1) How is science fiction different from fantasy, according to Le Guinn?
2) How does Attebery (1980) define Fantasy? Find at least five definitions?
3) In what ways does Tax (2002) suggest Earthsea may still be relevant today?
4) What are some archetypes that often recur in fantasy fiction? Give examples from Earthsea and other fantasy works you might know.
5) In what way is The Wizard of Earthsea a ‘coming of age’ novel? Does it escape from the ‘boy’s own adventure’ story? How are Ged’s adventures different from Tintin’s?
1) How is science fiction different from fantasy, according to Le Guin?
ReplyDeleteScience fiction can be somewhat related to realism, in the way that it incorporates one of the main features that a realism text would; plausibility. Although a science fiction text will shy away from the present time, it will either be set far in the future or far in the past, but with plausible characters and events. “Science fiction tends to avoid the actual present time.” (Le Guin) Science fiction is based on the possibility of science and invention, which differs itself from fantasy, which has barely any grounding in reality. Adding on to the plausibility of a science fiction text, characters will most likely not have any kind of super powers or special skills, they will just be characterised as humans set in a different world and dimension. ““In general, science fiction proceeds just as realistic fiction does, meeting conventional expectations of how people generally act, and either avoiding events that will strike the reader as improbable, or plausibly explaining them.” (Le Guin)
Fantasy on the other hand, is more of an imaginative genre of text, as it incorporates elements of magic and supernaturalism; with the use characters and the setting. “fantasy is an exercise of what may be our most divine and certainly is our most human capacity, the imagination” (Le Guin). For example, in ‘A Wizard of Earthsea’, Yevaud is a dragon which is a supernatural creature. As Le Guin mentions “the characters in fantasy may not be human, or may relate to nonhuman beings in unexpected ways.” (Le Guin). This contrasts to Le Guin’s science fiction text, ‘The Left Hand of Darkness’ which is set in the past on a differing planet with human-like characters. Although ‘A Wizard of Earthsea’ does include human characters, the setting and the nature of some characters fits into the fantasy category.
2) How does Attebery (1980) define Fantasy? Find at least five definitions?
Attebery has a very straightforward understanding of fantasy; most prominently he characterises fantasy as being a text set in an impossible world, but including elements that provoke our imagination in order for us to believe it as we are reading it.
Attebery defines the narrative of a fantasy as the presenting of “the persuasive establishment and development of an impossibility, an arbitrary construct of the mind with all under the control of logic and rhetoric”, suggesting that we will be successful in reading a fantasy text if we ourselves have the imagination and the open mind to believe what we are reading. “It can involve beings whose existence we all know to be impossible, like dragons, flying horses…”. As seen in Earthsea, with Yevaud the Dragon. The castle and the shadow fit into the fantasy genre. “It can revolve around magical objects: rings, hats, castles…”. Attebery also claims that “fantasy invokes wonder by making the impossible seem familiar and the familiar seem new and strange” which is applicable to Earthsea, as we are reading it, we go through many stages of believability, even though the setting and the events throughout are realistically impossible, our minds are encouraged to think of it as being real. “It can take advantage of our curiosities” which makes us want to continue reading – we are consciously thinking about and processing the world in which the text is set in, and since the world is so unlike our own, we are curious about everything that happens within the fantasy realm of the text.
References:
http://www.ursulakleguin.com/PlausibilityRevisited.html
Attebery, B. The Fantasy Tradition in American Literature: From Irving to Le Guin. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1980, 1-10.
Nice answers, Nadia.
ReplyDeleteI would like to see you use examples from Earthsea. Show your knowledge of the primary text.
Delete'A Wizard of Earthsea' demonstrates the fantasy genre through its setting; in a fantasy world, based on an island called Gont. This particular setting in the text is that of a fantasy nature due to the likelihood of it ever occurring being possible, in the human world. The island of Gont, and additionally the stem off of the storyline of Ged going to wizard school is that of the fantasy genre, due to it not being possible in the human world. What sets Ursula Le Guin's 'Earthsea' and other texts of a different genre (namely Science Fiction) apart is the setting, characters and overall storyline which, in Earthsea's case, is in an unrealistic world that would never be possible. "Earthsea has magic, dragons, its own myths and prehistory" (Mitchell, D. 2015). Earthsea's islands of Atnini, Atuan, Roke, Selidor and the Isle of the Ear are additionally characterised as being of the fantasy genre due to their mystical and magical attributes, for example the Wizard school that Ged attends is on the island of Roke.
References:
Mitchell, D. (2015, October 23). David Mitchell on Earthsea – a rival to Tolkien and George RR Martin. Retrieved October 04, 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/oct/23/david-mitchell-wizard-of-earthsea-tolkien-george-rr-martin
Can you identify any common fantasy meta-narratives from your own reading/viewing?
ReplyDeleteAs Fantasy is a fictional genre that is based in a fictional universe, the common central plot revolves around magic or supernatural events. As it is entirely fictional, the root of the fantasy genre came from oral story telling and often has elements derived from myths and legends.
For myself personally, I don’t particularly watch any fantasy films or television programmes because I personally don’t feel engaged. However, feeling like an outsider and having a fresh gaze on fantasy during these two weeks I have noticed common fantasy meta-narratives. The central plot of all fantasy genres is conducted by an imagined thought rather than a reality, and does not need for history, nature or any other element to adhere to the laws of reality. This entirely imagined world and characters can be labelled as a fantasy genre, whereas a plot with some imaginary concepts by still consistent with history could be considered a realistic fiction. The main point when considering the meta-narratives of fantasy is both the element and the extent of the imagined.
As written by Furby & Hines (2011), Fantasy within films may only be 100 years old, however the storytelling in which fantasy holds its roots is ancient. As a human beings we indulge in imagination and dreams, which helps the fantasy genre resonate with views/readers. So the most common meta-narrative in my opinion would be the consistency of the imagined plot, pervading against human culture and dipping into a human urge to escape from reality.
Question 4
ReplyDeleteIn recent studies by the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, the idea of the human archetype has been developed and connected to common character ideas in the fantasy genre. An archetype, as explained by Jung, is an innate, universal model that characterizes a person’s personality from birth (Cherry 2017). Essentially, an archetype is a personification of inward psychological reactions to various circumstances, meaning that an archetype for a character is flexible and changes to respond to the situation at hand. Jung has developed 12 different archetypes that all people fall under, either singularly or a mixture of several different archetypes. Jung himself has connected these 12 archetypes to fantasy, as it is in these stories that these archetypes are brought to life in commonplace fantasy characters (PWP Week 4). Some of these common archetypes he developed include the hero, a brave and courageous soul whose goal is to be as strong and as competent as possible in order to improve the world, the ruler, a person who believes that power is everything and control is the most important things, the mentor, a faithful guide who acts to instruct and inform, and the shadow, a representation of repressed and inappropriate ideals like greed, prejudice, and aggression (Golden 2014). These archetypes, and many more, can be found in a variety of fantasy novels, including The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula LeGuin. Specifically,the mentor and the shadow are some very prominent archetypes present in the story. Throughout The Wizard of Earthsea, Ged, the main character and wizard-in-training, has several mentors along the way to help guide him on his journey for magical education. He first learns some introductory magic from his aunt, where he learns the power of magic over animals and people. Ged also learns under Ogion, a quieter and wiser teacher. He shows Ged the power of balance in nature and he stresses control of magic rather than just using magic to duel with his rival, Jasper (Earthsea book). The shadow is a very symbolic and important part of the story as well. The shadow is a monster connected to Ged that haunts him and is connected to him. It represents the darkness inside him but it also represents an obstacle to becoming a true wizard who can conquer evil. The Master Hand even tells Ged that lighting a candle always casts a shadow, displaying how one cannot have light without darkness and it is important to discover a healthy balance (Earthsea book). These archetypes play a very important role in propelling the main protagonist through various adventures that allow him to grow and learn on his journey to becoming a true wizard.
very well done, good balance of secondary and primary sources. break your work into paragraphs. work on writing introductions and conclusions.
DeleteREVISED VERSION
DeleteQuestion 4
In recent studies by the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, the idea of the human archetype has been developed and connected to common character ideas in the fantasy genre. An archetype, as explained by Jung, is an innate, universal model that characterizes a person’s personality from birth (Cherry 2017). Essentially, an archetype is a personification of inward psychological reactions to various circumstances, meaning that an archetype for a character is flexible and changes to respond to the situation at hand. Jung has developed 12 different archetypes that all people fall under, either singularly or a mixture of several different archetypes. Jung himself has connected these 12 archetypes to fantasy, as it is in these stories that these archetypes are brought to life in commonplace fantasy characters (PWP Week 4).
Some of these common archetypes he developed include the hero, a brave and courageous soul whose goal is to be as strong and as competent as possible in order to improve the world, the ruler, a person who believes that power is everything and control is the most important things, the mentor, a faithful guide who acts to instruct and inform, and the shadow, a representation of repressed and inappropriate ideals like greed, prejudice, and aggression (Golden 2014).
These archetypes, and many more, can be found in a variety of fantasy novels, including The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula LeGuin. Specifically,the mentor and the shadow are some very prominent archetypes present in the story. Throughout The Wizard of Earthsea, Ged, the main character and wizard-in-training, has several mentors along the way to help guide him on his journey for magical education. He first learns some introductory magic from his aunt, where he learns the power of magic over animals and people. Ged also learns under Ogion, a quieter and wiser teacher. He shows Ged the power of balance in nature and he stresses control of magic rather than just using magic to duel with his rival, Jasper (Earthsea book).
The shadow is a very symbolic and important part of the story as well. The shadow is a monster connected to Ged that haunts him and is connected to him. It represents the darkness inside him but it also represents an obstacle to becoming a true wizard who can conquer evil. The Master Hand even tells Ged that lighting a candle always casts a shadow, displaying how one cannot have light without darkness and it is important to discover a healthy balance (Earthsea book). These archetypes play a very important role in propelling the main protagonist through various adventures that allow him to grow and learn on his journey to becoming a true wizard.
What are some archetypes that often recur in fantasy fiction? Give examples from Earthsea and other fantasy works you might know.
ReplyDeleteFantastical elements have permeated fiction for a millennia in the form of fairytales, fables and epic poems. Throughout this, certain characters have surfaced bearing dissimilar faces yet similar persona's. Psychiatrist, Carl Jung, examined this fact to present both the theory of a collective unconscious and archetypes. De Coster (2010) interprets the definition of a collective unconscious as a part of the psyche that is separate from the personal unconscious. While one is experienced and personally acquired, the other is congenital and innate. Directly correlated to this notion, is his proposal of archetypal figures existing alongside or within this collective unconscious, that our minds identify definite forms in the psyche and that they are present, anywhere and everywhere. Author, Christopher Vogler is in agreement with this concept and presents twelve that are specifically prevalent in film. Some that Vogler believes often emerge in the fantasy genre are mentor, shapeshifter and shadow. These three dramatis personae exist within Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea series and many other forms of fantasy.
The mentor archetype is a figure so present within fantasy, most heavily assimilate it with the genre. From Harry Potter's Dumbledore to Wheel of Time's Moirane to Lord of the Ring's Gandalf, it's evident why this fact is so widespread as a hero always needs a wiser individual to guide them. Within Earthsea, Ogion fills this archetype doubtlessly. His mentorship of protagonist Ged sets the air of the first novel and fosters Ged into the future of a legend. But not before Ged exhibits traits of another archetype: the shapeshifter. During his journey in A Wizard of Earthsea, Ged escapes stone minions and transforms into an eagle and is almost trapped within that form. The shapeshifter archetype can be present within any genre depending on the definition of the archetype, but is largely found within fantasy due to it's otherworldly nature - the ability to take the shape of something else. With the vampiric boom within popular culture, a league of characters fitting this stereotype came about including True Blood's Eric Northman, Vampire Diaries' Damon Salvatore and most notably, Twilight's Edward Cullen. A female character that exemplifies this is X-Men antagonist, Mystique, a blue-skinned shapeshifter with the power to transform completely into another person. Another female who epitomizes the archetype of the shadow is Game of Throne's Melisandre, who births magical shadows that harm others. In contrast, a much less sinister version of this archetype is Peter Pan's shadow who follows him from his world to Wendy's. Earthsea's demonstration of this is in the Shadow that sprung from Ged and is named accordingly. The shadow archetype, similar to the shapeshifter, can exist within any genre but is typically showcased in fantasy.
Fantasy as a genre contains a legion of diverse, distinct and desired characters that unquestionably sets forth Vogler's archetypes and Le Guin's Earthsea, among other fantasy works, support and reinforce this.
Sources:
De Coster, P. (2010). The Collective Unconscious and Its Archetypes. Ghent, Belgium: Satsang Press.
Vogler, C. (2007). The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers (3rd ed.). Studio City, California: Michael Wiese Productions.
great answer
ReplyDeleteList the fantasy works you reference with your other references at the bottom.
unpack your examples for Earthsea a little bit more
Question 2:
ReplyDeleteAttebery, (1980) defines fantasy in many different ways. He identified the primary feature that was pointed out by W. R. Irwin, “an overt violation of what is generally accepted as possibility” is needed to be able to label a piece of work under the fantasy genre. He states that fantasy then presupposes a view of exterior reality which it goes on to contradict. This is explaining that his view of fantasy means that he thinks to be classed in the fantasy genre there are many things that could be included to get you thinking and imagining, he said “it can involve beings whose existence we know to be impossible, like dragons, flying horses, or shape-shifting men. And fantasy treats these impossibilities without hesitation, without doubt.” Making the reader feel as though they are in another world, one where anything is possible. This would make the reader want to find out more about what’s going on in this world because fantasy is so different to any other genre as it lets you explore your imagination. He also defines fantasy as being something that defies natural law. This means that anything that the author puts into the book that doesn’t sound like something we would normally be used to hearing or seeing would make it a fantasy novel. He used the example of people exchanging heads painlessly or a tree reaching out to grab people walking past. These are all thing that we know could never come true, but a fantasy novel treats these things as if they have been happening all our lives and it is completely normal and could happen at any moment.
References:
Attebery, B. The Fantasy Tradition in American Literature: From Irving to Le Guin. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1980, 1-10.
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