Microsoft Word final-current Developments at the Intersection of British Children-online-version doc
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FINAL Current Developments at the Intersection of British Children ONLINE VERSION
4.2.1
Traditional roles of evil Any purposeful analysis of evil in current British children’s fantasy requires a preliminary definition. As one part of a dualistic concept, evil can only exist in its opposition to good. The connotations of these two terms always depend on the respective social parameters, i.e. moral and ethical standards, within which they are employed. In our case the relevant parameters are those of the prevailing value system in North-West Europe. Accordingly, the main focus is on the interpretation of and the passing of judgment on human characters, deeds and intentions in view of their compliance with social conventions and values. Religious implications are taken into consideration, yet do not preponderate. Evil can be defined as “morally wrong or bad; wicked”, “causing harm or injury”. 57 Whereas Collins equates moral wrong with evil, Kekes sees a problem with such an identification. In his opinion, a distinction should be made between “morally bad and evil actions”, 58 as he claims they are not congruent. Rather, Kekes proposes a gradation of nuances of evil, which he classifies according to their intensity in internal, external, active and passive explanations in their various combinations. According to him, evil, “a permanent threat to 57 Collins Dictionary, p. 536. 58 John Kekes. The Roots of Evil. Ithaca; London: Cornell University Press, 2005, p. 139. 100 human well-being” 59 is worse than mere badness, because it “involves serious harm” 60 which befalls body and/ or soul. In summary, for Kekes it is viable to talk of evil if “malevolent motivation” leads to “serious, excessive harm” without “any morally acceptable excuse”. 61 For our purpose of defining evil in children’s fantasy, these definitions are a valuable contribution to an overall picture. In On Evil, Morton too takes up the approach of gradation. Occasionally committed morally bad or wrong acts do not automatically make someone evil. Instead, with the freedom of choice between good and evil engrained in human nature, it is only natural that such faux pas do happen sometimes. Therefore, Morton argues that evil goes beyond everyday-wrongs, thus forms a category of its own in which evil labels deeds or people that cannot be classed within normal moral and understanding. 62 Just like Kekes mentions a lack of excuse for evil deeds, Morton stresses the factor of deliberation. According to him, evil is intimately connected with atrocity. Symptomatic for it are “death, pain, and humiliation imposed on others” as well as a total lack of respect towards their brethren. 63 Favourable prerequisites for evil deeds are therefore ruthlessness, cold-bloodedness and selfishness in combination with a low inhibition threshold. Traditionally, the roles of evil in fantasy literature for children are clear-cut. In its quality as the opposite of good, evil embodies and unites all the negative characteristics the noble hero lacks by definition. That way, the hero is artificially elevated and purified, whereas the villain is reduced to wickedness. With pure good as one extreme and pure evil as the mutually exclusive other, evil is exaggerated and condensed to a deterrent and a negative showcase model. This way, the qualities of the hero are underlined. In traditional fantasy literature for children, this strong polarisation is intended to simplify matters by avoiding ambiguities. In such a literary cosmos of only extreme good or evil, everything is geared to encourage the reader’s identification with the hero. Nevertheless, even an overabundance of positive qualities of a hero of traditional British children’s fantasy cannot obscure the fact that evil and its representatives exert a certain fascination on the readers. Depending on the 59 Kekes, Evil, p. xi. 60 Ibd., p. 1. 61 Ibd., p. 4. Compare also Marcus G. Singer. “The Concept of Evil”. In: Philosophy 79 (2004): pp. 185-214. However, Kekes unfortunately undermines his own theorem of distinguishing between good and evil by adding the postulate that “there is no convincing reason for supposing that the good is basic and evil is derivative and there is no more reason to think that evil is interference with the good than that good is interference with evil.” Kekes, Evil, p. 4. 62 See Adam, Morton. On Evil. New York; London: Routledge, 2004, p. 4. 63 Ibd., p. 13. 101 intensity with which the characters of hero and villain are presented, there can be a shift of emphasis in favour of the villain. Against an impending pallor and smoothness of a flawless hero a villain with a prominent profile prevails in all probability. This – not unprecedented - “paradox” of sympathy or even identification with the villain instead of the hero can be explained by the larger degree of freedom. 64 Since weaknesses are something the traditional fantasy hero lacks, his adversary steps in. A villain in pursuit of basic instincts, indulging in every vice forbidden to the hero by decency, secretly satisfies our vein of sensationalism and voyeurism. Many a virtuous hero is thus eclipsed by the reprehensible yet somehow appealing breaking of taboos. The lure of evil consists of wilful licentiousness, expressed by permissiveness, selfishness, disrespect, scrupulousness, violence, destructiveness, unlimited, absolute power as well as arrogance. Whereas positive but harmless good does not pose a threat to personal or social welfare, evil does so by definition. In both reality and literature, evil may be met with occasional secret admiration for the villains, but it is always subject to general suspicion and critical vigilance. Independent of its respective interpretation, abstract evil requires a tangible shape in order to be discussed. A proven and very effective method for a concretisation is personification, as it creates and conveys presence. The latter again permits characterisation and identification, in its course revealing both strong and weak points. Eventually, the knowledge of the vulnerability of the personification is the key to its defeat. Since the author and his world view are directly influenced by society, the conception of the villain therefore represents the current social concept of evil. Thus, an analysis of evil figures in literature reveals historical changes of values and morals. Traditionally, the role of evil and its personifications define themselves over their direct contrast to the hero. Yet claiming that the villain is the exact negative mould of the hero would be an over-generalisation. 65 A fixture in the dramatis personae of a fantasy novel for children, the evil character puts the hero to a test in form of a confrontation. By vanquishing his adversary, the hero terminates the menace and restores harmony. It is through the negative example of the evildoer that the hero’s own positive qualities are emphasised. The traditional villain of British children’s fantasy is noted for his constant violation of good taste and 64 Probably the most famous example for this “paradox” is the role of Satan in Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost . Although the main focus is intended to lie on God, Satan seems to upstage him. 65 Parallels between hero and villain do exist. For instance, both have their pride, their specific goals, their motives and their helpers. 102 decency. In the history of fantasy literature for children we encounter several prime examples for such unmistakeably bad figures. They range from Carroll’s violent Queen of Hearts over Lewis’ White Witch to Tolkien’s Smaug. Common to all those personifications is their unilateral malice over which they define themselves. Lacking psychological motivation, moral and/ or internal conflicts as well as defined, individual traits, they remain superficial types rather than characters. It is only in the more modern and in the current fantasy novels for children that these traditional roles and representations of evil are replaced by complex character studies. Simultaneously, the same development can be observed with the hero, who develops from a mere figure towards a three-dimensional character. It is customary for personifications of evil in British children’s literature to dispose of specific visual as well as behavioural markers, which are intended to ensure a prompt and indisputable identification of the villain. In the course of their long history, many of these markers were used so abundantly that they turned into clichés or were almost flogged to death. As a rule, external and internal features are intimately linked, dark clothing or repulsiveness mirroring inner conditions. This way, undesirable sympathy or even identification with the villain shall be prevented or at least be made more difficult. Current publications which feature traditional roles of evil are for example Baldry’s Download 1.22 Mb. Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: |
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