I think J.K Rowling is so brilliant! When I was playing Globetrotter 2 on the computer the other day, I got a question about one of the stars we can see in the sky! The star is called big dog (in norwegian) and the question was what is the other name of that star. One of the answers were Sirius, and that was the correct answer!

When I saw this I understood how clever and brilliant J.K. Rowling is, and I know that she has spent a lot of time with the books!!

of course she is!! she came up with the concept and idea of harry potter!! she probably took a lot of time doing research and stuff like that to make her book more real to us.

J.K. Rowling isn't TOTALLY original. She got a LOT of her stuff from J.R.R. Tolkien. And his weren't even totally original. *gonk*

Eveyrthing is borrowed off of everything else.....basically.

QUOTE

J.K. Rowling isn't TOTALLY original. She got a LOT of her stuff from J.R.R. Tolkien. And his weren't even totally original. *gonk*   Eveyrthing is borrowed off of everything else.....basically.

yeh... that too.... but not every single thing is copied

Maybe copied is the wrong word. I don't think people set out that way. I guess everythings been done so it's hard. But the storyline IS original, thats what matters. And it's amazing how intelligent she is, she has a great imagination. I feel good to know I live in this era where HP is so huge, I don't think we could ever explain how huge it is to anyone when we're all in our 70s. Heh.

I agree with Snivellus. I don't think that people set out to copy. I'm sure she didn't read JRR's books and say "I'm going to use that for my book". I'm sure she used some concepts like the intensity of her research in relation to Tolkien's work and research. There are similarities, but one could take that to meaning that Rowling is as brilliant as Tolkien, maybe even more so.

dansgurl01 and NastyShort, could you please elaborate on the stuff taken from Tolkien? I'm not too familiar with his work; I don't find it too interesting. :?

*represses gasp* You don't find Tolkien INTERESTING??? *calms down* Well, the remarkable similarities between the characters is remarkably tragic. (for me)

Dumbledore-Gandalf
Voldemort-Sauron (or Melkor...)
Wormtongue-Wormtail (Eww.....what if Wormtail was after Lily?? *vomits*)
Smeagol-Dobby (Haha, "Smeagol always helps..." that's why)
Ron-Sam (Maybe.....you could count the major differences as a similarity thing)

Oh and all these morals and everything. Yeah, if you read both series(es?) then you would see a WHOLE lot more differences.

heh, I'm not almost tempted to take up Latin just to better understand the meaning behind those spells. I've recognized a tad bit from my slight knowledge of Spanish, which like English, is based a lot on Latin.

NastyShort, I hope my obsession of Harry Potter makes up for my lack of love for Tolkien! haha thank you for explaining those similarities/differences!

Not to mention the similarities between black riders(LOTR) and Dementors...they're like clones...their depiction of trolls is very similar as well

Wow...I feel like an idiot...I never picked up on the similarities between the two... :oops: But now that you've pointed them out...why didn't I catch on sooner??! Ack, and I call myself a reader??! :roll: But I do think that HP appeals to a broader audience age-wise...most young children don't read alot of Tolkien. Not that I am against anybody reading either one of these great authors! I love both!!!

No, you're right. HP does have a broader age range. Tolkien is very-er -wordy and detailed. It's tough reading for a younger kid

[quote]No, you're right. HP does have a broader age range. Tolkien is very-er -wordy and detailed. It's tough reading for a younger kid[/quote]

Yes, it is...well worth it when you're a bit older though. I think I first read Tolkien at a young age, then went back and re-read it (and still do!!) and got so much more out of it!!

Although I'm partial to wordy and detailed authors...I read so fast that unless it's a big book I usually won't bother with it. One of the things about the HP series that turned me off (before I read and fell in love with them!!) was the smallness of the 1st 3 books...lol

lol, same I read LOTR in about 7 days when i was about 9-10 and i had tried before when i was 7 but I hated Tom Bombadil lol...anyway, HP was a gift to me from my aunt and no one had heard of it and I was just going on and on about how great it was, and now look at it. But, I like fast paced, action filled books, however I usually prefer them detailed as well. I just looove the thought behind all the details in HP I mean, LUPin and all the names and things.

Don't forget, Jo has also borrowed a few names from Tolkien as well (*cough* Longbottom *cough*). I'm amazed at her cleverness though, it's not the plot or anything like that (well... except Quidditch, that was just pure brilliance). It's how she puts things into the story that's truly amazing to me! She doesn't just randomly put things in, she spreads clues out throughout the books, and for her, NOTHING is a coincidence! That whole concept inspired me to write!

I think that JKR is brilliant and no one will ever change my mind of that. Whoever doesn't like her...don't like her, just don't go trashing her work when you yourself can't do any better. ByeBye

Okay, we all know she's smart, creative, imaginative and a great business woman. But could she be a genius? Here are my thoughts on geniuses in general and I'd like to have a discussion on whether or not you all think JKR could be a *true* genius or just someone who's extraordinarily smart.

After having just read JKR's newest diary entry here, something struck me like a ton of bricks. In it, she describes her hovel of a desk. Having remembered an interesting discussion I had in a previous psychology class about geniuses, I began to think and think hard.

We discussed some characteristics of some of the worlds most famous geniuses and they all had something in common: disorganization. They all had issues with messiness. Now let's go back to JKR's newest diary entry. She specifically states that her desk is a total pig's sty which ties back into a genius being messy.

Another clue that JKR may be a genius (although I am not going to say whether or not I think she is, I'll leave that to you) is that despite facing very hard times, she found a niche in the writing world and became a multi-millionaire and created one of the worlds largest franchises. That's no small feat!

One more thing that I think it worth mentioning just for the sake of argument (for lack of a better term, considering I don't want to start any fights here): Some of the worlds most renowned (spelled wrong, I'm sure) mathematicians were practically slobs. However, there is one more thing I should note about geniuses: many geniuses suffer from some sort of mental illness (I'm a psychology major). Some of you may have seen the movie A Beautiful Mind. However, you may not know that it was based on a true story. I have my own theory as to why some of the worlds smartest people descend into madness. I feel that they are capable of accessing portions of their brains that average people simply cannot -- hence the brilliance. However, the mind can not handle the immense load that comes with being a genius. Constant ideas flying at you, things you have to write down or else they'll stay inside and you feel as though you'll explode. Eventually you can no longer keep up with the pounding in your mind. It's as if the power of the mind is stronger than what the physical being can handle.

Okay, now that I've ranted and I haven't a clue if any of that made sense, I think it's important to stress that I don't believe JKR is crazy, insane, mad or mentally ill (or any other phrase you want to choose). I'm not even saying that every genius will end up mad, but I am saying that it's worth mulling over.

Now the question here is: is JKR a true genius or just an exceptionally creative and imaginative person who has created this wonderful, magical world that we all immerse ourselves in?

HermyNymph

Is she a genius? I really can't answer that. Genius is a term that is thrown around so lightly nowdays that it has lost any real meaning. Anyone who shows the slightest talent in their field is called a genius, especially by the tabloids who bandy it around with the latest fottball darling.

What JKR is, and I'll lay odds that it will mean more to her than the label of genius, is a phenomenally talented writer. She has a gift of imagination that allows millions around the world to be transported in a completely new and magical world.

I really hope that, once the Harry Potter saga is finished, that the publioc and critics will allow her to move on and write other material with the success her talent deserves. I, for one, am certainly looking forward to what new comes from her mind.

Also, I'd like to point out that she has got to be the most attractive female writer since Storm Constantine.

Those are some very intriguing thoughts. In regards to her future work, she has stated publicly that she will write under an assumed name so that no one knows it's her, that way people won't buy the book simply because it was written by her; she wants the success of her future work to be genuine rather than HP fans gobbling all the books up. Also, she's said that her next project will be written for smaller children.

You are very right in what you say about the term "genius" being thrown around. People use it to refer to Michael Jordan, Kanye West and John Lennon all in the same sentence so the word really has lost it's meaning. Let's get an actual definition of the word, which might help us to decide if she fits that description.

Genius: extraordinary intellectual power especially as manifested in creative activity c : a person endowed with transcendent mental superiority; especially : a person with a very high intelligence quotient

I think maybe we ought to have JKR's IQ tested LoL

HermyNymph

There is no doubt that she is a genius. All geniuses don't end up mentally ill. Some people may not think that she is a genius, but she is in my mind. And she always will be.

#define genius

float iq;

getiq("iq", "J. K. Rowling);

if(genius == iq > 160)
then { cout >> "Probably no"; }
else("Please define genius.");

Translation:

If it's the usual definition of genius, "IQ is more than 160", probably no.

But literary geniuses rarely are on the same scale as, say, other types of geniuses.

--37% of teenagers do or has tried smoking pot. If you're one of the 63% who hasn't, copy and paste this into your signature/journal

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Last_Avenue

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Ohh, HermioneNymphadora! (Happy Birthday, by the way! Hope you had fun!). I really love your threads. This one especially.

Now, being a huge believer of Reincarnation, I myself created a topic/poll, "Do Witches and Wizards Really Exist?" We had some very controvercial conversations, part of it including Jo Rowling herself.

We stubled upon the possibility of JKR no being a witch today, but perhaps a witch in a former life. Many people's characteristics and some memory of past lives are carried through to the present. That is where the term "deja-vu" comes in. Most of you know what deja-vu is, but for those of you who do not it is, in short, when you have a strange feeling that you are familiar with something -- a person, place, object, conversation, picture, etc. -- but have never actually experienced it. In your current life, at least.

If you are interested, you should go take a look at our conversations. But I was not bringing up this point for no reason. I, for one, believe that JK Rowling was a Witch in a previous life. Combined with her inteligence, skill of writing, and a touch of creativity, she was able to "create" the Harry Potter world.

Furthermore, I will have to disagree with your first statement, too. I actually should not say disagree, but rather provide some evidence against it. My father is a businessman. He is very intelligent, but by no means would he consider himself a genious. Although I have never personally seen Jo's room that she was speaking of in her Diary entry, I am pretty assured that my father's office is worse than hers. I can honestly not step foot in it. But he manages to work in it sometimes. My room is messy too, but I am a perfectionist and I am obsessive compulsive, so I should not be one to judge my own things.

HermyNymph, I applaud your theory, but kindly disagree , as I am sure you will disagree mine.....

later!


_daviD

I wonder what we would see if we had JKR ink-blotted? Would she see flying hippogriffs and galloping centaurs or simple geometric shapes? Would she be able to solve the, "If a doodle is a toodle and a toodle is foodle, then is a foodle a doodle" riddle? Or can this idea of her being a genius ever truly be answered? Can one tell by an IQ or a successful business deal? I'm not too sure. I think that genius is in the eye of the beholder -- just like beauty...

HermyNymph

PS: Hey, Felix! Actually, I totally agree with you about reincarnation. I am a Christian (although not particularly religious) but I also believe in portion of other religions, including reincarnation. I believe that I have been reincarnated. I believe that I was someone who was always in the spotlight in a past life (but not necessarily for good reasons, which kind of creeps me out -- hope I wasn't some sort of axe murderer LoL). The idea of her being a witch in a past life is very interesting. I hadn't really thought about that specific aspect of it before. You know, you could be on to something. I think I'll nip into that thread you started hehe Oh and thanks for the compliment! I just try to get people talking about something other than, "EEK! Dan/Emma/Rupert/Tom/Robert/Stan is *so* cute!" hehe

Agree. As many people have previously stated, "genious" is a term that is too easily thrown around nowadays that it has not true value. My friend has an IQ of 150 and he is not amazing in school. The things he does with logic is amazing, though. You hand him a Rubix Cube, though, and he will complete it in 30 seconds! Brilliance!

What is a genious?

Heh, well hermioneNymphadora, you reminded me of something. I once took an ink blot test (which is not for your IQ, by the bay, it is for your "subconscious mind"), and it was very interesting. You see what you want and have all the freedom in the world, rather than being confined to one "right" answer and "wrong" answers. Anyway, I believe that the outcome was that my subconscious mind was "occupied and focused on my work and social life"....whatever that means!


_daviD

Frankly, I'm a little frightened by ink blot tests. In my experience, you're sort of set up to fail because no matter what you see, the psychologist sitting across from you will find you "abnormal" in one way or another. I mean, just because I saw kittens getting run over by Mack trucks doesn't mean I'm demented! It doesn't! (I'm totally joking here, by the way. I've never even taken an ink blot test so don't freak out lol). Most of the outcomes of ink blot tests are so general that they can be construed in any way that you want: good or bad LoL

HermyNymph

Hmmm...Well, I wouldn't say she's a genious, but I wouldn't say she dull either. Stuff about witches and wizards have been going on and about for centuries. Everyone had the chance to write a book like Jo's, but no one was as creative with it. With the plot line, and the clues and hints.

Hiya!
Guys..nothing in life can be whole and sole orignal!I mean,even if a it of things are borrowed the basic story,the baseline is totally hers!
As she says"HP just slipped into my mind fully formed!"
It's her imagination..her work...and don't forget the countless endavours she was facing while writing HP!

Chels aka girl who'll always stand by JK!!

of course she is a genius, she created a book that i read that is probably one of her top achievements lol.

one thing that amazes me is that so many people on here that love harry potter also love LOTR...i mean yes they are slightly similar and if you like one you must like both but its not like that were i live. people here are divided into two groups harry potter lovers and LOTR lovers and your not alloud to love both its like harry potter VS LOTR all the time i love harry potter so i am always debating with the LOTR kiddies even though i dont mind LOTR i dtill say i hate it to them because i am defending my beloved harry potter.

That's a very interesting question. I don't know the rest of her life well enough to truly judge her intelligence accurately, but I think the world she created in Harry Potter is not something everyone could do. I do at least think that she is exceptionally intelligent and has an amazing imagination.
I don't know the relation between Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. I haven't read LOTR yet. I had no interest in it before, but now it's peaked a little and I want to read it and see what is similar to HP. Whether there are uncanny similarities and LOTR or not, she is incredible and to me there's nothing quite like Harry Potter.

I love JK! She is my Hero!!
Okay now that thats out of my system...
I wouldn't say that she is a genius... But I would say that she has an awesome imagination!! I would love to be able to create a world like the one that she has created...
I haven't found a big connection in HP and LOTR, other than they both include magic and stuff... but everyone I know that likes HP likes LOTR, including me... But I do like HP better...
My friend has read each book once but doesn't really like them but I am always talking about how great JK is and she said I was "JK's girl through and through."
So yeah I love JK, she is awesome!!

I have enjoyed Rowling's Harry Potter series. For a first time novelist, she got lucky and did well.

But, I think that the true genius in this type of genre in fiction is JRR Tolkien. I dare say he paved the way!

I also think that C. S. Lewis (Chronicles of Narnia), Christopher Paolini (Eragon) and Philip Pullman (His Dark Materials) are - dare I say this? - better than JKR. But then, this is my opinion.

I believe that Rowling can safely be called a literary genius, but - as others have pointed out - that's different than the pure definition of genius as determined by IQ tests.

I think the world she has uncovered in writing the Harry Potter series stands on its own with great merit against the likes of Tolkein and Lewis, etc...As for Paolini, I don't think he should even be mentioned in the same sentence as Rowling, Tolkein, Lewis...Paolini's first book was a great big yawn...second, about the same. Bully for him that he did it at a young age, but dull literature doesn't leave a lasting impression just because an author is young.

Rowling, Tolkein, Lewis are all, IMHO, literary geniuses. I don't think Rowling's forerunners are more genius because they wrote Good/Evil fantasy first. From a storytelling standpoint, there really is nothing new under the sun. There are just different ways of telling similar tales.

I think JKR is a genius at giving us excellent storylines,plots and characters.Her writing is awesome,and there are still many secrets to be unvieled........She is excellent,IMO.

I think J.K. Rowling is one of our modern day genius' personally. Anyone who can write a series of books with that much impact in the world deserves all the credit she gets. Her and Tolkien have brought so much joy to the world and I personally think J.K. Rowling is better because i amn't a big fan of Lord of the Rings Personally anyway. I say make her president of the world!

I think J.K. is an awesome writer! Maybe not a GENIUS, per se, but a person who can get kids that never read to read, and WANT to read, is a person who has a gift.

I'll stop typing now before you all think I'm demented for saying that.

I honestly think Jo is pure genius. I mean think about Harry Potter, the plot is so rich and complex as are the characters. The dialogue is fantastic. I mean after 6 books we still have no idea as to whether Snape is good or bad. That really reflects the work of a genius

Ahhhh I love J.K. Rowling!

Before Harry Potter I used to hate reading but as soon as my friend introduced me to her books I was hooked. Ever since then I havent been able to stop reading....or writing for that matter.
I met JKR on tuesday at the European premiere of OotP and all I could say when she signed my book was Oh my gosh Oh my gosh Oh my gosh! And she laughed and said "OH MY GOSH!!" she almost nicked my pen too which I would have been proud of but in the end she returned it to me. Hopefully she has now passed on some of her amazing brain power through the pen and onto me. Tehehe
Her name will probably go down in history as one of the best authors of our time ( no joke). Its amazing how at the premiere I realised the so many people all over the world have read the same book and all came together to see her walk the red carpet. Everyone at Leister square had something in common that day and that was the love of Harry Potter. I felt like I was part of something really special.

Okay I know this sounds bad but I don't even know who this Tolkien is o.o! I don't usually read a lot, I really don't, fanfiction i read lol, but not books. I know that's bad of me. I got into HP though and to me JKR is a very gifted writer and not a genius in EVERYTHING, but a genius writer. My sister said she didn't like JKR as a writer because of the many mistakes she's done and some of the things she's left hanging (although i have no idea what she's left hanging really most of our answers should be answered in DH) my sis says she likes the HP series but JKR screwed it up for HER (my sister) with all the mistakes. I smacked my sister upside the head for that. *grins* Yes JKR said so herself she wasn't a genius at math, that she was actually bad at math if i recall correctly so her admitting it makes me not even bothering with the mistakes, she's admitted to them. Anyways JKR is an excellent writer, very brlliant. She had to be to be sitting there at a table and writing out the bios of characters and plots of the HP in little notebooks! o.o

J.K. Rowling is my IDOL! She's the reason I started writing! Every time I try to write something, I think, 'how would she phrase this?' and it helps. It really does. She's inspired me with every one of the books, and everything she's written is pure genius. I admire her to the very highest degree, and I realize I sound like a creepy stalker person, but that's how passionate I am about writing and that's how I feel about someone who has taken the literary world by storm with six (soon to be seven) books. I can only hope that someday I'll be even an tenth as great as she is.

J.k. Rowling is without a doubt brillant fantastic! She has given so much of her life and sould into Harry Potter for us readers. It's just untrue. It must have been so stressful for her but now that we are at the end of The Deathly Hallows. It's been one hell of a journey. And it wouldn't have been possible without J.K. So loads of thanks to you J.K and Happy Birthday as i beleive it's her Birthday today. Have a nice day.

I LOVE her as well. She's taught me so many things I never would have done... I owe her so much. I want to tell her how I feel about her. She's even taught me to love my parents... I've started writing after reading her books. She's polished so many hidden talents in my personality, I'd never have discovered otherwise. She's even taught me to write like this and be a part of this forum that I could never have done. Love you JKR, God bless you!

^ Brilliantly said! I agree with you in every way. I think JKR's a genius, she's taught me so much, and she's a great writer. I can read her HP books over and over again and NEVER feel bored.< that's how talented she is, and she's probably one of the most popular fictional writers in the world.

And it's because of her that i love reading, as i didn't like to read too much previously, and now I've read her books, I'm a massive bookworm!<Thats just one of the things she's done to make an big impact on my life.
Thank you JKR!

JKR is definitely a genius because the magnanimity of the plot has been handled by her impressively. Every book in the series is related to another and she has tried to the maximum not to miss the link, which is very difficult especially when you move on to more complicated parts of the plot (for instance, 6 and 7 book). I appreciate her writing skills as well. She has allowed the characters to grow and behave as though they were real life characters. And the humor that she brings in is impressive. Who can forget the commentary on radio by Fred Weasley (or George) and Lee Jordan. Harry being the hero of the series, it would've been easy for her or any author to portray him as a super hero who can do anything. Instead, she has portrayed him as a normal human being with his own positives and negatives. She has made it a point to emphasis that the trio bring in success not just Harry alone. However, I felt that making Ron stab the horcrux was to give him some limelight in the whole scenario. But that is perfectly understandable.

Please take what I'm saying as a form of constructive criticism.

I think you see Rowling as a role model. And, I suppose that's OK, a lot of people regard her as one. But, just make sure you don't lose your objectivity.

I'm happy to hear that you love your parents, but it's most likely because your parents did something for you to make you appreciate them more. I'm puzzled as to what Rowling did to make you say, "she's even taught me to love my parents." You also said that Rowling inspired you to write, this I can understand. She probably inspired a lot of people to write, judging by the number of fan fiction out there. But, bear in mind that there are so many other authors out there (past and present) that can do the same, it's just a matter of expanding our horizons.

I have to say that No one could summerise JKR better than that. Secondly Dumbledore's Widow I think when Weird Sisters said "She's even taught me to love my parents..." I think she meant by when JKR writes about how Harry doesn't have any parents and how hard it is for him, after reading that it makes us appreciate what we have and not moan about what we don't have.

Cheers

Namra

I myself would not call J.K. a genius, but in my opinion she has an amazing talent. That does not make her a genius when it comes to her IQ, but I can see why others would phrase her as a genius.

Some people are saying that she took her ideas from J.R.R. Tolkein, but I disagree. Somewhat. She took a couple of ideas, but the story itself is completely original. Did J.R.R. write a story about a boy wizard who fights Voldemort and saves all of wizard kind? I don't think so.

So, I do think that J.K. is an amazing writer, and she is a role model for many future and/or "wannabe" writers. Best wishes to her!

She really is. I mean, the story of Harry Potter has so many details and fore-shadowing. Its amazing how she comes up with all of it. Also, there are so many little things that take a while to notice and once you do, its like crazy, how would she think of this! Its really genious.

What impresses me about Rowling is that she created a fantasy world inside her head, which is tough enough....but then to articulate her thoughts in such a manor by creating a piece of literature that not only made her rich and famous, but inspired chilren everywhere to read is truly astounding.

When I think of J.K. Rowling, I think of brilliance....
I mean really, have you payed attention to the series??
EVERYTHING ties in with everything else!!
there are no coincedences, everything is mentioned for a reason, even in the smallest passing..

I mean, imagining a "magical world" is one thing,
but actually creating it is another.
Creating and Inspiring millions of people
is PURE brilliance....

If you really stop and think about all the time, effort and everything else put in
to JKR's work, she cannot be considered anything below brilliant

She's is a Genius story teller, but not a genius writer. Story's re about character, and she is superb at that. But there really was nothing new about her plot, except perhaps that she developed the idea of a fantasy story thatt takes 7 years and evolves with the character. But her best stories, were the early one's. The latter tales, are weaker. She peaked with OOP.