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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. 

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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
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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.
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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.

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149 
Despite its volume
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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.
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