Has Harry Potter cast a curse?

- More than half the adults in this country won't pick up a novel this year, according to the National Endowment for the Arts.
- The same data point to a dramatic and accelerating decline in the number of young people reading fiction.
- In 1994, over 70 percent of total fiction sales were accounted for by a mere five authors.
Also: "Like the basilisk that terrorized students at Hogwarts in Book II, 'Harry Potter' and a few other much-hyped books devour everyone's attention, leaving most readers paralyzed in praise, apparently incapable of reading much else."
I don't know. Valid points, I suppose. But if the problem is that not enough people are reading books, it seems churlish to bemoan those who still do -- whatever the quality of the volume in question, or its mass-market appeal.
Comments