Masaryk University Faculty of Arts Department of English and American Studies English Language and Literature Jitka Marková The Fantastic Worlds as a Representation of the Collective Human Unconscious in the Books by Neil Gaiman Bachelor ’s Diploma Thesis Supervisor: Stephen Paul Hardy, Ph. D. 2008 I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography. …………………………………………….. Jitka Marková 2 Acknowledgement I would like to thank Mr. Stephen Paul Hardy, PhD. for supervising my thesis and for his advice during the process of writing, and Mgr. Tomáš Hanzálek and Bc. Michaela Sochorová for advice concerning the administrative affairs. 3 TableofContents Introduction………………………………………………….. 5 1. Theoretical background …………………………….…… 9 1.1. Fantasy as a Genre ……………………………. 9 1.2. Jung and the Collective Unconscious…………… 14 1.3. Functions of Dramatis Personae…………………. 17 2. Neverwhere : Encounter of the Old and Modern World...... 20 3. Stardust : Conscious and Unconscious in Harmony………. 34 4. Coraline : The ‘Other’ World………………………………. 40 Conclusion……………………………………………………. 46 Works Cited …………………………………………………. 50 4 Introduction Thefollowingworkdealswiththerelationships betweenmainstreamsocietyand fantasticworldsinbooks byNeilGaimanfromthe pointofviewofanalytical psychology.Themaingoalofthethesisis toprovethatfantasticworldsdescribedin these books maybeinterpretedasthecollectiveunconscious of peoplelivingwithinthe mainstream society.Itwill bearguedthat the journeyofthemaincharacter,whichplays amajor part inthenovelsthatarediscussed,is initsfunctionequaltothe processof individuationasdefinedbyC.G.Jung.Theidea offantastic worldsrepresentingthe unconsciouswill beanalysedthroughtherelationshipofthe maincharacters tothese worldsandthedevelopmentoftheirattitudestowardsanythingthatis beyondtheir experience. ThethesisfocusesonthreeGaiman’snovels: Neverwhere (1997),Stardust (1999) andCoraline (2002) 1.Intheseworks Gaimanexplores the possibilitiesofinteraction betweenthe twoworlds,oneofwhichissimilar tomodernBritain(althoughitisnot identical).Thisstrategymakesit possible tocreateanalternativerealitywhichhas strongeffectonareader whocan(at least partially)identifywithit.Althoughtheabove mentionednovelsdiffer fromeachotherwithregardtosettingandthewaythenarrative approachesthemaintopics,thesimilarrelationshipofthetwoworlds’inhabitantsis present inallofthem. Chapter Oneisconcernedwiththetheoretical backgroundoftheanalysis.It provides the basicintroductionoffantasyasagenre,thedefinitionoftheunconsciousandthe relatedconceptsofarchetypesandindividuation,andtheinformationonthefunctions of dramatis personae.Thetheoretical backgroundofthethesisconsistsoftheworks writtenbythefollowingauthors:KathrynHume,RosemaryJacksonandAnnSwinfen 1 In the thesis the new editions of the novels are used: Neverwhere (2005), Stardust (2005), Coraline (2003). 5 provideseveral possible definitionsofthegenreoffantasyanditsfunctions.Theworks ofJosephCampbelldealwiththetheoryof mythsandtheir relationtopsychology.Carl GustavJung,whoseworksarethemaintheoreticalsourcesotthiswork,explains the mainconceptsofanalytical psychologyandthecollectiveunconscious.Stanislav KratochvílsummarizesthemainthoughtsofJung’sapproachandprovidesthe listofthe mostcommonarchetypes.V.J.Proppanalyses thestructureoffolktales usingthe functionsofthecharacters(dramatis personae)inthenarrative. Thetheoreticalchapterisfollowed bythree chaptersdealingwiththe particular novels.Atthe beginningofeachofthesechapterstheshortsummaryofthe plot is provided.Thisisdone inordertointroduce the contentofthe bookswhichis being referredtointheanalysis.Aftersummarizingthe plotthefollowingphenomenaare examined:thewaythe mythsandrituals influencethe lifeoftheinhabitantsofthe fantasticworlds; the responsesofthe people tothemanifestationsofthefantastic worlds’existence;thedevelopmentofthemaincharacterduringandafter the experience withthefantasticworld; theuseofthearchetypesanddistributionofthe functionsofdramatis personae.These phenomenaare thecriteriafor thecomparisonof thenovels,whichisdoneinthe conclusion. AstheworldofmodernmainstreamsocietydepictedinGaimanisnotalways identicalwiththerealworldandthe pictureofthesocietyfulfillsspecificfunctions essentialfor theworkitself,theterm Ordinaryworldwill beusedinorder toavoid ambiguityinsomeoftheobservations.Thisterm relatesstrictlytotheenvironmentand societyofGaiman’snovels. Theoriginandform ofallthe threenovels is quitedifferent.Neverwhere is an adaptedseriesscriptwhereGaimanputthesceneswhichwereleftoutwhile theseries was beingfilmed.Stardust isafairytaleforthe adults,as itdealswithsome problems 6 thatarenot commonintheliterature forchildren(the problemofraisingillegitimate children,genderissuessuchasTristan’streatingthestar at the beginningoftheir journeytoWall)andalsoithasquiteanunconventionalending.Bycontrast,Coraline is ahorror storyforchildren.However,all theabovementionednovelssharecertain generalcharacteristics. Inthenovelsthatare discussedinthisthesisGaimanfocusesontherelationship betweenthe twoworlds whichexist nexttoeachotherandareseparatedbyamoreor lessclear border.ForexampleinStardust theworldofFaerieisseparatedfromthe Ordinaryworldbyawallwhichall theinhabitantsof Wall(thevillagerepresentingthe OrdinaryworldofStardust )areawareof,whereasinNeverwhere theline betweenthe twoworldsisnotmentionedexplicitly.InCoraline the border isthedoor.The relationship oftheOrdinaryworlds’inhabitantstowardsfantasticworldisverydifferent anddependsontheleveloftheindividual’sopennestowards strange andunknown.In general,the mostofthe peoplelivingintheOrdinaryworldarenotawareofthe fantasticworld’s existence.Someof themconsciouslyrefuse theideathatthefantastic worldisrealeventhoughtheysee thesignsindicatingits presence.Onlythemostopen individuals canenterthefantasticworld,becomeabsorbedbyitandinthe endfully accept its existence. Thecentralfocusofall thenarrativesisonthe journeyof themaincharacter.This journeyis physicalaswellassymbolic (fromthe pointofviewofthe maincharacter’s innerdevelopment).The maincharacters,whoareinsomewaydifferent fromtherestof thesocietylivinginthe Ordinaryworld,enter thefantasticworldeitherintentionally,or byaccident.Themajor partofthe plotisthenabouttheireffortstoget backtothe Ordinaryworld.Duringthe journeytheylearnmoreabout themselvesandintheend 7 theycancomparetheir valuesandattitudes tolifewiththose ofthe peoplelivingintheir ownworld. Themainstreamsociety(i.e.the inhabitantsoftheOrdinaryworlds)is presentedas focusedonthematerial thingsandvalues: inStardust themaininterestof thevillagers livinginWallis inbreedingsheepandkeepingtheirhouseholds.Jessica,thefiancéeof themaincharacterof Neverwhere ,devotes themajorityofhertimetomakingher career.Coraline’s parents,motherinparticular,areoccupiedbytheir jobs andeveryday concerns andshowlittleinterest intheirdaughter’sdreamsandthemysterieshiddenin theirhouse.TheinhabitantsofthefantasticworldsknowabouttheOrdinaryworld’s existenceandtheycan,toacertainextent,influencetheeventshappeninginit.Someof themcandeliberatelyentertheOrdinaryworldforexampleMr.Croup,Mr.Vandemar andDoor(Neverwhere) ;theinhabitantsofFaeriewhocometothevillageof Wallfor themarket(Stardust )andthe beldam’srighthand(Coraline ). Allthe threenarrativesaretoldinthethirdpersonsingular whichmakesit possible tofollowmorecharactersandeventsatthesametime,butthemajorityofeachofthe stories(inCoraline the wholestory)is beingviewedfromthe pointofviewofthe main character.Thisnarrativestrategyputstheemphasisonthemaincharacters’viewsand thewayofevaluatingsituations.The maincharacters’experiencethusdeterminesthe normsofwhatis considerednormalandappropriate. 8 1. Theoretical Background Thischapter introducesseveral theoreticalapproacheswhichareusedinthe thesisto makealinkbetweenGaiman’s booksandthecollectiveunconscious.Tobeable to analyse Neverwhere ,Stardust andCoraline withregardtotheirsimilaritytothe collectiveunconscious,itisnecessarytoclarifycertainnotionsthatwill bereferredtoin thiswork.Thesenotions(thegenreoffantasyanditsfunctions;collectiveunconscious andfunctionsofdramatis personae)formatheoretical backgroundofthe phenomena thatarediscussedinthe thesis.The partofthischapter concernedwithfantasyasa genredeals withthe basicdefinitionoffantasy,thefunctionofthegenre asawholeand thefunctionsoftheindividualapproachestowritingfantasticliterature.Itisfollowed byintroductionofthe basicconcepts oftheanalytical psychology:theunconscious,the archetypesandtheindividuationprocess.Theconnectionofthemythtothe psychology ismentioned.Thechapterendswiththedefinitionofthefunctionsofdramatis personae andthelist offunctionsthataresharedbyall thethree books. 1.1. Fantasy as a Genre Thefirst pointis the definitionoffantasyasagenre.Itis difficultas thenotionitself isquitevagueandhasmanydifferentdefinitions,whichincludeorexcludevarious kindsofliterature.Somescholarsevenclaimthat anymimeticwork,i.e.workthat attempts“toimitate,todescribeevents,people,situationsandobjectswithsuch verisimilitudethatotherscanshareyourexperience”(Hume20),isinfact fantastic because the authors trytoprovide“something‘likelife’” (Humexi).Thus mediated experiencenecessarilydemandsuse offantasyasanelement(Humexii).AsRosemary Jacksonpointsout: “Allimaginaryactivityisfantastic,allliteraryworks arefantasies” 9 (13).Thisobservationis,however,toobroadforthe purposesofthisthesisand therefore it isnecessarytonarrowit downinsome way. Fantasyliteratureisoftenviewedasanattempttoescapereallifeforthereaderas wellasforthewriter.Thenameofthegenre itself putstheemphasisonthis