Harry Potter vs. WoT

[Rednax]

I'm a big fan of Harry Potter and WoT (of course WoT is better!). While I read Harry Potter I sometimes question on whether or not J.K. Rowling has read WoT. I find many similarities in her books, some not as subtle as others. I really don't wanna give any spoilers for Harry Potter, or WoT but most if not all the similarities concern Hogwarts and the White Tower. There are just so many similarities and I can't seem to find anything online about whether or not Rowling has read WoT.

 

Both are excellent series and it doesn't matter to me that their are similarities. If Rowling did take some elements from WoT and incorporated them into HP I wouldn't consider it stealing but more of an homage. Just a thought.

[42Bonzo88]

    I agree. There are very few originals anymore. I'm not dissing anybody because alot of people get ideas from bouncing off others. Personnally, I like it because like on this site everyone has their own take on what happened and will voice it so other people can become enlightened.

 

    By the way, welcome to Dragonmount! :)

[Red2111]

^ it's rather hard to make an original when basically everything has been done before.

 

i have to agree.  it does seem like JKR did "copy" alot of ideas from other authors or series.  like the gandolf - dumbledore comparison ....  thoguth i doubt Tolken would come out and say Gandolf is gay *glares at JKR* just to stir the pot *double glare*  cause Tolken wasn't a medai hound .........

 

 

anyways, i certaintly agree that there are similarities, though i would be interested in knowing what simlarities you have found. 

 

 

[mb]

I have not read the Harry Potter books.  Not sure if I will.

 

I think books of the same genre could be easily comparable with each other. (fantasy with other fantasy, sci-fi with other sci-fi, romance with other romance, western with other western, etc)

Books of different genres could be comparable after some degree of thought.

So, total originality probably is not possible.

 

[Red2111]

though the HP series is 500 steps below that of LoTR and WoT, it's still a good read.  especailly if you have kids.

 

the movies suck ....  especially from GoF (Goblet of Fire) and on.  thought OoTP (5th) was not so bad  ::)

 

you still miss about half of whats in the books.  especailly with this last movie,  about 75% of HBP was left out.

 

if your goign to start the series, especailly being an adult, start with PoA (Prisoner of Askanban)  *nods*  one of the best in the series by far.  though OoTP runs close with it *grins*

[Mr Ares]

Firstly, go ahead, give spoilers for Harry Potter. This is the biggest fantasy series of...about ever, or so. I'm sure pretty much everyone who wants to read it has. Secondly, what similarities did you find? Vaguely hinting that you've found some without giving any indication of what they are isn't very conducive to debate. Also, bear in mind that any similarities you find might not be Rowling copying from Jordan, so much as both copying from the same source. Now, the similarities between the WT and Hogwarts... both are schools for magic, I suppose. Anything else? Because that's hardly an indication that JKR has even heard of WoT, let alone read it. So, come on, what similarities?

[Rednax]

Firstly, go ahead, give spoilers for Harry Potter. This is the biggest fantasy series of...about ever, or so. I'm sure pretty much everyone who wants to read it has. Secondly, what similarities did you find? Vaguely hinting that you've found some without giving any indication of what they are isn't very conducive to debate. Also, bear in mind that any similarities you find might not be Rowling copying from Jordan, so much as both copying from the same source. Now, the similarities between the WT and Hogwarts... both are schools for magic, I suppose. Anything else? Because that's hardly an indication that JKR has even heard of WoT, let alone read it. So, come on, what similarities?

 

One similarity I have found as that there are people within the White Tower that were called Black Ajah's and disrupted the school in the third or fourth book, mind you the books are complicated and thick (and its been a while since I've read those two books) so I'm not exactly sure which book it was. Something like this happens throughout the Harry Potter series, especially in the 7th book.

 

There are other similarities that I can't think of at this point. But every time I re-read Harry Potter, which is at least once a year, I come across the similarities. I'm currently re-reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and if I come across anything there I will relay them in this post. I know there are others who have seen similarities, especially from my friends.

 

The similarities may not be as prominent as one would hope and it just may be fantasy cliche lol.

[ohaitharguiz]

Just about every fantasy author got some of their ideas from Tolkien, so I don't get why people bring things like this up. And a school that teaches magic? RJ didn't come up with that idea, I wouldn't be surprised of Rowling hasn't read the book.

[Rednax]

Just about every fantasy author got some of their ideas from Tolkien, so I don't get why people bring things like this up. And a school that teaches magic? RJ didn't come up with that idea, I wouldn't be surprised of Rowling hasn't read the book.

 

Well its obvious everyone gets ideas from Tolkien, the man redefined fantasy forever. But its still an interesting subject to discuss the similarities in fantasy books.

[Cillian]

I don't really see anything in HP that would have been borrowed from WoT.

 

if your goign to start the series, especailly being an adult, start with PoA (Prisoner of Askanban)  *nods*  one of the best in the series by far.  though OoTP runs close with it *grins*

 

Or just, y'know...  start at the start.....  ???

[putts]

There's always going to be similarities among "end of the world, good vs evil" type stories.  Whether it's the Dark Side of the Force, the Black Ajah, Deatheaters or a myriad of other "evil minions" from other storylines .... those characters are pivotal in creating the part of the story where it gets so bad you don't think it can get any better and then, somehow, Good Wins, Evil loses and we all walk away happy.

 

Since stories are usually centered around the hero(es), you don't usually see a lot of the bad guy until the very end .... but it's really no story with just reading about the hero so you need to create these minions to not only build drama for the reader but also develop the character of the heroes themselves.

 

 

As far as HP vs WoT .... 2 totally different types of stories.

 

I look at like this - there are, in my mind, 2 different type of authors (and thus stories):  Shakespeare and Tolkien.

 

Tolkien built an entire world.  His own languages, back stories, world history and brought his characters through that world.  Using the depth of the world to enrich the "reality" of his characters.  You could that, in this world of his, someone like Frodo Baggins really existed and you could saw how he (and the world) got to the place it was before we even began reading about them.  From there, the story brought us into that world and we could feel more like we were a part of the Fellowship with a fuller understanding of the land and world around us.

 

Shakespeare did not bother with vast back stories.  He devised excellent characters and provided great stories that unfold before the reader as they go.  You don't need to know all the geography or history of Hamlet's country.  We don't need to know the technical details of how his father's ghost comes into being.  We don't need to know all of Hamlet's back story.  We just need to know the bare minimum of what conspired to put him in the predicament he's in and what happens from there. 

 

Both authors were great in their own right but both took very different approaches to writing their books.

 

 

Jordan and Rowling are similar in nature.  In Jordan's world we learn much about the One Power and how the channelers use it and limitations it has.  In Rowling's world, magic is just that .... magic.  We don't get to know how it works or how new spells are developed.  It's a mystery that she doesn't bother to delve into because the focus of her books is solely on the characters and the story they portray.  4 high school students can make a map that shows everyone in Hogwarts but the Ministry of Magic (with all their aged wisdom) can't create anything similar to spot when someone like Voldermort shows up in their area?  Seems like a big hole in the story and there's several others when you stop to look for them .... but HP is still a great story that keeps you intrigued just as much as WoT.

 

Different authors..... different techniques .... 2 great literary works .... but no way to compare them side by side and say "this one is superior"

[Feral]

Two similaritie I can think of: the draghkar and the dementors and the HP/Vold connection vs the Rand/Moriden link. And why can't I remember any of the spellings today...

[random_jak]

I'm a big fan of Harry Potter and WoT (of course WoT is better!). While I read Harry Potter I sometimes question on whether or not J.K. Rowling has read WoT. I find many similarities in her books, some not as subtle as others. I really don't wanna give any spoilers for Harry Potter, or WoT but most if not all the similarities concern Hogwarts and the White Tower. There are just so many similarities and I can't seem to find anything online about whether or not Rowling has read WoT.

 

Both are excellent series and it doesn't matter to me that their are similarities. If Rowling did take some elements from WoT and incorporated them into HP I wouldn't consider it stealing but more of an homage. Just a thought.

 

one similarity that i would definitely pick up on is when dumbledore loses his position as headmaster in the.. 5th book? it splits Hogwarts much the same as the split in the white tower when siuan is stilled etc

[Red2111]

^  meh, i wouldn't really say it splits Hogwarts.  most students, even slytherins, joined in on making umbridges life a living nightmare for her lack of skill of running things *fondly remembers the twins*  except the inquistor squad, but then again, thats what you get from kids who have DE's as parents.

 

the true spilt in Hogwarts comes in DH, when the teachers ask what children of age want to stay and help and no slytherin stays.

 

edit --> and when i think about it, i wouldn't call it a split.  they were just acting Slytherin.  choosing which side had a better chance of winning and picking that side to support.  *grumbles about cowards*

 

if your goign to start the series, especailly being an adult, start with PoA (Prisoner of Askanban)  *nods*  one of the best in the series by far.  though OoTP runs close with it *grins*

 

Or just, y'know...  start at the start.....  ???

 

honestly, i find the two first books to drag until harry gets to hogwarts.  especailly SS, and CoS doesnt pick up until Diagon Alley.

 

PoA on the other hand, picks up right fromthe beginning and will keep you interested.  especailly as an adult reading a "kids" series.

 

i started with PoA myself, (only had to wait a few months for HBP at the time).  and i can tell you, i wouldn't have stuck with the series had i started with SS or CoS; which is why i always suggest a new older reader to start with PoA.

 

one thing i really like about JKR is that she does a good job of getting new readers to understand the basics of important points from previous books in the couple of paragraphs.

 

thats not to say i dont recomend a re-read of the series starting with the first book.  but relaly, one could watch the first two movies and hit the major points of SS and CoS.  granted those are the only two movie you can do that with.  the rest SUCK.

[RaZeR]

Funny, from the thread title I thought were were gonna see HP fanatics and WoT zealots duking it out. A little combative title isnt it?

 

As far as any loose similarities go, thats all they are. Loose similarities. JKR might have had a vision of a huge tower where magic was the ciriculum, and it stood out, so she made her own.

 

The White Tower doesnt have talking picures(well maybe in some long lost depository)or shifting stairs, while Hogwarts is run closer to a modern day school. Pens and pencils, detention, cliques, all of that.

 

Loose similarities.

 

 

 

To anyone who HASN'T read HP, you should do so immediately. Its picks up maybe a bit slow, but you will be long past that once your reading "The Deathly Hallows"

[Grateful_Darren]

There are a few similarities I noticed, but people seem to be defensive (no one has posted in 10 years I think, but defensive none the less)- all authors borrow, Star Wars has many influences, including Flash Gordon, and the Wheel of Time has some obvious similarities (black riders / fade in the early part of book 1, mount doom / shades logath, etc.).   

 

As for Harry Potter, a few obvious similarities include

 

-He who shall not be named / Don’t say the dark ones name

 

-The Dark One / Voldemort are both sealed in a magic prison

 

-The main hero is an orphan

 

There are many others, but this takes nothing away from JK Rowling’s genius, she is the most successful author in all of history, no one can really question that she is a brilliant woman.

 

Shakespeare borrowed heavily from Greek plays, but he made them his own, in his own voice, Rowling did the same.

 

If I were to decide to write a fantasy series today, I would have to look at what brilliant things the most popular / impressive fantasy series of today is doing- that would the Song of Ice and Fire / Game of Thrones series....

[Zorlon]

Well the examples of si.ilarites the above guy cites are pretty common in fiction, no need to assume WoT was the inspiration.

 

As for Shakespeare giving tales his own voice, no. Anyone who has ever had to read about Pyramus and Thisbe in HS will forever be painfully aware of the source material while watching any version of Romeo and Juliet.

 

Certainly the bard was not a bad playwright by any means, but he was, like authors today, deeply derivative of the tales already told. Though he certainly did add his own touches which, to his credit, continue to inspire authors to this day.

[The Gambler Matrim]

I see a few subtle comparisons but nothing compared to Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series in comparison to WoT.