Please read pp. 68-90 of the
Tolkien Reader (part of Tolkien’s essay “On Fairy Stories"). Then
take any fantasy story you like (a favorite fairy tale, a Terry Pratchett
novel, one of the Harry Potter books, or something like the movie Willow) and
try to find in it some of the “secondary creation” techniques Tolkien mentions
in his essay.
Does the author do an effective job creating a believable
“Secondary World” or not? Does the writer address the “recovery, escape,
consolation” themes Tolkien thinks are an important part of fantasy? Is
there a “eucatastrophe," a total (perhaps unexpected, but entirely
appropriate) turn around for the better?
I am a big fan of the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. She does an amazing job of creating a "secondary world." In her books the normal people, known as muggles, have their own world, what we would call the "primary world." They are unaware of the the "secondary world" or wizarding world. Enchantments are put in place to keep them unaware. When reading about Tolkien's take on a good fantasy, referring to eucatastrophe, I couldn't help but think of the ending of this series. After years of trying to figure out how to beat his foe, Lord Voldemort, Harry figures out that he must die, which he does. He allows Voldemort to kill him. However, you can't really kill off the main character, can you? Harry, with the help of the resurrection stone, comes back to life and defeats Voldemort once and for all, but this is the perfect example of a eucatastrophe as Harry dying is an unexpected, but appropriate turn that ends for the better.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the themes recovery, escape, and consolation... an example from Harry Potter is when he has to return to the "muggle world" after each school year at Hogwarts. It is recovery in the sense that it makes the familiar strange again. Harry can no longer use his magic and he is back in a somewhat hostile environment with his aunt, uncle, cousin. He and therefore the reader never takes the wizarding world for granted because of this "recovery" period.
Being taken to the wizarding world is wonderful escape as a reader. Who hasn't wished they were magical at one point or another? How wonderful would it be to learn spells that take care of menial tasks like cleaning dishes, doing laundry, or unlocking doors when you forget your keys.
I have already touched on consolation when I discussed the ending of the series. But, to go further, Harry ends up living "happily ever after." He gets the job he wanted, marries the girl he loves, has a family with her, and get to raise his childred with the children of his best friends who also happen to get together. Not to mention Harry marries his best friend's sister, so they're all technically family. What a deserving consolation to an otherwise unfortunate childhood. -Reeba Sullivan
Okay, I’m a die hard fan of The Little Mermaid. And when I was younger you couldn’t tell me mermaids weren’t real — part human and part aquarium creature. It was a creature I envy dearly — so yes the creator of this animation conducted an excellent job of combining fantasy and reality. Because as a child I was oblivious to what was fact and what was fiction in this storyline. The child viewer believed what was presented in front of them— nor did they care what was authentic or not. All they knew, was that it was fun and entertaining to watch. And that’s all that matter at the time of viewing, but that’s what great storytelling and fantasy is all about.
ReplyDeleteEbonie
Hi Art Marmorstein,
ReplyDeleteMy favorite book as a kid was the Chronicles of Narnia.
I think that the author did a good job at creating a secondary world like many other fictional writers. The imagination and mental visuality is present. Yes the author also incorporates all of what Tokien believes is supposed to be included in a good fantasy. There is a good balance of good and bad and there is a happy ending.
Thank you,
Harmony Mariar