Microsoft Word final-current Developments at the Intersection of British Children-online-version doc

Children of the Lamp
. Modern-day teenagers, John and Philippa, the twin main characters of 
the novels discover their djinn heritage, origin and endowments. In the course of their 
explorations, the twins embark on adventures, soon finding themselves surrounded by an 
atmosphere of the oriental 1001 nights. In The Akhenaten Adventure
95
its dangers become 
apparent. Not only do people fall victim to poisonous snakes
96
but also feral mutilations are 
mentioned almost casually in passing.
97
In The Blue Djinn of Babylon,
98
Philippa finds herself 
in the same situation as the legendary Scheherazade. At the mercy of a French djinn, Philippa 
92
Ibd., p. 287.
93
Ibd., p. 294.
94
Ecocriticm, ecotopia and ecopoiesis as approaches to readings in children’s literature are for instance 
discussed in Clare Bradford; Kerry Mallan; John Stephens; Robyn McCallum. New World Orders in 
Contemporary Children’s Literature: Utopian Transformations
. Basingstoke; New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 
2008, pp. 79-104. 
95
P.B. Kerr. The Children of the Lamp. The Akhenaten Adventure. London: Scholastic Children’s Books, 2004.
96
Ibd., pp. 189, 252.
97
Ibd., p. 206.
98
P.B. Kerr. The Children of the Lamp. The Blue Djinn of Babylon. London: Scholastic Children’s Books, 2005.

---

116 
stays alive as long as she has a story to tell.
99
This act of psychological violence is soon 
topped by John’s dilemma. As a test, he has to kill his own father.
100
Certainly, his act of 
parricide is moderated by the following realisation that it was not his own father after all. 
Nevertheless parricide, in a book intended for children, presents a serious breach of a taboo. 
More graphic violence is not long in coming: The so-called Bocca Veritas. Instead of being 
made from stone like its Roman counterpart, in Kerr’s novel it consists of a human head 
severed from its body,
101
condemned to eternal life.
Apart from the heroic death of a squirrel, Tyler’s The Time Wreccas do not show a 
high death toll, but the frequency and intensity of graphic violence increase in contrast to the 
publications mentioned previously, Tyler’s novel portrays much physical violence and verbal 
abuse, such as bullying, mobbing and systematic beatings. Amongst the barbaric Wreccas acts 
of violence are used either for purposes of scare tactics, punishment, for abreacting or just for 
fun. The second volume, The Time Apprentice, follows up this fundamental separation of the 
two levels, above and below ground, and their inhabitants, Guardians and Wreccas. Whereas 
in the first novel only Sofi and Seth change sides from Wrecca to Guardian, The Time 
Apprentice
permits at least a partial cross-over when the Wrecca women find refuge above 
ground and some Guardians venture into the Wrecca domain of the Underneath. Only 
Wreccas can overcome class barriers and improve their status – Guardians do not sink below 
their level. As the moral of The Time Apprentice strives to show, willpower, openness and the 
willingness to make the first move help getting rid of prejudices and further mutual 
misunderstanding. Apart from psychological threats, intimidations and cruel but failed plans, 
the most memorable scene of graphic violence in the novel is that of Stench’s death. He 
unintentionally gets in the way of a swinging pickaxe.
102
In current British fantasy for children it can be noticed that the higher one moves on 
the open-ended scale of violence, the more likely it is that the novel in question is a popular 
book or even a bestseller. This suggests a reciprocal relationship between the popularity and 
success of a topical novel on the one hand and its extent and form of violence on the other. 
Obviously, this development is at its most conspicuous where British fantasy novels for 
children possess a high sales volume. This raises the question why they are so successful and 
99
Ibd., p. 219-220. 
100
Ibd., p. 256.
101
Ibd., p. 268.
102
Val Tyler. The Greenwich Chronicles. The Time Apprentice. London: Puffin, 2007, p. 95. 

---

117 
popular. On analysing the content of violence in British fantasy novels for children it becomes 
apparent that violence is the outlet via which this sensation hunger is stilled, and that the sales 
potential of a publication rises exponentially to the content of violence.
Graphic violence has become an essential element of the form and structure of the 
fantasy novel and is used to emphasise the conflict and the difference between antagonistic 
characters and their philosophy towards their fellow beings. Indifference and thirst for power 
further violence and its use. However, graphic violence is not restricted to evil characters. The 
heroes can also avail themselves of quite dubious methods and forms of violence against evil, 
only distinguished by their intention, interpretation and aim.
A good example for the symbiosis between detailed cruel deeds and literary as well as 
commercial success in the subgenre of animal fantasy is Jacques’ Redwall series. The author’s 
recipe for success follows the same basic pattern in the single volumes. One or several villains 
unlawfully threaten the abbey of Redwall and/ or its protégés. They thus pick a battle, only to 
lose it every time. Unable to learn from mistakes, the villains pay with their lives for their 
wicked deeds. As peaceful and idyllic some scenes of the secluded life in the forest are 
portrayed to be, the obligatory battles dominate the events. Even if Jacques tries to re-
establish the harmony at the end of the novels, the endings appear artificial. What remains is 
the impression of the respective battles and the numerous losses, behind which the story 
suffers. Sometimes one cannot help feeling that these excesses of violence are intended to 
compensate for weaknesses of the plot. In Jacques’ Redwall series, the villains are associated 
with tyranny, lust for power and a taut pecking order. The latter entails unquestioning 
obedience towards seniors on the one hand and merciless behaviour
towards juniors on the 
other. Outside the hierarchy, the mob is dominated by chaos and despotism. So it does not 
really come as a surprise that short work is made of anyone not complying with the evil 
leader’s will. On the agenda are the taking of hostages, mutilations, executions and massacres.
Other novels from our corpus can take Jacques’ Redwall series on any time. There still 
seems to be much leeway at the upper, open-ended scale of graphic violence when we look at 
publications such as Foremans’s Keepers and Seekers, Baddor’s The Looking-Glass Wars or 
Rowling’s Harry Potter heptalogy. Further fantasy novels with prominent graphic violence 
encompass Pullman’s His Dark Materials, Taylor’s Shadowmancer, Shadowmancer: The