With only a week and a half left until the long-delayed Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince finally hits theaters, media outlets are jumping on Read the full post.
Jul 3
2009
02:00 PM ET
Sex and the 'Harry Potter' movies: Does anyone want this?
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The fact of the matter is these books, whether for children or not, are mainly focused on fantasy and friendship and good triumphing over evil. It’s kind of hard to fit romance and sex into all that drama. Romance just isn’t a main element of the stories and I think one book (HBP) having that perspective was enough. I think its hard to express sexual elements in any fantasy story let alone with a complex story like HP. If anything, the movies do a better job of visually expressing the sexual nature of things, like kissing and such. I don’t think it should go as far as sex though, because come on, kids read this and JK knew that. She wasn’t about to cause an outrage was she? It’s just common sense, and I think NOT having sex involved in something for once is refreshing.
The series is for children. It does not need Sexual tension. There is plenty of tension surrounding the theme of wizards in the 20th century. TV shows for teens have enough sexual tension to quench the curious minds. The series is perfect.
I think what we’re seeing is another bit of fallout from the Twilight phenomenon. It amazes me how many people have suddenly switched from Harry Potter to Twilight as if it were impossible to like both. But Harry Potter was never about lusty teens expressing how raging their hormones were in the form of abysmal prose – there was too fun and inventive a universe to explore. Anyone longing for sex in the Potter world should reset his or her priorities or find a copy of Daniel Radcliffe doing Equus – I can say with first hand experience that takes some of the magic out of things afterwards!
Okay, if this were a series that were about romantic love, it would make sense for there to be a little more sexual undertones, but it’s not about that. So what if she doesn’t write adult romance? Harry’s 17 by the end of the books. He’s barely an adult. Goodness. Check your facts and try to remember what the series is actually about (and who it’s geared toward), before you start complaining about the lack of sex. If you want teen romance, read Twilight.
Harry Potter is a blot upon literature. I wish it had never happened. Rowling and also Dan Brown are proof that it is still possible to sell your soul to the Devil in exchange for getting wealthy off of your lousy prose.
The sooner Harry Potter just goes away, the happier I will be. One more movie. Then it’s over.
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@Josh: I’m sorry you are the way you are. There’s no reason that you always need to be reading “literature”–a fun page turner is often enjoyable.
When your trying to prevent the most evil person ever to have existed from taking over the world, the last thing you’re thinking about is getting your rocks off.
Twilight would have no story line if not for the sex or lack thereof.
ewwwwwww!!! stop talking about harry and sex.. he’s cute and innocent and so are his friends and that’s why we LOVE THEM. back off O.D.B.s!
Josh,
Have you read even one of the Potter series? I am a 66 year old member of Mensa, who probably read more books including the great classics before I finished high school than you have read in your entire life. I found the Potter series intellectually stimulating and thoroughly enjoyable, especially when you consider they were written as children’s books.
Geez, God forbid we have one book series without sex in it. Believe it or not, not everyone wants to read about sex all the time. Get a life.
it seems that many have lost sight of what the HP series represents. Unlike Twilight (which ive also read and enjoyed), it was never intended to be a teen romance (or an adult romance), but a fantasically magical tale of a young boy and his friends.
I’ve always enjoyed the light-hearted tween romance sub-plots that Rowling weaved into the series but if i was ever left wanting more of anything it wasnt sex or love, it was more magic!
Yeah, it’s not exactly realistic that 16-year-old kids aren’t having sex, but this is FANTASY. It’s not really suppsoed to be realistic, is it? Besides, Jo Rowling needs to be pretty careful when it comes to sexuality in these books because if she doesn’t, kids’ parents are gonna be at her doorstep with pitchforks and torches. Let’s face it… we all know that they’re hormone-ridden teenagers. SOMETHING’S happening. We just don’t get to see it, and why we should we? This isn’t a romance novel.
The people that go to see the Harry Potter movies are the fans of the books, and some later fans that were picked up with the movies. These people aren’t going because of sex. They are going because they like the books and the saga contained therein. And since every movie thus far has made at least $250 million, I can’t imagine that they need more “sex” to sell better.
This isn’t an issue of keeping the Potter books fresh, it is about a sour critic who cannot think of anything fresh to add to the discussion. The abject terror of the boys before their first dance, Ginny’s inability to talk in front of her crush, Ron jealous and angry about Hermione and Crumb – All relatable and realistic depictions that were totally appropriate for the target audience. That adults read and enjoyed the books too does not mean Rowling should have added some sex. Stupid, unjustified argument.
If I want Harry Potter sexy stuff, I’ll go read fan fiction.
Keep it out of the canon.