Audiences, Progression and the Rhetoric of the Portal-Quest Fantasy
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“Second to the Right, and Straight on Till Morning”: Audiences, Progression and the Rhetoric of the Portal-Quest Fantasy in J. M. Barrie’s Peter and Wendy DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Andres Alberto Montanes-Lleras Graduate Program in Education Teaching & Learning The Ohio State University 2018 Dissertation Committee: Barbara Kiefer, Advisor Linda Parsons James Phelan Copyrighted by Andres Alberto Montanes-Lleras 2018 Abstract Despite the long standing association between children’s literature and fantasy, most critical discussions on the genre have focused—especially from an educational perspective—on whether or not fantasy is attractive, engaging, and, most important of all, appropriate for young readers. Though recent years have seen an increased interest on the genre from a more text- or content-oriented perspective, there are still relatively few studies focused on the narrative and rhetorical strategies of fantasy, how the fantastic elements of the story are presented, and the way the reader is invited to negotiate and ultimately reflect on the relation between reality and fantasy. The main purpose of this dissertation is to explore how the protagonists’ transit between worlds, characteristic of what Farah Mendlesohn calls the portal-quest fantasy, and featured in many children’s books, defines both the overall design of the text and the reader’s experience with the fantastic. Contrary to Mendlesohn herself, who finds the rhetoric of the form inherently problematic, emphasizing the way the fantasy world is presented, for both the characters and, on a different level, the reader, imposes an authoritative interpretation of the world, reducing the possibility of alternate or contradictory interpretations; I specifically seek to show how the transit between worlds itself serves as an effective rhetorical strategy to invite the reader into the world of the ii story, and increase our sense of estrangement and wonder, while proposing a serious ethical and metafictional reflection on the fantastic. In order to accomplish this, my study proposes an alternative approach to the form, using some of the key concepts or principles of rhetorical narrative theory developed in various works by James Phelan and Peter J. Rabinowitz, in particular the notion of narrative progression. As I argue in the first part of my study, by expanding the traditional notion of plot to include the interaction between author, narrator and the different audiences involved, as well as the ongoing and cumulative responses of the reader, it becomes easier to see how the distinctive plot dynamics characteristic of the portal-quest fantasy in general respond to a clear authorial intention and affect the way we approach, experience, and ultimately interpret the fantastic, suggesting a more complex reading and evaluation of the form. While I use several examples to illustrate my ideas, the second part of my study focuses exclusively on the case of Peter and Wendy—a novel that despite being widely considered a classic of children's literature, has rarely been studied as a fantastic text proper. As my analysis seeks to show, while Neverland is presented early on as this ambiguous imaginary space, and we are constantly reminded that what we are reading is just a story, the island becomes increasingly real as the story progresses, leading to the climactic moment where the characters have to decide between staying in Neverland for good or going back home to the real world—a decision that, as the novel makes abundantly clear, is far from simple, emphasizing how Barrie’s book resists fixed interpretations. iii Acknowledgments I would have never been able to complete this dissertation without the support, guidance, and enthusiasm of several people, to whom I will be always indebted. First and foremost, my advisor, Barbara Kiefer, who has been my guide (in an almost portal-quest fantasy way) since I first arrived to Ohio, almost seven years ago, and I now consider part of my family. Thank you for everything! To Linda Parsons, who has always been enthusiastic about this project, and reminded me to be enthusiastic as well, especially when things were tough and I was wondering if I would ever reach my destination. To Jim Phelan, who introduced me to rhetorical narrative theory (and Project Narrative and the potluck group), and challenged me to think about narrative and literature in different ways. I hope this dissertation contributes a little bit to your own projects. To all the other people at Ohio State who supported me in one way or another. My professors at the School of Teaching and Learning: Michelle Abate, Mollie Blackburn, David Bloome, Patricia Enciso, Barbara Lehman, Mindy Rhoades and Anna Soter. To Brian McHale at the English Department. To Jodi Pilatowski, who was always there to give me a hand (and a hug), and help me with everything I needed. To the people at Counseling and Consultation Services: Luis Cruz-Ortega and Gabriel Pagan-Llorens. iv To all my classmates and friends: To Lisa and Erin who shared with me their experience and friendship, and made Ohio, and our shared office in the second floor, feel a little bit like home. To B.P. and the rest of Wayfarers Eight: Our journey “there and back again” is, in one way or another, in these pages. To Leigh, who was there from the very beginning, sitting in a bench outside Ramseyer Hall, imagining with me the moment we would graduate from OSU. These pages are also yours. Thank you for being my friend! To my family: Beto, Susi, Juanfe, and especially my mom, who first got me interested in fantasy and children’s literature. You are the reason I always come home at the end of the journey. v Vita 1999 ............................................................ Gimnasio Moderno (elementary and high school) 2004 ............................................................ B.A. Literature, Universidad de los Andes 2003 to 2006 ................................................ Spanish and Literature Teacher (8th to 11th Grades), Colegio San Carlos 2009 ............................................................ M.A. Creative Writing, Universidad Nacional de Colombia 2011 to present ........................................... Graduate Research Associate and Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of Teaching and Learning, The Ohio State University Publications Reilly-Sanders, E. F. and Montañés-Lleras, A. (2014). “Native, Gone Wandering: South African Author Diane Hofmeyr as Constant Explorer.” In B. Lehman, J. Heale, M. A. Hill, T. van der Walt & M. Vorster (Eds.), Voices and Images: Essays on South African Authors and Illustrators of Children’s and Young Adult Literature. Jefferson: McFarland. vi Montañés Lleras, A. (2012). El dragón de vapor. Bogotá: Editorial Norma. Montañés Lleras, A. (2010). Me llamo... Antonio Nariño. Bogotá: Editorial Norma. Montañés Lleras, A. (2010). Páginas Blancas. Bogotá: Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Cooperativa Editorial Magisterio. Montañés Lleras, A. (2009). Los héroes y los dioses. Relatos de La Ilíada y la guerra de Troya. Bogotá: Editorial Norma. Montanes-Lleras, A. (2005). “Sólo un simple individuo en un mundo enorme: El hobbit, el lector y el mundo de fantasía.” Monografías Meritorias en Literatura 8. Bogotá: Ediciones Uniandes. Fields of Study Major Field: Education Teaching & Learning Specialization: Literature for Children and Young Adults vii Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................... iv Vita ............................................................................................................................... vi Publications ................................................................................................................... vi Fields of Study ............................................................................................................. vii Table of Contents ........................................................................................................ viii List of Tables................................................................................................................. xi Introduction .....................................................................................................................1 Why Fantasy? ..............................................................................................................8 A Rhetorical Narrative Theory Perspective ................................................................ 14 Note on the Selection of the Texts .............................................................................. 22 Part 1. Audiences, Progression and the Rhetoric of the Portal-Quest Fantasy ................. 27 1.1. From Fairy-Stories to Modern Fantasy ................................................................ 32 Towards a definition. .............................................................................................. 38 Authorial and narrative audiences. .......................................................................... 45 viii 1.2. Mendlesohn’s Taxonomy .................................................................................... 54 The portal-quest fantasy.........................................................................................