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FINAL Current Developments at the Intersection of British Children ONLINE VERSION
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The fellowship Considering the trend towards an increasing absence of authority in current British fantasy novels for children, parents, the authority per se, fade even more into the background. At the same time, the gap they are leaving behind needs to be compensated for. As we have already seen, this only works to some extent as there is no true equivalent. People who come closest to family are guardians, friends, peers, companions and helpers. Whereas a guardian can be defined as a protector, defender or mentor, this term frequently implies the addendum “of a minor” or another person who cannot yet fend for himself. A friend is someone the child hero knows well, likes and is loyal to, independent of their age, origin, rank etc. By contrast, a peer distinguishes him- or herself by the fact that they are “equal in social standing, rank, age, etc.”, 222 especially in peer groups of children of the same age. Whereas a companion can be defined as an associate or a comrade, a helper is emotionally distanced and not as intimate as a friend, since his actions or skills and not his character stand in the foreground. Without the support of a fellowship, “a society of people sharing mutual interests, experiences, activities, etc.”, 223 the child hero in fantasy would not succeed in his quest. His companions dispose of specific skills and qualities which they can place at the hero’s disposal as the need arises. By distributing several extraordinary skills among several people, hero and helpers become more credible; especially so if the fantasy hero is still a child, who is 222 Collins Dictionary, p. 1144. 223 Ibd., p. 563. 182 generally not considered capable of doing much. 224 Yet again it is Tolkien who provides the prime example for such a fellowship; 225 the famous Fellowship of the Ring. Instead of possessing all the necessary qualities himself, Frodo can rely on the support of his companions, their strength, their intelligence, their hope and their trust. Without them, both he and his quest would be lost. Also, a group or at least a pair of heroes permit the confrontation of good and bad traits outside of the body of just one hero. Frodo and Gollum or Ged and his shadow point out the unity of good and bad elements in everyone. As with Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, two persons can demonstrate the clashing polarisation more adequately than a single character. Current British fantasy novels for children adapt the concept of the fellowship and mould it to their specific needs. Many of our corpus novels feature guardians, friends, peers, companions and helpers, without the help of whom the child hero would fail his or her quest. Just like Bilbo would never set out on his quest without his guardian and mentor Gandalf and the dwarves, Harry Potter would not be able to defeat Voldemort without the support of his guardians Dumbledore and Sirius Black, his peers Ron and Hermione and his numerous friends. In our corpus novels we find a remarkable number of child heroes who appear in pairs, and who are still part of a fellowship. Here, specific skills are distributed on a duo, sometimes even a trio, which is then complemented by further skills provided by the fellowship- members. In Pullman’s His Dark Materials, the heroes Lyra and Will are initially portrayed as two independent characters in their respective surroundings. Once they have found each other, they become a duo and can fall back on the talents of Lee Scoresby, the armoured bear, the Gyptians, the Gallivespians and the Lapland witches. Like a jigsaw puzzle, the various beings and their abilities are pieced together so as to form a heterogeneous, yet harmonious whole. In their very own way, each of them contributes precious characteristics that benefit the public interest, for example physical strength, intelligence, loyalty, a network of information, security and family structures. Like this, the motley fellowship, loosely connected via the main characters, become allies in Lyra’s and Will’s quest for the successful founding of the Republic of Heaven. 224 For example a child superhero capable of rescuing the world single-handedly would appear irreconcilable with the picture of weakness associated with a child. 225 This is not to say that Tolkien was the first author to invent a fellowship. Rather, he revived this ancient epic tradition and applied it to the post-Second-World-War fantasy genre. Therefore, Tolkien as well as C.S. Lewis for instance can be considered pioneers of a tradition of old in a new age. 183 Another fantasy novel which features a hero duo is Nicholson’s The Wind on Fire trilogy . Being twins, Kestrel and Bo are connected via a special tie. As soul mates, the siblings are highly receptive to the feelings and thoughts of the other. Nevertheless they have different characteristics, skills and interests, allowing them to complement each other. In the course of the trilogy, a fellowship forms around the twins that encourages and strengthens them so that they can fulfil their quest. Kerr’s The Children of the Lamp is also a fantasy novel with twins as main characters. One day, Philippa and John are initiated into the secret of the existence of djinn and their own descent from them. From this moment onwards the child heroes are confronted with an entirely new culture, its heritage and conventions as well as special djinn powers that they now develop. On their quests, the twins are supported by their parents, their djinn uncle as well as other djinn, above all Mr Rakhshasas. Again, without the support of their companions and helpers, the heroes’ quests would be doomed to failure. Stroud’s Bartimaeus trilogy introduces two heroes which could not be more different. Bartimaeus and Nathaniel, a djinn and a human magician, cooperate only grudgingly on the basis of a love-hate relationship. Whereas djinn and magician appear to have nothing in common at first, the course of the trilogy reveals that they resemble each other more than they really want. Both try to vie with one another in the size of their ego and consider themselves God’s gift to djinn- and mankind respectively. The two quarrellers are slowed down and counterweighted by the human girl Kitty, who complements the heroes forming a trio with them. 226 Her perspicacity, mellowness and rationalism oppose the frequently instinct-driven skirmishes of the two male characters. Even though the trio is supported by other djinn and magicians, no real fellowship is formed around the three individualists. Without any guardians, family or close friends, there are only a few helpers that cooperate just as reluctantly. Yet, in our corpus novels, such circumstances remain an exception. By contrast, Foreman’s Keepers and Seekers series focuses on the fate of the Stone Keeper, who would not stand any chance against the powerful Seekers without the continuous support of the fellowship. The latter turns out to be a very special one as it is composed of various generations of Stone Keepers, for example Dougie and his warriors and Peter’s grandfather and his soldiers. Due to their respective experience and skills the fellowship can face almost any situation adequately and choose those Keepers who are the fittest for 226 Another trio of main characters are Harry, Ron and Hermione in the Harry Potter novels. However, Harry is clearly the dominant hero, while Ron and Hermione have to accept less prestigious positions beside him. 184 protecting the stone. As the fellowship comprises mainly family members and close friends of the guardians, the bond is very strong. One peculiarity is the fact that even though young Peter himself is the Guardian of the Stone, he is still supervised and guarded by a mentor. Another peculiarity is the diachronic composition of the fellowship, which expresses its unique, original and creative features. In current British fantasy novels for children the heroes are part of a fellowship of variable size that gives them mental and physical support. At the same time, its members rectify an otherwise implausible and unconvincing accumulation of special skills and abilities by distributing them over several characters. This technique ensures a more lifelike, down-to- earth portrait of the fantasy hero or the heroes. Download 1.22 Mb. Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: |
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