Harry Potter Theft?

[Cuchullain]

Warning! The following post contains spoilers for the final book of the Harry Potter series.

I just remembered an old "third rock from the sun" episode when they said that the lion king was a rip-off of hamlet when i noticed something about the last chapters of deathly hallows.

The main hero walks into the enemy camp knowing he is going to be killed to sacrafice himself to protect others. When he reaches the camp he is taunted by his mortal enemy and killed by him, the bad guys then attack the last of the good guys now that the hero has fallen only for the hero to come back to life and kill the main bad guy. The evil side collapses without its leader and everyone lives happily ever after.

This is an abbreviated version of the end of harry potter series but is also the ending of another english book "The lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by C.S. Lewis in 1950.

Has Rowling shamelessly stolen the ending of a classic childrens story?

I think so.

 

[Legacy|iB]

...nah.

As much as I'm not that big a reader of Harry Potter, I don't think that sort of plot can be pinned as being distinctly for The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Hell, that sort of setup is so routine and a bit on the generic side that it doesn't even matter in the very end.

So therefore, no.

And besides, I was never a fan of either series.

 

[Sunhawk]

Warning! The following post contains spoilers for the final book of the Harry Potter series.

I just remembered an old "third rock from the sun" episode when they said that the lion king was a rip-off of hamlet when i noticed something about the last chapters of deathly hallows.

The main hero walks into the enemy camp knowing he is going to be killed to sacrafice himself to protect others. When he reaches the camp he is taunted by his mortal enemy and killed by him, the bad guys then attack the last of the good guys now that the hero has fallen only for the hero to come back to life and kill the main bad guy. The evil side collapses without its leader and everyone lives happily ever after.

This is an abbreviated version of the end of harry potter series but is also the ending of another english book "The lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by C.S. Lewis in 1950.

Has Rowling shamelessly stolen the ending of a classic childrens story?

I think so.

Funny - as soon as I read "lion king was a rip-off of hamlet" and then started on the "walking into the enemy camp" I immediate predicted CS Lewis would be mentioned

But I don't really see it as borrowing from The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe; it's just a too-convenient combination of tropes that she used. Lewis definitely did it better, but I don't think she decided to file the names off and use it.

 

[allowaycar]

If Rowling stole from anyone, it would be from Neil Gaiman. His "The Books of Magic" series follows, get this:

A bespectacled English teenager with family troubles, a scar on his forehead and who has a magical owl as a pet.

Shit you not: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Books_of_Magic

And Neil Gaiman is a way better writer than Rowling is.

 

[nuclear death frog]

If Rowling stole from anyone, it would be from Neil Gaiman.? His "The Books of Magic" series follows, get this:

A bespectacled English teenager with family troubles, a scar on his forehead and who has a magical owl as a pet.

Shit you not: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Books_of_Magic

And Neil Gaiman is a way better writer than Rowling is.

From the very article you linked,

Many people have noticed similarities between Timothy Hunter ù a bespectacled English teenager with family troubles, a scar on his forehead and who has a magical owl as a pet ù and the later and more famous Harry Potter. Neil Gaiman has been quoted as saying that while there are similarities between the two they are largely superficial and most likely reflect the fact that both draw on common archetypes.

The original mini series was published long before the Harry Potter series, although the inception of Harry Potter dates from the same time.

If Gaiman doesn't care and doesn't see foul play, I don't see why anyone else should either. And considering that Rowling is a British woman who went to British schools and then later taught in same, the "similarities" are even more likely to be just a total coincidence. She certainly wouldn't be too likely to be writing about, say, American teens.

Hell, for that matter, how many people do you think bear a scant resemblance to either Tim Hunter or Harry? I personally fit a few of the criteria: messily black-haired, green-eyed, bespectacled.

 

[David Alan Abramczyk]

Why am I reminded of Zaphod Beeblebrox's line from the HHGTTG?

"Property is theft, right? Therefore theft is property, and this ship is mine."

 

[drakensis]

If Rowling stole from anyone, it would be from Neil Gaiman.á His "The Books of Magic" series follows, get this:

A bespectacled English teenager with family troubles, a scar on his forehead and who has a magical owl as a pet.

Shit you not: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Books_of_Magic

And Neil Gaiman is a way better writer than Rowling is.

From the very article you linked,

Many people have noticed similarities between Timothy Hunter ù a bespectacled English teenager with family troubles, a scar on his forehead and who has a magical owl as a pet ù and the later and more famous Harry Potter. Neil Gaiman has been quoted as saying that while there are similarities between the two they are largely superficial and most likely reflect the fact that both draw on common archetypes.

The original mini series was published long before the Harry Potter series, although the inception of Harry Potter dates from the same time.

If Gaiman doesn't care and doesn't see foul play, I don't see why anyone else should either. And considering that Rowling is a British woman who went to British schools and then later taught in same, the "similarities" are even more likely to be just a total coincidence. She certainly wouldn't be too likely to be writing about, say, American teens.

Hell, for that matter, how many people do you think bear a scant resemblance to either Tim Hunter or Harry? I personally fit a few of the criteria: messily black-haired, green-eyed, bespectacled.

It was quite amusing in Camwyn's Hellblazer Hogwarts:

There was a clatter of wood on stone, as ConstantineÆs wand fell from suddenly nerveless fingers to the floor. The manÆs face went chalk-white.

Explanation forgotten, Harry froze. Oh, no, not another-

ôTim?ö Constantine blurted.

ô. . . er, excuse me?ö was all Harry could manage.

 

[Vasey]

Warning! The following post contains spoilers for the final book of the Harry Potter series.

I just remembered an old "third rock from the sun" episode when they said that the lion king was a rip-off of hamlet when i noticed something about the last chapters of deathly hallows.

The main hero walks into the enemy camp knowing he is going to be killed to sacrafice himself to protect others. When he reaches the camp he is taunted by his mortal enemy and killed by him, the bad guys then attack the last of the good guys now that the hero has fallen only for the hero to come back to life and kill the main bad guy. The evil side collapses without its leader and everyone lives happily ever after.

This is an abbreviated version of the end of harry potter series but is also the ending of another english book "The lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by C.S. Lewis in 1950.

Has Rowling shamelessly stolen the ending of a classic childrens story?

I think so.

You might as well accuse her of ripping off the Bible.

 

[allowaycar]

If Rowling stole from anyone, it would be from Neil Gaiman.? His "The Books of Magic" series follows, get this:

A bespectacled English teenager with family troubles, a scar on his forehead and who has a magical owl as a pet.

Shit you not: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Books_of_Magic

And Neil Gaiman is a way better writer than Rowling is.

From the very article you linked,

Many people have noticed similarities between Timothy Hunter ù a bespectacled English teenager with family troubles, a scar on his forehead and who has a magical owl as a pet ù and the later and more famous Harry Potter. Neil Gaiman has been quoted as saying that while there are similarities between the two they are largely superficial and most likely reflect the fact that both draw on common archetypes.

The original mini series was published long before the Harry Potter series, although the inception of Harry Potter dates from the same time.

If Gaiman doesn't care and doesn't see foul play, I don't see why anyone else should either. And considering that Rowling is a British woman who went to British schools and then later taught in same, the "similarities" are even more likely to be just a total coincidence. She certainly wouldn't be too likely to be writing about, say, American teens.

Hell, for that matter, how many people do you think bear a scant resemblance to either Tim Hunter or Harry? I personally fit a few of the criteria: messily black-haired, green-eyed, bespectacled.

Yes, it was from the very article that I linked, hence why I linked it.

Was just saying, if she stole from anyone it would have more likely been Gaiman than Lewis.

 

[Typhonis]

Actually want a real mess? Compare the Lion King with Kimba the White Lion.

 

[Cuchullain]

You might as well accuse her of ripping off the Bible.

Thats a valid point, Wormtail like judas was a betrayer and they both got silver for doing it and both ended up commiting suicide.

Has anyone noticed anyother bible refrences?

 

[parker]

voldemort

 

[Mighty Bob]

Hellblazer Hogwarts is a great fic..pity it seems to be dead in the water. Too bad too since the author did a good job of wedging John into the HPverse and has a good handle on his character as well.

 

[immolo]

SInce your discussing theft from the bible I think you'll all find this article interesting.This thing is hilarious.

 

[parker]

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: thank you for bringing that here that was fucking hilarious seriously what have those people been smoking

 

[Cuchullain]

I hope that was someones attempt at humor cause otherwise that is just insane,
funny as all hell from my perspective, but still insane.

 

[parker]

i can almost swear that that is real why because it was written by an american christian and most of us tend to be assholes about stuff like this i mean did you see there banner

 

[Deadpan29]

As someone raised as evangelical Christain and who attended a Christian school k-12, I would say these folks are serious. They are probably considered wierd and over the top even by the majority of regular churchgoers, but they are serious.

For a really insane touch, there is an "interview" with Rowling from The Onion in which she supposedly stated that her books were meant to bring kids into Satanism. This "interview" keeps making the rounds among a certain segment of the religeous right, cited as an actual interview.

If you're not familiar with The Onion, it's a newspaper equivalent of the kinds of "news shows" you see on Comedy Central.

 

[MC80a Liberty]

SInce your discussing theft from the bible I think you'll all find this article interesting.This thing is hilarious.

I have to wonder if the author of the Animorphs article would qualify as legally insane, constantly seeing visions of fictional characters following and judging you seems even more disturbed than most of his ilk and doesn't look like it would fall under religious beliefs.

 

[Cuchullain]

Did anyone notice they also got some of their info wrong?
They called the ghost "Nearly Headless Dick" (which makes me giggle like a schoolgirl) when the characters name is actually Nick, short for Nicholas, its one thing to find crazy facts from the book but they should at least make their own views match whats written.

 

[EnigmaticCrayons]

You guys know that that article is a joke, yeah? They had a thread about it in the Dark Lord Potter forums. Link

Now to be on-topic, I'm reminded of a summary I saw on the internet, that worked for both Star Wars and Harry Potter. The whole orphan with a destiny thing is pretty well done nowadays, so you can't help but see the similarities between them all.