Next Gen Journal

By Kathleen Toohill

The Harry Potter series

Once unparalleled in its domination of the teen entertainment industry, the Harry Potter franchise faces a new threat. Not just any threat, mind you, but one with superhuman strength, the ability to read minds and the tendency to mesmerize girls between the ages of eight and eighteen. But do Edward Cullen and the Twilight series measure up to their fellow fantasy phenomenon? My answer is no (cue the shrieks of indignation from every girl reading this with Robert Pattinson on her desktop).

I read Twilight reluctantly last summer only after constant pressure from a friend; the corny excerpt on the back of the book kept me away for months. With their big print and fairly simple style, the books of the Twilight series are quick reads. I enjoyed the series despite my initial misgivings, but only after rereading the Harry Potter series recently was I fully able to appreciate the difference in quality between the two series.

The characters of the Twilight series are largely one-dimensional; dominated by a few highly visible character traits, the characters experience little growth or evolution over the course of the books. The characters of Harry Potter, in contrast, seem to jump right off the page, flawed and complex, enriched by the wealth of background information J.K. Rowling compiled for many of them. Edward Cullen, Twilight’s dashing vampire hero, is as idealized as male leads come—perhaps even more so, given his immortality and a few other perks that come with being a vampire. Edwards evokes an almost slavish devotion in Bella that’s reverberated in fans of the books, giving these girls expectations in men that are just a tad unrealistic. The Twilight books are ostensibly about Bella but are dominated by Edward, which is the main reason that the fans of the series are primarily female. Bella’s thoughts, goals, and dreams are consumed by Edward; she literally is unable to function without him in New Moon (the second book of the Twilight series). Harry Potter, on the other hand, has a much broader appeal.

Rather than advocating that everything in one’s life take a backseat to romance, the Harry Potter series champions friendship, courage, and the emotional development that comes with growing up. The issues that the characters in Harry Potter deal with, from the prejudice against those of certain birth, to the death of loves ones, are much more translatable to the real world than anything Bella and Edward face. Life is messy, Harry Potter suggests, while Twilight seems to imply that a clear line exists between good and evil. Rowling injects the adventure of her books with witty dialogue and moments of humor that are largely lacking from Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series. And while the romances in the Harry Potter books may not be as flashy or sensational as the love of Bella and Edward, readers have watched the relationships of Harry Potter develop gradually over the course of the series, something ultimately more satisfying than the love-at-first sight that Edward and Bella have.

The Halls of Hogwarts

Yes, Harry breaking up with Ginny to protect her from his enemies was a little too Spiderman-y, but overall these romances possess a depth and realism that Bella and Edward lack.

Twilight isn’t supposed to be realistic, one might argue, it’s meant to be an escape. In that sense, Twilight exceeds expectations. It is indeed an escape, a fun jaunt into a fantasy world of perfect vampires that sweep normal human girls off their feet. Reading Harry Potter serves as an escape to another world as well, but one carefully constructed and drawing from hundreds of years of mythology and folklore, one which explores the issues that plague our world within the confines of a magical one. Readers finish the Twilight books starry-eyed and pining for Edward, while reading Harry Potter is a much more enriching experience. Aside from the lessons Rowling has to offer, Harry Potter’s rich prose and realistic characters make it clear that while the Twilight fad may have stolen the spotlight for the moment, the Harry Potter phenomenon is sure to be here when Edward loses his sparkle.

Kathleen Toohill is a NGJ contributor and a student at the University of Notre Dame. She is an avid reader and is interested in becoming a novelist.

The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.