Pretty much this. I mean, thats whats so cool about HP, Rowling manages to make a really convincing synthesis of witches, wizards, and magic with contemporary British culture. The folks in HP are basically just brits who can use magic. Them using all those apostrophed words would be unconvincing and cliche.GodsAndFishes said:As an Englishman can I just say WHAAAAAAA?!?!
I've never heard of this making everything cute thing at all, ever.
And with the example of muggles, I always thought it sounded more derogatory than cute.
Martin himself is american, But Game of thrones is based on the English civil war, the war of the roses between York and Lancaster.80sGuy said:Isn't George R. R. Martin British too? Game of Thrones is pretty manly, last I checked.
Heh, I was in Glasgow on Tuesday...TimeLord said:Britain? Cute? You obviously haven't been to Glasgow on a dark Saturday night.
Who's the first? I'm quite offended over that, if there's anything we do well, it's sarcasm, cynicism and colonialism. Oh, and bitterness. And making tea.Agent Larkin said:The British don't make things cute. They just happen to be the second most sarcastic people in the world.
Pretty much this.Anggul said:Are you seriously implying that Harry Potter is written for older audiences? Of course it's not going to be deep and serious, it's a children's book series.
I can't think of any time when our writers are obsessed with making things seem cute for no reason.
a) WTFirrelevant83 said:As an American, I do like British culture, especially comedy, but I can't get over their obsession with making everything cute.
I'm not even sure if cute is the right word, it's just the best word I can muster. They don't just apply cute names to things like the Japanese do, but apply cuteness and expect everyone to take it seriously. I can't get into Harry Potter, though I'm sure it's brilliantly written, just because non-magic users are referred to as Muggles. To compare, the Final Fantasy series has creatures called Moogles, but FF doesn't force us to take them seriously.
Again, it might just be the fact that I'm American. I'm used to mystical things sounding sort of Asian or Middle Eastern and putting apostrophes in random places. An ancient secret society should be called Kal'sur and the mystical weapon should be Dor'salim. So if non-magic using people in the HP universe were called Cara'sin instead of Muggles, maybe I wouldn't be posting this on the net, but as it is, Muggles is a word that forces me to accept the fact that I'm reading a book written for an 8 year old even though the later novels grow with the audience.
As it is, I hate British naming of Fantasy things. Posters should feel free to add their own grievances.
Shhhh. A non-beleiver may live in light while we bask in the glory of all the worlds best Dark comedy.Jamie Wroe said:What! Blasphemy! Blackadder was brilliant, better than Faulty Towers and Red Dwarf and much less hit and miss than Monty Python (though they are all great).Jedisolo75 said:Really, You are going to put Black Adder up there like it's funny, like it's in the same category as Monty Python and Red Dwarf? Worst, comedy ever. It makes me want to shove pins in my ears and eyes so that I don't have to see/hear it anymore.Red Dwarf, Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, Black Adder, uh... Dad's army, all extremely British comedies that are all great.
I love Red Dwarf though, and Faulty Towers, and I am a huge Monty Python fan, but I may never forgive the British for Black Adder.
Plus it had Hugh Laurie and fucking Steven Fry. What more is there to say than that?
Also, A Bit of Fry & Laurie, how good was that!
EDIT: Also, great ending too. Last part of the last episode is so sad, it's definitely one of the greatest moments in TV history.
Yet another Englishman here to say 'what in the Hell are you talking about?'. We don't really have a tendancy of making anything overly cutesy (as a general rule we're more cynical, witty and snarky in regards to our humour as well).irrelevant83 said:As an American, I do like British culture, especially comedy, but I can't get over their obsession with making everything cute.
That'll be because it isn't the right word, at all.I'm not even sure if cute is the right word, it's just the best word I can muster.
I think Muggles were supposed to be something along the lines of an informal nickname, just like how you call New Yorkers Yankies, East Londoners are Cockneys or people from Newfoundland are Newfies.They don't just apply cute names to things like the Japanese do, but apply cuteness and expect everyone to take it seriously. I can't get into Harry Potter, though I'm sure it's brilliantly written, just because non-magic users are referred to as Muggles. To compare, the Final Fantasy series has creatures called Moogles, but FF doesn't force us to take them seriously.
That'll be because the books were written by an Englishwoman who was trying to make it sound very quaint and 'English sounding' (I read the first book and I was fairly certain that one was for children, it's about wizards, school and the standard Changling fantasy), it would be out of place in a very british world for people who's defining trait is being mundane to be given an elaborate or special name (it always felt implied to me that Muggle could even have been taken as a type of racial slur in-universe, of course it doesn't sound particularly graceful or special, how many racial slurs or derogitory terms can you think of that are?).Again, it might just be the fact that I'm American. I'm used to mystical things sounding sort of Asian or Middle Eastern and putting apostrophes in random places. An ancient secret society should be called Kal'sur and the mystical weapon should be Dor'salim. So if non-magic using people in the HP universe were called Cara'sin instead of Muggles, maybe I wouldn't be posting this on the net, but as it is, Muggles is a word that forces me to accept the fact that I'm reading a book written for an 8 year old even though the later novels grow with the audience.
As it stands you've only named one example and seem to believe that this justifies your opinion across the entire spectrum of British fantasy.As it is, I hate British naming of Fantasy things. Posters should feel free to add their own grievances.
We're so cute that we have a seasides named Grimsby and Blackpool.Little Duck said:Where in the UK are you talking about. Cos the only parts of the UK which are cute are the same ones which can't be seen in this image:
Well, thank you for proving my last pointSirBryghtside said:...that's not from Harry Potter, that's from Call Of CthulhuKingofallCosmos said:Because it looks like you're in a bad tv show trying to fend off hackersSirBryghtside said:I generally don't care about pretentiousness - it just looks cool.
I mean, Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh Wgah'nagl fhtan?
How is that not awesome?
...though I admit when read out loud it does sound out of this world. It just doesn't fit in a magic world colliding with british school life.
Edit: Anybody read some of Walter Moers' work? Also for children and adults. There the innocent/childlike approach only provides more imaginative storytelling. Children's novels hold little boundaries, whereas fantasy novels tend to reuse the same elements over and over.
Only one of which are visible on that mapSovvolf said:We're so cute that we have a seasides named Grimsby and Blackpool.Little Duck said:Where in the UK are you talking about. Cos the only parts of the UK which are cute are the same ones which can't be seen in this image: