EXAMINER.COM: TWILIGHT VS HARRY POTTER

I am a huge fan of both books. I do, however, think that the Harry Potter books are more likely to stand the test of time. Mostly because I talk to people who don’t want to read Twilight because they don’t like vampires. Also, more boys (younger ones) are reluctant to read Twilight because it is considered “girly” whereas the Harry Potter books really do cross gender lines as well as cultural ones.

As a teacher, I can see reading Harry Potter to my students and discussing it, not so much with Twilight.

Big questions!

From a literary sense they both have their strengths and flaws. IMO they both tend to read for the lowest common demonator rather than try to raise the bar. By that I mean, the grammar is poor to terrible in Twilight, and not much better in some parts of HP. Instead of enthusing readers to open up a dictionary and increase their vocabulary, both books tend to speak to the poor to terrible standards of grammar around today.

Twilight has it all over HP when it comes to encouraging an interest in the classics though.

What they both have is a very rich story and compelling characters. I have an emotional investment in both series, but Twilight has become an obsession. There’s something very visceral about the story and emotions evoked.

We can ‘escape’ to magical worlds where our fantasies and desires are fulfiled by supernatural and mythical creatures, but we can’t live there unless we’re barking mad…..but sooner or later we’re all going to fall in love, have our hearts broken, mended and dream of holding out for a hero with a reasonable expectation that it just might happen.

HP is sheer fantasy, Twilight – at least the emotional aspects of it, are more than possible – which is why I believe that Twilight is a more popularist series.

Taking both series on their merits, I truly believe that they will both be around in 200 years though. In the end, it isn’t the grammar that draws us in, but the way we relate to the characters and their stories.

although i love the harry potter series very much, i would have to say twilight is most def. the better series.

I cant say either series is better then the other. I love them both! It all depends on personal opinion and if it wernt for the HP fandom I wouldnt have learned about Twilight. I owe them alot for this wonderous discovery. Twilight perminantly holds my heartstrings and I now suffer from OCD, Obsessive Cullen Disorder, and frequent hot flashes at the thought of Edward! HP has amazing plot twists and stories with in stories but Twilight hit me personaly, and every other female I know, on a much much deeper level. Bella and Edwards confessional style relationship make it personal for us as readers where as we follow Harry around as an observer. I think Meyer did somthing Rowling wasnt able to do, she made her story personal for women everywhere, wether intentional or not. Can either stand the test of time, thats a resounding YES!

I love the Harry Potter series and the Twilight series but Harry Potter is hands down way better!!

don’t get me wrong I am completely and utterly obsessed with Twilight but the only reason we all love it so much is because of this forbidden love that isn’t supposed to be.

i believe that both series are worth reading. I prefer the harry potter books because thay are more complex than the twilight series, but both books have made many different generations read, and that’s a very nice goal.

As i do love both series, I think in the long run there will be people who like HP and people who like Twilight, and they’ll each have they’re opinions and groups for it, so i think in the future both series will still be standing strong in the test time!

Both have their own interest to classics,wizard and vampiro. But for twilight, it has LOVE factor which the everlasting topic,HP and twilight will pass the time test. But again it depends on the condition of the future society. Happy fantasizing for all. We deserve to feel happy when reading no matter what the critics say.

I love both books, character growth is rather clear in both.
And if you haven’t noticed both books heavily emphasis on the value of self sacrifice. and I believe that years down the line, people would still read them and movie-remakes would still be in order.

those are some hard questions, especially for me. before i ever heard of twilight i was very religious about my harry potter obsession, and i’ve been on some pretty freakin fanatical fanclubs that are still running full function today, basically what i am saying is that if harry can still last through twilight it will stand the test of time, and definitely twilight will be held strongly in the future as well.

Answers to above questions:
1) If we’re going to compare character development between the HP novels and the TWLT novels then we need to single out the main character in each. So Harry vs. Bella….well, IMO, I do believe that Harry’s development from book 1 to book 7 is infinitely more complex than Bella’s development. Mostly because Harry is only 10 when the adventure begins for him and it ends when when he is as old as Bella, leaving WAAY more time and opportunity for developing that characters experiences, trials, tribulations, etc. Bella, on the other hand, goes through this journey as a young adult and only within the time frame of 2 years or so. Not only that, but her experience is all about her first love. It’s ALL about a young girls FIRST, LAST and ONLY experience with finding her soul mate and then the problems that it entails. Harry Potter’s love-life is the LEAST interesting thing about the books, IMO. But again, you are appealing to a vastly different audience with TWLT….it’s ALL girls and women. It’s a romance novel above everything else. The Genius of what Stephenie Meyer did was to bring all the “sci-fi” stuff into the romance and have that be an integral part of Bell and Eddy’s love. Yet what appeals MOST to all of us dedicated readers is ultimately, the “other-worldy” or “totally magical” LOVE that is holding Bella and Edward together. We are made to believe that their love transceneds this world completely…and growing up on Disney movies (like every other little girl in this country..!!) isn’t that what we ALL dream about ultimately?? We KNOW it’s not “real” but it doesn’t lessen it’s appeal. SO Harry’s character is vastly more dynamic and interesting IMO, but Bella’s experience is close to my heart because after all, what woman hasn’t fallen head-over-heels and hoplessly in love at least once in her life?? It’s completely RELATABLE and FAMILIAR yet HP is magical, mysterious and engrossing because of it’s literal magic!

and in addition to my above comment, I’d like to second the thought that when reading “TWILIGHT” YOU are experiencing everything first hand as if you ARE Bella Swan….not the case in HP…you are an outsider looking in…that is a big difference too!
2) I do believe the HP books are much, much more involved than the TWILIGHT books. HOWEVER…if SM decided to PICK UP the Twilight story and maybe take it from Renesmee and Jacobs storyline she could introduce a WHOLE OTHER “breed” of magical beings!! She could incorporate those “half-breeds” in South America and have the VOLTURI always on the fringes…!! (hint hint (C’MON STEPH!!?!? WHADDYA SAY?!?!?) of course that would be AFTER Midnight Sun is finished!! ha!ha!
3) In both HP and TWILIGHT, teaching young readers about being “different” not only amongst their peers, but also in the way each character has different “roles” in their family are very prominent points each book makes. I think that young readers can and do identify with Bella being an only child and also from a broken home….and Harry also being an only child and dealing with the loss of his parents. Both Bella and Harry have “adopted” families in the “magic” world who love them and help them throughout both books. But ultimately, each character is left to make decisions about life and death all on their own. I think young readers can appreciate the difficulty of these decisions that their favorite characters must make.

I do believe that BOTH series of books will DEFINITELY stand the test of time!! I don’t know HOW anyone can argue otherwise!!? Even kids who aren’t old enough to READ such books have seen (or will see!) the movies first and when told about how much BETTER the books are, they will WANT to read them!! They are books that are timeless…..! The very thought of “magic” both dark and light existing among us in every day life is ALWAYS fascinating to think about!! As long as kids imaginations HUNGER for all things magical (HP) and hope for the ever-elusive ROMANTIC LOVE (twilight!), then both series will fulfill those fantasies far above and beyond what any young reader can hope for. They will BOTH become “classics” of young adult literature…without a doubt!!

1) In general, characters are more complex in Twilight. You can see every character,s past and how it forged who they are now. You can see deeply into bella’s humanity, edward’s self-loathing, Rosalie’s selfishness, Carlisle’s compassion and respect for human life. Bella evolves a lot, espacially in the last book. You discover every parts of the cahracters though Bella’s eyes. In harry potter, on the other hand, Harry’s development is quite exceptionnal because is goes through all his teenage years. From chilhood to adulthood. Snape and Dumbledore’s character are also incredibly well-developped. But you can,t seem to see that deepness in other characters and that’s too bad because I would have love to know them better.

2)They are too different to be compared on that one. I think harry potter is the most complex plot because it’s longer. But there is only one goal, destroy the bad guy. In a way, twilight is more complex because the goal is to survive though whatever fate do to destroy Bella and Edward’s «against nature but true love». I’d say i liked Twilight complexity more because it’s desperate, impossible… but there is still a glowing of hope and their love makes it possible. in harry potter, each book is like a step that brings the hero closer till he finally reach a final battle. Twilight is different because you never know where the danger will come from because it comes from all the directions (Edward’s thirst, James, Victoria, the Volturi, pregnancy, werewolves).

3)Twilight’s lesson is subtle and obvious at the same time: love is more than just kissing and holding hands… it’s surviving through everything togheter and giving every thing you have to make it work. It,s also about fighting your own nature for something that is bigger than you (such as love and humanity). In a few words: choices are stronger than fate. In Harry Potter, it’s about sacrifice everything for the one’s you love. It,s about how love is what gives us our humanity and the strenght to go through adversity. All in all, I think that both teached me a lot, but I don’t believe that fate is overpowering choices… so I must go with Twilight.

4)Harry Potter sure appeals to a larger audience but Twilight is far better at keeping readers in the story because you actually relate to the main character… you ARE IN the story. You live in it. In Harry potter, you can’t take your eyes off the book, but you still only watch it. And that is all in the POV. the only matter in Harry Potter is that the book is written on an external POV. In twilight you see everything through bella’s eyes so you actually feel all the emotions and you are completely involved and devoed to the story.

5)I couldn’t name one actual book that is gonna survive time now… why? Because sadly enough books are being rempleced by movies and television. It utterly saddens me. I one of the few that read more than i watch tv and I would never want the books to disapear and I will fight to learn my children (when i become a mother) and grandchildren to be open to litterature. Harry Potter and Twilight won’t survive time but they both should. Espacially twilight because it’s a lot like the nineteenth century english litterature’s kind of love story. With a little hope it will last a bit long. As for Harry Potter who is a whole world so much different from oursa but also so much the same. (I don’t know if many noticed the similarities between the war of the magical world and the World War 2).

Seriously? This Twilight vs HP thing is getting a little ridiculous. Twilight has readers addicted to every page, I’ll admit that it is a page turner. I read all four books and I am 16 but unlike most teen girls – I am NOT obsessed. More of…dissapointed. I myself am writing a novel – but not like that. There is no romance in it (hehe). Anyhoo –

Twilight gets the attention by its cover and its title. They’re both very catchy you must admit. The first book had me turn every page, it was cute and exciting. The second book is the only one I truly give props to. The rest are just trash, I’m a girl that loves the violence and the end of the 4th book is just stupid.

Harry Potter was actually first given to me as a Christmas present back in 95 or something like that. After some odd years it is STILL on the top of the charts – book/movie wise. Can you imagine Twilight being like that in 10 years? No. I think Twilight is like…fashion. It goes out of style eventually.

Harry Potter will live on as one of the most compelling series of our time and I’m glad I was actually alive to witness it first-hand.

‘Nuff said.
OH and P.S. to all the silly teen ‘Edward’ stalkers.
He’s not sexy – he’s weird. Don’t even mention Rob because he is an amazing actor but not that hot…y’know? And a book cannot be better than HP because of a hot dude. (Cause Ron Weasley pwns Edward ANYDAY!)