DOCSLIB.ORG

The Magic of Magic and Imagination in Fantasy Literature: a Study Based on J

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Magic of Magic and Imagination in Fantasy Literature: a Study Based on J 9ROXPH,,,,VVXH,,,0D\,661 The Magic of Magic and Imagination in Fantasy Literature: A Study Based on J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter Series Mohammad Kawish Haider Research Scholar English Department, Bharathiar University Research and Development Centre Coimbatore India Abstract Fantasy has the longest and richest literary heritage of all forms of genre fiction. Indeed, fantasy could be said to be the progenitor of other forms of literature. It has been distinguished from other forms of literature by its style, its constituents, and its freedom of expression where an author has the choice to use any story telling element to strengthen the narrative. Different writers, scholars, and critics have defined fantasy in different ways and manners. Fantasy is an amalgam of different genres of literature which gives immediate delight to its readers. It has a deep relation with imagination and magic. J. K. Rowling has created a sensation in the literary world by writing Harry Potter series which has attracted people of all age groups. Her fantastic adventurous creation has infused different imaginations in readers of varying age groups – from children to adults. The literary tsunami suggests Harry Potter as not a passing fad. Harry Potter is an epitome of mysterious and miraculous magical realism, and adventurous and suspicious fantasy, with conjuring supernatural and surrealistic imagination. The study aims at defining fantasy and imagination in literature and in Harry Potter series with the association of magic. Key Words: Fantasy, Imagination, Magic, Fairytales, Love 5HIHUHHG 3HHU5HYLHZHG -RXUQDO KWWSZZZLMHOOKFRP 9ROXPH,,,,VVXH,,,0D\,661 “Fantasy lacking in the full character of reality can have compensatory strengths” (Manlove, 26). Fantasy is a genre of literature that commonly employs supernatural elements as the primary plot or setting. It comprises of heart throbbing and penetrating influence. It transcends a make-belief world with uncanny moments. Fantasy is defined as “the literature of unreality,” (Jackson, 9) or as “literature which does not give priority to realistic representation” (Jackson, 13). Usually, works of fantasy genre take place in an imaginary world, or another world beyond our actual real world with metaphysical existence where magical and supernatural creatures are common and prevalent. In the context of literature, fantasy may be described as an imaginative fiction dependent for effect on strangeness of setting (such as other worlds or times) and characters (such as supernatural beings). The human mind has the capability to form different mental images that do not exist in reality. The ability of gestating the images is known as imagination. According to Eagan, “Imagination is the creative capacity for thinking of things “as possibly being so” (43). The term, “imagination” is frequently conflated with fantasy. The structure of a fantasy work is build up on imagination. Zipes claims that, “[fantasy] plays upon the imagination not to open it up to escape into a never-never land but to make greater contact with reality” (141). All human beings have the faculty to conjure new images. Man uses his brain to retrieve his past or explore the future in order to make new images. The function of human brain to make new images is known as creativity or creative art. This creative faculty, grounded on ability of brain to explore elements, is known as imagination as well as fantasy in psychological way. From the general definition of fantasy and imagination, people consider it as opposite of reality. But imagination is not opposite of reality. Every aspect and dimension of life is affected by imagination. Without imagination, no new invention and discovery would be possible. Imagination and fantasy are related to stream-of-consciousness technique as both can travel back and forth narrative with hallucinations. They can co-mingle past, present, and future with supernatural and symbolic elements. As Thedule Ribot says, “every invention, whether large or small, before being implemented, embodied in reality, was held together by the imagination alone. It was a structure erected in the mind through the agency of new combinations and relationships...” (Vygotsky, 10). Fantasy is heavily based on imagination or we can say fantasy is an outcome of the imagination. It is an imagined and continuous episode of images and events. Fantasy is a fascinating amalgam of elements, extracted from the reality and wrapped by our imagination in a new fashion. For instance, if we say there is a house in the middle of the ocean, dolphins 5HIHUHHG 3HHU5HYLHZHG -RXUQDO KWWSZZZLMHOOKFRP 9ROXPH,,,,VVXH,,,0D\,661 frequently come to that house and stay in the house and play with us. This evokes fantasy, but the elements used like ocean, house, and dolphin are real. We have distorted the story in some strange way. The perspectives of fantasy may be different from imagination. Imagination assimilates reality whereas fantasy may spring up from inquisitiveness, desire, horror, frustration, etc. But both imagination and fantasy are interconnected in some way. In fairytales, all the materials and elements portrayed are original but the narration only is imaginary, and that creates fantasy genre. As C. S. Lewis says, “reason is the natural organ of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning” (265). Fantasy is a form of creativity and creativity would be impossible without the imagination. Fantasy genre has usually been divided into different sub-headings/ sub-genres such as fairytales, folklores, modern fantasy, magic fiction, science fiction, epics, and traditional fantasy etc. Fantasy and magic play an integral part of the literature through the centuries and ages, for instance, Homer’s Odyssey, Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene, Ursula K. Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea, and so on. Magic has a very deep concern and relation with fantasy. There are plenty of books that feature magic in different forms. Writers incorporate different types of magic in their fantasy works such as The Snow child by Eowyn Ivey, Alice in wonderland by Lewis Carroll, The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, The Chronicles of Narnia by Lewis, and so many in ancient time and in contemporary time. In The Hidden Key to Harry Potter, John Granger has commented that: It is not sloppy thinking or failed memory that has led so many critics and casual readers to remark that while reading about Harry, they experienced again the feelings and challenges they remembered from Narnia and Middle Earth. These books are trying to do the same thing and use many of the same tools, which together produce effects of remarkable resemblance (336). J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels have given a new direction and dimension to fantasy genre in English literature. She has helped to revolutionized fantasy with her Harry Potter books. In the age of technological advancement, a myriad of entertainment sources are available, Harry Potter series has brought children and adolescents back to reading: The Harry Potter phenomenon has taken the world by storm, and in many ways the series appears to be responsible for a renaissance in reading for children all over the world, despite its competition from the supposedly more competition forms of entertainment available on videos, television, or the Internet (Alton, 141). Harry Potter novels revolve around an orphaned boy, who enrols at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy, and his adventurous contention with the evil wizard Lord Voldemort. Rowling’s Harry Potter world is full of drollness and imagination. She has taken us to the space 5HIHUHHG 3HHU5HYLHZHG -RXUQDO KWWSZZZLMHOOKFRP 9ROXPH,,,,VVXH,,,0D\,661 of fantasy where every ingredient of fantasy is utilised. The novel doesn’t fall into one genre but many genres such as epic fantasy, dark fantasy, coming-of-age fantasy, science fiction, horror fiction, magic realism, and bildungsroman. Philip Nel has categorised Harry Potter as an epic fantasy, “By featuring more than hundred characters, the Harry Potter series is an epic fantasy” (36). Magic in its different forms is an indispensible property of the fantasy genre. It refers to different type of extraordinary phenomenon. “The term magic is used to label a wide variety of things. Magic is applied to supernatural events that only seem possible in the world of fantasy and to those natural events that stimulate a sense of wonder or amazement” (Neil, 124). In ancient times, magic shows materialised people’s fervent desire and fantasies such as flying in air, fast travelling, immortality, control over other creatures, invisibility and understanding the language of animals. In Harry Potter series, Rowling has created a world full of magic, imagination and witchcraft. In the series, magic serves as an important part of the plot. It is an essential part of the narration. In the series, magic is rendered as a powerful and supernatural phenomenon. Rowling has colligated magic with life, death, love, emotion, disease, and with so many aspects. She has imbued the story with magic. Life and Death are important themes of the novels. She has applied magic as weapon to subdue death. Magical techniques have been used to determine and subdue life and death. In the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Lord Voldemort is depicted in the quest of the “philosopher’s stone,” as it contains the power to terminate death. Another life giving/death conquering tool is unicorn blood that is also full of magic. The imbibing of unicorn blood will keep a person alive or away from death even if death is imminent. It is clear in following lines: “‘Harry Potter, do you know what Unicorn blood is used for?’ ‘No’, said Harry, startled by the question. (...) ‘This is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn’, said Firenze. ‘Only one who has nothing to loose, and every thing to gain, would commit such a crime.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Fantasy Football University Chapter 1
    Fantasy Football University Chapter 1 What is Fantasy Football? Fantasy Football puts you in charge and gives you the opportunity to become the coach, owner, and general manager of your own personal football franchise. You'll draft a team of pro football players and compete against other team owners for your league's championship. The game and its rules are designed to mimic pro football as much as possible, so you'll live the same thrills and disappointments that go along with a football season. And your goal is simple: build a complete football team, dominate the competition and win your league's championship. Why should you be playing Fantasy Football? The game is easy to learn and fun to play. You'll become more knowledgeable about football than ever before. It does not take a huge commitment to be competitive and requires only as much time as you'd like to invest. And you don't have to be a die-hard fan to enjoy playing. In fact, most people who are trying Fantasy Football for the first time are casual fans. Chapter 2 Team & League Team name: The first step to getting started is creating a name for your new team. This is how you and your team will be identified throughout the season so get creative and have a little fun. Join or create a league: Your competition will be made up of the other owners in your league. The number of teams in a Fantasy Football league can vary but should always be an even number.
    [Show full text]
  • Fantasy and Imagination: Discovering the Threshold of Meaning David Michael Westlake
    The University of Maine DigitalCommons@UMaine Electronic Theses and Dissertations Fogler Library 5-2005 Fantasy and Imagination: Discovering the Threshold of Meaning David Michael Westlake Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/etd Part of the Modern Literature Commons Recommended Citation Westlake, David Michael, "Fantasy and Imagination: Discovering the Threshold of Meaning" (2005). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 477. http://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/etd/477 This Open-Access Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UMaine. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UMaine. FANTASY AND IMAGINATION: DISCOVERING THE THRESHOLD OF MEANING BY David Michael Westlake B.A. University of Maine, 1997 A MASTER PROJECT Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts (in Liberal Studies) The Graduate School The University of Maine May, 2005 Advisory Committee: Kristina Passman, Associate Professor of Classical Language and Literature, Advisor Jay Bregrnan, Professor of History Nancy Ogle, Professor of Music FANTASY AND IMAGINATION: DISCOVERING THE THRESHOLD OF MEANING By David Michael Westlake Thesis Advisor: Dr. Kristina Passman An Abstract of the Master Project Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts (in Liberal Studies) May, 2005 This thesis addresses the ultimate question of western humanity; how does one find meaning in the present era? It offers the reader one powerful way for this to happen, and that is through the stories found in the pages of Fantasy literature. It begins with Frederick Nietzsche's declaration that, "God is dead." This describes the situation of men and women in his time and today.
    [Show full text]
  • Fafnir – Nordic Journal of Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Journal.Finfar.Org
    ISSN: 2342-2009 Fafnir vol 2, iss 1, pages 29–30 Fafnir – Nordic Journal of Science Fiction and Fantasy Research journal.finfar.org A Book review: Andrzej Wicher, Piotr Spyra & Joanna Matyjaszczyk (eds.) – Basic Categories of Fantastic Literature Revisited. Markku SoikkeliSoikeli Andrzej Wicher, Piotr Spyra, and Joanna Matyjaszczyk (eds.). Basic Categories of Fantastic Literature Revisited. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2014. ISBN-13: 978-1443866798. A collection of academic articles is like a collection of short stories: the differences between articles (or stories) are more interesting than the thematic similarities. The free play of imagination is breaking even the genre rules, and that is exactly what makes the stories (or articles on genre texts) so interesting. This Polish-British collection Basic Categories of Fantastic Literature Revisited (2014) is aiming to rethink the concept of the fantastic as it is defined in the theory of Tzvetan Todorov. As stated in Todorov's Introduction à la littérature fantastique (1970), there are three modes of fiction outside the great barrier of mainstream literature: the marvellous (with recognizable supernatural elements), the uncanny (with explanations about exceptional things), and the fantastic (with ambivalent signs of the non-natural). Todorov's definition of the fantastic is usually considered to be more anachronistic than the texts that it is used for, but there still remains the mystery of readers’ pleasure in the kind of "Todorovian hesitation". And it is here where this Polish-British collection of twelve researchers steps in. According to the publisher's info-blurb, the articles are "unified by a highly theoretical focus." But is there anything "highly theoretical" in Todorov's legacy? It may be a valuable goal to rethink the usability of Todorov's view of the fantastic, but the articles in this collection consist of quite usual academic matter with emphasis on case studies.
    [Show full text]
  • Irish Gothic Fiction
    THE ‘If the Gothic emerges in the shadows cast by modernity and its pasts, Ireland proved EME an unhappy haunting ground for the new genre. In this incisive study, Jarlath Killeen shows how the struggle of the Anglican establishment between competing myths of civility and barbarism in eighteenth-century Ireland defined itself repeatedly in terms R The Emergence of of the excesses of Gothic form.’ GENCE Luke Gibbons, National University of Ireland (Maynooth), author of Gaelic Gothic ‘A work of passion and precision which explains why and how Ireland has been not only a background site but also a major imaginative source of Gothic writing. IRISH GOTHIC Jarlath Killeen moves well beyond narrowly political readings of Irish Gothic by OF IRISH GOTHIC using the form as a way of narrating the history of the Anglican faith in Ireland. He reintroduces many forgotten old books into the debate, thereby making some of the more familiar texts seem suddenly strange and definitely troubling. With FICTION his characteristic blend of intellectual audacity and scholarly rigour, he reminds us that each text from previous centuries was written at the mercy of its immediate moment as a crucial intervention in a developing debate – and by this brilliant HIST ORY, O RIGI NS,THE ORIES historicising of the material he indicates a way forward for Gothic amidst the ruins of post-Tiger Ireland.’ Declan Kiberd, University of Notre Dame Provides a new account of the emergence of Irish Gothic fiction in the mid-eighteenth century FI This new study provides a robustly theorised and thoroughly historicised account of CTI the beginnings of Irish Gothic fiction, maps the theoretical terrain covered by other critics, and puts forward a new history of the emergence of the genre in Ireland.
    [Show full text]
  • Teaching Speculative Fiction in College: a Pedagogy for Making English Studies Relevant
    Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University English Dissertations Department of English Summer 8-7-2012 Teaching Speculative Fiction in College: A Pedagogy for Making English Studies Relevant James H. Shimkus Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/english_diss Recommended Citation Shimkus, James H., "Teaching Speculative Fiction in College: A Pedagogy for Making English Studies Relevant." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2012. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/english_diss/95 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of English at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in English Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. TEACHING SPECULATIVE FICTION IN COLLEGE: A PEDAGOGY FOR MAKING ENGLISH STUDIES RELEVANT by JAMES HAMMOND SHIMKUS Under the Direction of Dr. Elizabeth Burmester ABSTRACT Speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy, and horror) has steadily gained popularity both in culture and as a subject for study in college. While many helpful resources on teaching a particular genre or teaching particular texts within a genre exist, college teachers who have not previously taught science fiction, fantasy, or horror will benefit from a broader pedagogical overview of speculative fiction, and that is what this resource provides. Teachers who have previously taught speculative fiction may also benefit from the selection of alternative texts presented here. This resource includes an argument for the consideration of more speculative fiction in college English classes, whether in composition, literature, or creative writing, as well as overviews of the main theoretical discussions and definitions of each genre.
    [Show full text]
  • The World of Fantasy Literature Has Little to Do with the Exotic Worlds It Describes
    The world of fantasy literature has little to do with the exotic worlds it describes. It is generally tied to often well-earned connotations of cheap writing, childish escapism, overused tropes copied and pasted straight out of The Lord of the Rings, and a strong commercial vitality. Perhaps it is the comforting predictability that draws me in—but the same could be said of the delight that I feel when some clever author has taken the old and worn hero-cycle and turned it inside out. Maybe I just like dragons and swords. It could be that the neatly packaged, solvable problems within a work of fantasy literature, problems that are nothing like the ones I have to deal with, such as marauding demons or kidnappings by evil witches, are more attractive than my own more confusing ones. Somehow they remain inspiring and terrifying despite that. Since I was a child, fantasy has always been able to captivate me. I never spared much time for the bland narratives of a boy and his dog or the badly thought-out antics of neighborhood friends. I preferred the more dangerous realms of Redwall, populated by talking animals, or Artemis Fowl, a fairy-abducting, preteen, criminal mastermind. In fact, reading was so strongly ingrained in me that teachers, parents and friends had to, and on occasion still need to, ask me to put down my book. I really like reading, and at some point that love spilled over and I started to like writing, too. Telling a story does not have to be deep or meaningful in its lessons.
    [Show full text]
  • Fantasy in Literature. INSTITUTION National Education Association, Washington, D.C
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 144 097 CS 203 625 AUTHOR Aquino, John TITLE Fantasy in Literature. INSTITUTION National Education Association, Washington, D.C. PUB DATE 77 NOTE 54p. AVAILABLE FROM NEA Order Dept., The Academic Building, Saw Mill Road, West Haven, Ccnnecticut 06516 ($3.50 paper) EDRS PRICE MF-$0.83 Plus Postage. HC Not Available from EDRS. DESCRIPTORS Bibliographies; Elementary Secondary Education; English Instruction; *Fantasy; Language Development; Literary Analysis; *Literature; *Literature Appreciation; Mythology; Reading Materials; Tales; *Teaching Methods; *Thought Processes ABSTRACT This report discusses the opposition to fantasy, as well as the support for it, both as an activity of the mind and as literature, and concludes that fantasy literature is useful in promoting language development and literature appreciation. The report then discusses characteristics of fantasy literature, lists works suitable for class use, and offers suggestions for teaching fantasy literature at various grade levels. Suggestions are provided for guiding classes in studying myths, specific fairy tales, and works by Levis Carroll, J.R.R. Tolkien, James Stephens, and C.S. Lewis. The report includes a bibliography of additional resource materials that deal with fantasy and fantasy literature. (GW) Fantasy in Literature by John Aquino nea National Education Association Washington D.C. Copyright c 1977 National Education Association of the United States Stock No 1817.6-00 (paper) 1818-4-00 (cloth ) Note The opinions expressed in this publication should not he con- strued as representing the polies or position of the National Education Association Materials published as part of the; Developments in Classroom Instruction series are intended to he discussion documents for teachers who are concerned with specialized interests of the profession Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Aquino, John Fantasy in literature (Developments in classroom instruction Bibliography: p 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Hn Hn H H Hn Hn
    hn hk io il sy SY ek eh hn hk io il sy SY ek eh hn hk io il sy SY ek eh hn hk io il sy SY ek eh hn hk io il sy SY ek eh hn hk io il sy SY ek eh SCHOLASTIC INC. Copyright © 2016 by Ed Masessa All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., hn hk io il sy SY ek eh Pub lishers since 1920. scholastic, scholastic press, and associated logos are trade- hn hk io il sy SY ek eh marks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc. hn hk io il sy SY ek eh The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility hn hk io il sy SY ek for author or third- party websites or their content. hn hk io il sy SY ek eh No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or hn hk io il sy SY ek eh transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other wise, without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data Names: Masessa, Ed, author.
    [Show full text]
  • AN ABSTRACT of the THESIS of Miranda Renfro for the Master Of
    AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Miranda Renfro for the Master of Arts in English presented on 4 November 2014 Title: DYNAMIC DRAGONS: AN EXPLORATION OF ROLE REVERSAL IN THE YOUNG ADULT ADVENTURE CYCLE Abstract approved: ________________________________________________________ Dragons have long been a staple character in literary traditions all around the globe. From ancient Babylonian myth to modern young adult (YA) fiction, the dragon is well-represented within literature as a powerful and mysterious entity. Western culture, in particular, deems the dragon an evil enemy that must be overcome by a hero, while in Eastern cultures the dragon represents a much more natural and benevolent creature that generously bestows wisdom and wealth on worthy subjects. In recent years the stark character contrasts between the dragons of East and West have merged within the realm of Western YA literature to create a new kind of hero, one that still follows the path described by Joseph Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces but challenges traditional perceptions of good and evil, especially where humanity is concerned. Young readers looking for answers to questions about their own identities within YA novels now have the opportunity to explore identity and human nature through the very eyes of the creature they were once taught to fear. Utilizing as a framework Campbell’s adventure cycle and goals found in modern YA literature, this thesis examines two YA novels that cast a dragon as the hero – Cornelia Funke’s Dragon Rider and Rachel Hartman’s Seraphina
    [Show full text]
  • GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1 Is Copyright © 2011 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated
    TM Written by PETER V. DELL’ORTO and SEAN PUNCH Illustrated by IGOR FIORENTINI, JOYCE MAUREIRA, ROD REIS, BOB STEVLIC, and JACOB WALKER An e23 Sourcebook for GURP S® STEVE JACKSON GAMES ® Stock #37-0322 Version 1.0 – June 2011 CONTENTS I NTRODUCTION . 3 GIANT APE . 16 SWORD SPIRIT . 29 About the Authors . 3 Acting Like an Ape . 16 Live By the Sword . 29 About GURPS . 3 King of the Apes . 16 Die By the Sword . 29 GLADIATOR APE . 17 THROTTLER . 30 1. THE MONSTERS . 4 Battle Rage . 17 Full Throttle . 30 Reading Monster Stats . 4 Cestus Is Bestest . 17 It’s Not Easy Being Green . 30 BRONZE SPIDER . 5 HORDE PYGMY . 18 TROLL . 31 Spiders? Try Cockroaches! . 5 Nasty, Brutish, and Short . 18 Killin’ Trolls . 31 Along Came a Spider . 5 Island of the Pygmies . 18 . and Trolls Killin’ . 31 BUGBEAR . 6 HORRID SKULL . 19 UNDEAD SLIME . 32 Lair of the Bugbear . 6 It’s a Trap! . 19 Endurance Event . 32 CIUACLÁ . 7 Unholy Hand Grenade . 19 Cage Fight . 32 Killing Death . 7 ICE WYRM . 20 VOID BRUTE . 33 CORPSE GOLEM . 8 Icing the Wyrm . 20 Serving the Masters . 33 Not-Quite-Life Is Cheap . 8 Lair of the Ice Wyrm . 20 Berserk Void Brutes . 33 That’s Just Sickle! . 8 KARKADANN . 21 WATCHER AT DEMON FROM Soothing the Savage Breast . 21 THE EDGE OF TIME . 34 BETWEEN THE STARS . 9 Karkadann Pride . 21 Time Is on Their Side . 34 Harassers From LEAPING LEECH . 22 Hero-Killers . 34 Between the Stars . 9 Harmless Nuisance . 22 Hello Darkness My Old Friend .
    [Show full text]
  • The Witch Woman: a Recurring Motif in Recent Fantasy Writing for Young Readers
    Volume 20 Number 1 Article 6 Winter 1-15-1994 The Witch Woman: A Recurring Motif in Recent Fantasy Writing for Young Readers John Warren Stewig Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore Part of the Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons Recommended Citation Stewig, John Warren (1994) "The Witch Woman: A Recurring Motif in Recent Fantasy Writing for Young Readers," Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 20 : No. 1 , Article 6. Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol20/iss1/6 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Mythopoeic Society at SWOSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature by an authorized editor of SWOSU Digital Commons. An ADA compliant document is available upon request. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To join the Mythopoeic Society go to: http://www.mythsoc.org/join.htm Mythcon 51: A VIRTUAL “HALFLING” MYTHCON July 31 - August 1, 2021 (Saturday and Sunday) http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-51.htm Mythcon 52: The Mythic, the Fantastic, and the Alien Albuquerque, New Mexico; July 29 - August 1, 2022 http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-52.htm Abstract Thematic analysis of the figure of the witch woman (incorporating both good and evil versions) in recent examples of epic fantasy for children and young adults. Additional Keywords Children’s literature; Fantasy literature; Henry, Maeve.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction
    INTRODUCTION The wuxia film is the oldest genre in the Chinese cinema that has remained popular to the present day. Yet despite its longevity, its history has barely been told until fairly recently, as if there was some force denying that it ever existed. Indeed, the genre was as good as non-existent in China, its country of birth, for some fifty years, being proscribed over that time, while in Hong Kong, where it flowered, it was gen- erally derided by critics and largely neglected by film historians. In recent years, it has garnered a following not only among fans but serious scholars. David Bordwell, Zhang Zhen, David Desser and Leon Hunt have treated the wuxia film with the crit- ical respect that it deserves, addressing it in the contexts of larger studies of Hong Kong cinema (Bordwell), the Chinese cinema (Zhang), or the generic martial arts action film and the genre known as kung fu (Desser and Hunt).1 In China, Chen Mo and Jia Leilei have published specific histories, their books sharing the same title, ‘A History of the Chinese Wuxia Film’ , both issued in 2005.2 This book also offers a specific history of the wuxia film, the first in the English language to do so. It covers the evolution and expansion of the genre from its beginnings in the early Chinese cinema based in Shanghai to its transposition to the film industries in Hong Kong and Taiwan and its eventual shift back to the Mainland in its present phase of development. Subject and Terminology Before beginning this history, it is necessary first to settle the question ofterminology , in the process of which, the characteristics of the genre will also be outlined.
    [Show full text]