Heroes and Heroines: a Feminist Analysis of Female Child Protagonists in the Epic Fantasies of George Macdonald, C.S
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HEROES AND HEROINES: A FEMINIST ANALYSIS OF FEMALE CHILD PROTAGONISTS IN THE EPIC FANTASIES OF GEORGE MACDONALD, C.S. LEWIS, AND PHILIP PULLMAN by Caitlin Anne Campbell B.A., Tufts University, 2006 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in The Faculty of Graduate Studies (Children‟s Literature) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) September 2009 © Caitlin Anne Campbell, 2009 ABSTRACT The genre of epic fantasy, with its origins in patriarchal mythologies, has traditionally been the realm of male protagonists and masculine modes of heroism. Authors of children’s epic fantasy, however, often portray pairings of male and female child protagonists working together in the fight against evil. And yet, despite the inclusion of female protagonists in many epic fantasies for children, patriarchal values dominate the genre, as aggression, physical prowess, rational detachment, and action define the hero. Through the lens of post-structural feminist theory, this study—spanning twelve texts, seven main characters, and 130 years of literary history—examines the female child protagonist and the intersection of girlhood and heroism as depicted in the epic fantasies of George MacDonald, C.S. Lewis, and Philip Pullman. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract .............................................................................................................................. ii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. iii Acknowledgments ..............................................................................................................v Dedication ......................................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................1 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................3 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................3 2.2 Defining Heroism...............................................................................................3 2.3 Defining Children‟s Epic Fantasy ......................................................................6 2.4 Overview of George MacDonald and the Princess Books ................................9 2.5 Overview of C.S. Lewis and The Chronicles of Narnia ..................................14 2.6 Overview of Philip Pullman and His Dark Materials .....................................18 CHAPTER THREE: THEORETICAL APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY .....22 3.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................22 3.2 Liberal Feminist Theory vs. Post-structural Feminist Theory .........................23 3.3 Research Questions ..........................................................................................27 CHAPTER FOUR: GEORGE MACDONALD’S PRINCESS IRENE ......................29 4.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................29 4.2 The Princess and the Goblin: Irene as Hero ....................................................29 4.2.1 Irene as Model Victorian Princess ....................................................30 4.2.2 Irene‟s Autonomy and Agency .........................................................35 4.2.3 Irene and Her Great-Great-Grandmother ..........................................43 4.3 The Princess and Curdie: Irene as Heroine .....................................................48 4.4 Conclusion .......................................................................................................51 CHAPTER FIVE: C.S. LEWIS AND THE GIRLS OF NARNIA ..............................53 5.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................53 5.2 Polly Plummer .................................................................................................54 5.3 Aravis ...............................................................................................................59 5.4 Susan Pevensie .................................................................................................66 5.5 Jill Pole.............................................................................................................73 5.6 Lucy Pevensie ..................................................................................................78 5.7 Conclusion .......................................................................................................84 CHAPTER SIX: PHILIP PULLMAN’S LYRA ...........................................................86 6.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................86 6.2 Lyra as Trickster ..............................................................................................86 iii 6.3 Lyra as Eve, Eve as Hero .................................................................................98 6.4 Conclusion .....................................................................................................102 CHAPTER SEVEN: CONCLUSION ..........................................................................104 WORKS CITED.............................................................................................................105 Primary Sources ...................................................................................................105 Secondary Sources ...............................................................................................105 iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many, many thanks to my thesis supervisor, Judy Brown, for her patience, guidance, and flexibility throughout this process. And to Judi Saltman, whose unwavering kindness and support has meant so much to me over the past few years. I must also thank my fellow MACLer, Shannon Ozirny, whose friendship from afar is invaluable, as well as Jim Tobin, who lent me his office (and thus the lingering aura of his smartness). Lastly, thanks to my folks for supporting me in every way imaginable, and also for not being like Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter. (…But mostly thanks to my pets, especially my three-legged dog Dexter, who always provided a welcome distraction, and without whom this thesis would have been finished a year ago…) v DEDICATION To the female hero in us all. vi CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION With its roots in various patriarchal mythologies, the genre of epic fantasy has traditionally been dominated by the male hero and his hard-fought journey from boy to man. These grand epics, from Beowulf to The Lord of the Rings, portray male heroes as unflinching warriors, righteous defenders of nations, virtuous and wise wielders of justice, revered conquerors, and rightful kings. Boys and men are exalted while girls and women are diminished, present only to be mastered. Epic fantasy has long been popular among children‟s authors as the genre provides a fertile and vast playground for the imagination as well as an easy channel for the transmission of social values. And while the marginalization of females can be found in every genre of children‟s literature, children‟s epic fantasy, so dependent on mythology, has always been especially vulnerable to oppressive, sexist ideology, despite the frequent inclusion of female protagonists. A female protagonist is by no means the same as a female hero; and while many authors depict female characters in their fantasies for children, these same authors (almost invariably male) do not often celebrate them as heroes in their own right. In search of the disappointingly rare female child hero in fantasy, this thesis, through the lens of post-structural feminist theory, examines the epic fantasies of three prominent children‟s authors: George MacDonald, C.S. Lewis, and Philip Pullman. Analyzing seven female protagonists and twelve primary texts—Irene in MacDonald‟s two Princess books; Lucy and Susan Pevensie, Polly Plummer, Aravis, and Jill Pole in Lewis‟ seven-part Narnia series; and Lyra Belacqua in Pullman‟s His Dark Materials trilogy—I explore the three authors‟ portrayals of girlhood and heroism, and expose how the two constructs can clash, producing the heroine, or intersect, thus giving birth to the 1 transformative female hero. The selection of MacDonald, Lewis, and Pullman is the rather serendipitous result of discovering a chain of influence connecting them. Pullman, an Englishman and the only contemporary writer of the three, vehemently dislikes Lewis (who died in 1963, when Pullman was seventeen) and regularly condemns him for racism, misogyny, religious exclusivity, and a “sado-masochistic relish for violence,” going so far as to claim that the Narnia series is “one of the most ugly and poisonous things” (“Dark Side” 6) he has ever read. On the other hand, Lewis, an Irish essayist, fantasist, and Christian apologist, considered MacDonald (who died in 1905, seven years after Lewis‟ birth) a literary and spiritual mentor, openly lauding the Scottish cleric as his “master,” and insisting, “I fancy I have never written a book in which I did not quote from him” (“Preface” xxxii). Once I learned of the connections among the three authors, the interplay in their writing—primarily manifested in mimicry and allusions—became evident, particularly in each author‟s