Representation of the Villain in C. S. Lewis's the Magician's Nephew
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CARLOTA MARIA BLÁZQUEZ MARTÍN GRADO EN ESTUDIOS INGLESES 2019/2020 Representation of the villain in C. S. Lewis’s The Magician’s Nephew TUTOR: RAÚL MONTERO GILETE DEPARTAMENTO: DEPARTAMENTO DE FILOLOGIA INGLESA Y ALEMANA Y DE TRADUCCIÓN E INTERPRETACIÓN ABSTRACT The present paper aims to observe the relevance of the role of the villain in the first book of C. S. Lewis The Chronicles of Narnia, entitled The Magician’s Nephew (1955). To this end, I will first introduce Schäfer’s definition of the literary villain and how to apply it in modern literature. I will then introduce C. S. Lewis and the relevance of his own historical context and personal experiences to the creation of the Narnia chronicles. The specific study of the presentation and representation of villains in The Magician’s Nephew will be introduced by application of Schäfer’s categorization in the analysis of the two villainous characters that we find in The Magician’s Nephew: Queen Jadis of Charn—the White Witch—and Uncle Andrew. The paper will conclude with a presentation of the key points that have arisen from my analysis. Key words: Villain, Schäfer, Jadis of Charn and Uncle Andrew 1 CONTENT 1. Introduction………………………………………………………………………3 2. Theoretical framework…………………………………………………………...4 2.1. Schäfer’s categorization of the villain in literature………………………….4 2.2. C.S. Lewis and his context…………………………………………………..7 3. Representation of the villain on C. S Lewis’s The Magician’s Nephew………….9 3.1. Queen Jadis of Charn—the White Witch…………………………………...11 3.2. Uncle Andrew……………………………………………………………….15 4. Conclusion………………………………………………………………………...17 5. Bibliography………………………………………………………………………19 2 1. Introduction Fantasy—this literature, media, and arts genre of unlimited possibilities—is one of the most successful genres of the last 50 years (Weinreich 1). Anne-Kathrin Höfel suggests that fantasy literature describes different states of “space, time, nature, economy, religion and society”, as well as realms and situations that essentially fall outside of “normality” (29). By use of different fantastical elements, this genre aims to address or put into question new physical or psychological realities, giving new insights and points of view that allow new discussion and that reshapes reality (29). Throughout history, the fluctuation of fantasy literature is closely linked to cultural or social circumstances, such as the political, economic or religious ideology of a respective society (Höfel 28). In fact, as Höfel affirms, in times of catastrophe or demolishing events, fantasy may reveal a comforting and liberating view that reality often fails to provide (28). Moreover, the use of exotic features, worlds, or whole universes, allows fantasy literature to te,porarily liberate the reader from their present situation, allowing an escape from a potentially disturbing reality. Similarly, the fantastic realm offers the possibility of detached discussion of actual issues (28). A clear example of this idea can be found in Clive Staples Lewis’s famous seven-book series The Chronicles of Narnia (1950-1956). During the Second World War (1939-1945), as bombs where destroying the city of London, four children stayed with C. S. Lewis at his country house (“Introducing The Chronicles of Narnia”). During their stay, he wrote them a story, which combined elements of fantasy—such as fantastic creatures and imaginary landscapes—with the representation of Good and Evil (“Introducing The Chronicles of Narnia”). The present paper aims to observe the relevance of the role of the villain in the first book of The Chronicles of Narnia, entitled The Magician’s Nephew (1955). To this end, I will first introduce Schäfer’s definition of the literary villain and how to apply it in modern literature. 3 I will then introduce C. S. Lewis and the relevance of his own historical context and personal experiences to the creation of the Narnia chronicles. The specific study of the presentation and representation of villains in The Magician’s Nephew will be introduced by application of Schäfer’s categorization in the analysis of the two villainous characters that we find in The Magician’s Nephew: Queen Jadis of Charn—the White Witch—and Uncle Andrew. The paper will conclude with a presentation of the key points that have arisen from my analysis. Throughout the present study, the 8th edition of the Modern Language Association’s (MLA) citing style guide will be used, as is the case with the Bibliography. 2. Theoretical framework 2.1. Schäfer’s categorization of the villain in literature The events that took place during the First and Second World Wars—1914-1918 and 1939- 1945 respectively—proved how the cruelty of humans could turn continents into a “patchwork of burnt-out battlefields” or a “scorched landmass,” as they “gained the mythical power of gods to wipe all life from the Earth” (Martín Del Campo 1). During this period, the role of narrative was not only to show what is and is not acceptable in society, but also to present reality (Lyotard 19-20). According to Martín Del Campo, considering the human conditions of that time, the role of example and warning that tragic heroes had played in the past would no longer be able “to shine a light on the darker aspects of humanity” (1). Taking this into account, art needed a new type of character that would help understand the message of hope: a visceral evil (1-2). Today’s literary canon is filled with charming, charismatic villains that help to illuminate the morality of the main character (Martín del Campo 2). The protagonist is, more often than not, defined as the hero who incorporates “certain virtues the audience is expected to embrace, and they serve as surrogates that show the kind of behavior that is expected of someone who is good” (17). However, the modern villain is able to portray the dark aspects of the hero, or what this character could have become (4). Through pain, fear, or unwanted lesson, the evil is able to change the “modern hero”, often represented as a flawed character, who toes the 4 line between remaining good and “falling into darkness” (2). Thus, we could state that the absence of evil is what enables us to recognize the modern hero as good. The function of the villain, Schäfer holds, is to act and work against the positive forces of the story to defeat their goals, which creates the conflict that allows the plot to advance (2). Moreover, the villain is generally presented as the powerful character, with features of an evil nature that may be perceived as Otherness (2), which renders them “more intriguing than the heroes themselves” (4). According to Heit, the stories that presently prevail in Western culture form the basis for the conflict between good and evil personified by God and the Devil (qtd in Schäfer 2-3). It is, however, the individual’s interpretation that turns the character evil, which demonstrates the human being’s innate capacity to differentiate between what is good and what is evil. The role of the villain thus contributes to the meaning of the text; to the way a narrative is, or could be, interpreted (3). The analysis of nine case studies, reported by Schäfer, led to the formulation of four categories through which villain characters could be analysed: The Emerging Villain, The Core Villain, The Philosophical Villain and The Repellent Villain (7). Firstly, the function of the Emerging Villain involves that the character undergoes a change of character and of role. The main function of the Emerging Villain is to provide the reader with an understanding of his development; to make them witness the unusual external or psychological circumstances that come to shape his/her villainous characteristics, adding to the established perception of outsider that the character may already have (8). The Emerging Villain may be intriguing to the reader, due to the function and presentation changes that the character undergoes throughout the story (10). Moreover, the evolution of this type of villain’s may be compared to real life, since real-life people do constantly suffer troubling changes, which serves to establish a connection between the reader and the villain character (10). The Core Villain, on the other hand, is—as the name indicates—evil in their essence, and proud of the fact. In contrast to the Emerging Villain, the motives and functions of the Core Villain are mysterious and inaccessible to the reader, with the aim to raise questions around 5 his/her behaviour. This type of villain, according to Schäfer, is presented as an accomplished character from the very begging of the text1 (10). S/he is a conscious character who, even aware of the moral standards of good and evil, mindfully chooses evil over good (10-12). By doing so, the villain is assuming all responsibility of their actions and persona, which challenges the reader’s moral principles and forces them to reconsider their view of the world. This type of villain is, then, the classical representation and is always a force for evil (12). The function of the Philosophical Villain is easy to define; however, Schäfer argues that it is hard to identify the specific characteristics that this type of villain has (11). In behaviour and statements, this character’s main role is to explore social or human nature with the aim to transmit a certain message (12). This message could be of either a moral and/or social nature or in the form of an exploration of general philosophical subjects. This is what makes this type of villain most effective, even if they may also be intriguing in terms of plot building, appearance, or personality (12). However, and as Schäfer claims, the recipient is not always aware of the issue that has been raised by this villain, and sometimes it may only create interaction through an underlying questioning of the established constructions (12-13).