A flash in the pan

For once, I find myself agreeing with an Ivy League college boy:

“Harvard seniors have every right to demand a Harvard-calibre speaker. Harry Potter – and JK Rowling – is just a flash in the pan.

I rather liked the first three Harry Potter books myself, but then, there are many books I liked that didn’t cause me to be impressed by the writer. And that last one was howlingly bad. Anyhow, a brief perusal of the best-selling books of 100 years ago* should suffice to disabuse anyone who thinks Rowling will still be well-regarded or even read in 100 years, whereas the timeless themes of Lewis’s Narnia novels will still be read and loved in twice that time.

Somehow, I doubt Rowling’s creation has ever inspired a little girl to sigh wistfully and say “Daddy, for our next trip, can we go to Hogwarts?”