and the publication dates of those books (after all, a book published in 1954 is priced quite different than a book published in 2000).
What sells, entertaining or style?
Well, Tolkein certainly has not lacked in the sales department; the books have sold over 150 million copies in 40 languages. But commercial success and quality work aren't synonymous. After all, The National Inquirer sells quite well, too.
Which author has the most lovable, heroic, and charismic characters?
Will Harry Potter be an likeable character when he grows up? Will Harry Potter become like the lovable Dumbledorf or Voldmort?
Admittedly, I haven't read the entire Lord of the Rings series. I dragged my way through the first book for my English class in high school, and attempted the second one before the movie came out, but didn't get more than halfway through it. Personally, based on what I've read and what I've seen in the films, Harry Potter characters are much more lovable and charismatic, and they're more relatable as kids that have some kind of contact with our world (fleeting as it is). Tolkein's characters however, are definitely more heroic - they go through a lot more trials than the Harry Potter characters do, so I'll give them that. But they're not very lovable, I think - in the films they are a bit, since the director kind of took some liberties with the script, but in the books they all seemed a bit dull.