So in two sittings I read the first Harry Potter book. Yes, just another mindless sheep to the pop culture slaughter – but it was quite good, actually. I was surprised by the many parallels to Roald Dahl’s “James and the Giant Peach,” although Dahl is much, much darker, at least from what I can tell from the first Potter book. (Someone should investigate J.K. Rowling’s subconscious. Just one example: James’ full name is James Henry Trotter.)
Does anybody else agree with me that Gene Wilder in “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” was disturbing on a deep level that you can’t quite put into words? That’s Dahl.