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FINAL Current Developments at the Intersection of British Children ONLINE VERSION
5.
Modern structures The previous chapter focussed on traditional elements in British fantasy novels for children, above all on the four main categories magic, evil, violence and humour. We saw that these selected elements can be traced back to the very origin of children’s literature and that their long tradition had a strong formative influence on the development of the genre. On the basis of these observations, we will now discuss modern structures in British fantasy novels for children under several aspects. The main focus is on the structure and features of both primary and secondary world(s), the nature and substance of the modern quest as well as the latter’s implications for the personality structure of modern child heroes. Further aspects intimately linked with modern child heroes concern their background, the process of socialisation and enculturation with its high potential for conflict as well as the roles of gender, role models and authority. 5.1 Computergamisation of fantasy novels? Topical British fantasy literature cannot escape the strong influence of the current mass media such as TV formats, the internet, mobile communication and home entertainment products, above all computer games. Since authors and readers alike deal with them on a daily basis, it is only natural that these media find expression in fantasy literature. Concrete technical devices worked into the respective story are a direct adoption of the new media. Even if modified or alienated in their adaptation to the requirements of the secondary world, they remain recognisable in outline. Prime examples for such adaptations are Colfer’s Artemis Fowl ; Brennan’s three faerie novels and McGowan’s Hellbent. In contrast, indirect adaptations of the modern media manifest themselves in the novel’s form, namely its structure, rather than in its content. In one respect, British fantasy for children has an affinity to the structure of contemporary computer games and TV formats, notably series: The widespread and popular practice of serialisation. In fantasy novels as well as in TV formats or computer games, a distinctive trend leans towards economical recycling. For example, a captivating setting thus only needs to be invented once in the first novel of a series. In the sequels, it can be reused time and again. This way, the time and energy that usually go towards the maintenance and actualisation of the secondary world can ideally be used for the shaping of complex characters instead. Yet, any series can only benefit from such an economic handling of its setting if the complexity of the characters manages to unperturbedly parry this shift of priorities. Only then can the author focus on content rather than structure. 148 As a result, the production process is sped up significantly, thus entailing an increased productivity and output capacity. Provided that serialisation does not take its toll on the quality, it can positively affect an author’s commercial success. A further bonus is the setting’s familiarity to both author and reader, which permits a continuation ad infinitum. This clear increase in serialisation in British fantasy novels for children is particularly discernible when we look at the frequency of trilogies (Arthur, Bartimaeus, Eaglesmount, His Dark Materials, The Wind on Fire, Doomspell, The Silver Sequence, Augarde’s trilogy, Switchers , or even larger projects such as pentalogies (Keepers and Seekers), heptalogies (Harry Potter, The Keys of the Kingdom) and entire series (Artemis Fowl, The Children of the Lamp , The Edge Chronicles, Stravaganza, The Wardstone Chronicles, Redwall and The Children of the Red King). In view of the amount of topical British fantasy novels for children on the market the corpus has been chosen in such a way that it represents a balanced cross-section of the field. Since within the scope of this study numerous ideas, directions of thought and developments that are well worth examining can only be raised and broached, further studies are required for a comprehensive analysis of the exact distribution of single versus serial novels of the entire genre. At present, everything points to the fact that the genre of current British fantasy novels for children experiences a pronounced trend towards serialisation. As far as serialisation is concerned, a rapprochement of current British fantasy novels for children and contemporary platform computer games 181 and TV series -above all sitcoms and daily soaps - can be observed. Are the parallels so strong and numerous that one could speak of a “computergamisation” of British fantasy novels for children? Parallels and correlations in the structure of TV series and computer games on the one hand and fantasy novels for children on the other hand can be noticed. With the average duration of a daily soap instalment between 20-30 minutes and its increasing suspense until either its solution or until a cliffhanger, the attention span is standardised. Especially young people grow accustomed to this structuring of information. In this respect it remains to be analysed whether the new media influence literature or the other way round. 181 Here, a restriction has to be made. Strategy or role playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons© or Age of Empires © are not designed in levels of a certain duration. For this reason, non-platform games are not part of the analysis. 149 Despite its volume 182 the Harry Potter series attracts millions of children all over the world. For one, this is due to the gripping and suspenseful story but also to the manageable length of the single chapters. This comprehensibility encourages many children as well as adults to read the novels in spite of their length, since the chapters are relatively short. Most contain a climax and frequently end with a cliffhanger. Generally speaking, the structure of a fantasy novel’s single chapters resembles that of the structure of a TV instalment or a computer game level. Every chapter and instalment reveal something new and further the action or the story. Meanwhile, British fantasy literature for children has been complemented by various film adaptations. This circumstance entails different implications. Firstly, a film based on a novel can facilitate the access to the subject matter for those children that are not eager readers. Secondly, it can promote the contents of the novels. Again, for others, a film adaptation represents an irreconcilable contrast to the novels, since a film inevitably must commit itself to, if not one single, then still a limited number of interpretations. It goes without saying that the interpretations of innumerable individuals cannot possibly all be covered by the statement of one film version. Not only can the imagination of an individual take offence at the guidelines of the film, but it is among other things also confronted with and possibly undermined by set and tangible characters. However, as far as the affinities between fantasy novels and their film as well as computer game adaptations are concerned, it would be interesting to study their parallels and differences in particular in respect of the comparison between the corresponding scene lengths. Research in this direction of comparative studies is bound to yield revealing conclusions concerning the underlying concentration span of today’s consumers of mass media. Since the number of film adaptations of fantasy novels for children is currently increasing noticeably, not only the films but also the original novels are thus much sought after. 183 Download 1.22 Mb. 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