Destiny Unfulfilled: A Critique of the Harry Potter Series [Paperback]

Jim Adam (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 25, 2010

Destiny Unfulfilled is a literary critique of the Potter series, examining such issues as the role of a protagonist, the writer's contract with her readers, characterization, shaggy dog resolutions, and more. In Stein on Writing, Sol Stein emphasizes "the value of dissecting a piece of writing repeatedly until it surrender[s] its secrets." Destiny Unfulfilled is an example of that very sort of intense analysis. Covering all seven books of the Potter series, Destiny Unfulfilled dives deep under the covers, ferreting out secrets that at times are dark and disquieting, but which will prove enlightening to students of both creative writing and literary criticism.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Analyzes the Harry Potter series with a scrutinizing eye....  A top pick for literary criticism collections. --Midwest Book Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 286 pages
• Publisher: Gragthor Terrazin; Revised edition (February 25, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0984352511
• ISBN-13: 978-0984352517
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,499,075 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A top pick for literary criticism collections, May 9, 2010

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Destiny Unfulfilled: A Critique of the Harry Potter Series (Paperback)

Although the "Harry Potter" series is massively popular, popularity does not excuse its faults. "Destiny Unfulfilled: A Critique of the Harry Potter Series" analyzes the Harry Potter series with a scrutinizing eye, providing much insights into the flaws of the series, stating that some literary problems lie within the books, as Jim Adam exposes them and offers tips to other blossoming writers who may take the Potter books as influence. "Destiny Unfulfilled" is a top pick for literary criticism collections.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent analysis, October 10, 2009

By 

MRC "MRC" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Destiny Unfulfilled: A Critique of the Harry Potter Series (Kindle Edition)

If, like me, you loved the HP books, this may be a little difficult. But if, like me, you're a true lover of good literature, you'll recognize the truth in it. The author does a terrific job not only identifying continuity errors but also dissecting where the series falls short of its full potential. The author's point is assuredly not to trash Rowling's accomplishments, but rather to say that what she did is so good that she ought to undertake a revised/corrected edition that repairs the understandable, but regrettable, errors that crept in over the ten years she spent writing them. She would be in fine company -- Dickens and Tolkien, to mention only a few.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I beg to differ..., July 30, 2009

By 

ELS - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Destiny Unfulfilled: A Critique of the Harry Potter Series (Kindle Edition)

I am extremely impressed by 'Destiny Unfulfilled,' not only as a writer myself but as an academic who has taught the HP series to college students. I believe Adam has put his finger on the massive dissatisfaction/disappointment I feel with the entire Series. While I admire 'Sorcerer's Stone' hugely, and agree that it is a classic, I agree even more fully that, as the Series progressed, Rowling missed several very obvious ways of making the entire Series a classic. For example, Rowling made a tragic mistake killing D. off rather than staging his 'death' as one of many strategies for bring about V's downfall (and consequently avoiding the deadly tediousness of the final book).