Over the years that the genre of children’s literature has existed, there have been many novels celebrated for their fantasy and intrigue. These novels play an important role in expanding the body of the genre, but few can lay claim to belonging to the group that defines it; the children’s literary canon. Canonicity is a prestige awarded to novels that represent every aspect of what describes children’s literature, and are the criterion against which all other novels in the genre are judged. A key aspect of this canon is its representation of the archetypal hero’s journey, and the equal balance between behavior that the reader can relate to, and behavior that the reader aspires to exhibit. Another standard that a novel in the canon must meet is the ability to be treated as a didactic text as well as an entertaining one; novels written for children must educate as well as captivate. C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia as well as J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings are two literary works that embody the attributes that define the …show more content…
Harry is abused and neglected by his Aunt and Uncle and the Pevensie children are sent to live in the country away from the parents to escape World War II. However, they all find an escape from their realities in their fantasy worlds. At Hogwarts or in Narnia, all the heroes embark on journeys to learn more about themselves and use their strengths to defeat the evil and save their worlds. The readers can relate to these stories because they are grounded in the real world, but they also use them to escape into a fantasy world. The reader can see themselves as Harry or as one of the Pevensie children and, therefore, can also see themselves as the hero. These novels inspire their readers and take them on a journey where they are able to learn more about themselves and face the evils in their
In movies, novels, and life, people are named as heroes. The heroes we establish and the heroes we recognize, however, may not meet the criteria for a mythic hero. A mythic hero ventures forth on his journey, and comes forth from the hero’s path to greatness. Joseph Campbell, a mythologist who studied many of the great human myths and religious tales, realized, in studying these myths and tales, that there were certain steps that every hero went through. Campbell called this “The Hero’s Journey”; it is based on Carl Jung's idea that all human beings have an archetype. After Campbell studied a lot of the great myths and realized this pattern, he published his findings in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Ever since then, authors have used “The Hero’s Journey” as an outline to tell their stories. “It is important to note that not all of these individual steps are present in every hero’s tale, nor is it important that they be in this exact order” (Vogler 20). The Hero with a Thousand Faces gives a sense of significance as it looks into the inner mind and soul. The author, Joseph Campbell, performs two extraordinary accomplishments: compelling his readers that myth and dream, those are the most effective and everlasting forces in life and a unification of mythology and psychoanalysis with a gripping narrative. One well-known example of “The Hero’s Journey” from popular culture is the Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling. In the novel, Harry Potter, the main character, is the chosen one and “The Hero’s Journey” applies to his life from the moment he is attacked by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named as a baby.
After a four week survey of a multitude of children’s book authors and illustrators, and learning to analyze their works and the methods used to make them effective literary pieces for children, it is certainly appropriate to apply these new skills to evaluate a single author’s works. Specifically, this paper focuses on the life and works of Ezra Jack Keats, a writer and illustrator of books for children who single handedly expanded the point of view of the genre to include the experiences of multicultural children with his Caldecott Award winning book “Snowy Day.” The creation of Peter as a character is ground breaking in and of itself, but after reading the text the reader is driven to wonder why “Peter” was created. Was he a vehicle for political commentary as some might suggest or was he simply another “childhood” that had; until that time, been ignored? If so, what inspired him to move in this direction?
Tolkien, J. R. R., and Douglas A. Anderson. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin,
Griffith, John, and Charles Frey. Classics of Children's Literature. 6th ed. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005. 21-29, 322-374. Print.
‘Some idea of a child or childhood motivates writers and determines both the form and content of what they write.’ -- Hunt The above statement is incomplete, as Hunt not only states that the writer has an idea of a child but in the concluding part, he states that the reader also has their own assumptions and perceptions of a child and childhood. Therefore, in order to consider Hunt’s statement, this essay will look at the different ideologies surrounding the concept of a child and childhood, the form and content in which writers inform the reader about their ideas of childhood concluding with what the selected set books state about childhood in particular gender. The set books used are Voices In The Park by Browne, Mortal Engines by Reeve and Little Women by Alcott to illustrate different formats, authorial craft and concepts about childhood. For clarity, the page numbers used in Voices In The Park are ordinal (1-30) starting at Voice 1.
It has always been amazing to realize how well the literature I read as a child has stayed with me through the years. It takes an exceptional writer to compose a narrative that maintains a storyline on the same level of a child's understanding; it takes everything short of a miracle to keep a child's interest. However, that undertaking has been accomplished by many skilled authors, and continues to be an area of growth in the literary world. Only this year the New York Times has given the genre of children's literature the credit it deserves by creating a separate best-sellers list just for outstanding children's books. Yet, on another level, children's literature is not only for the young. I believe that the mark of a brilliant children's author is the age range of those who get pleasure from the stories; the wider the range, the better.
The Hobbit in the movie ‘The Hobbit’ by J.R.R Tolkien, the protagonist, Bilbo Baggins, displaying a hero’s journey starting as a weak and cowardly person with no knowledge of the world outside his comfort zone. As a trilogy the movie only follows part of the hero’s journey to the ORDEAL.
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS Lewis and Tolkien are both considered part of the children’s literary canon because their novels relate to the reader by taking them on a hero’s journey where they learn formative skills needed to complete their journey and face off against the evil in the world. To be considered part of the children’s literary canon, we believe that a book series must also display a hero’s archetype that draws the reader in, while also showing the reader the difference between good and evil and giving them skills to overcome the evils in their lives. Lewis does this by having Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy all be crowned Kings and Queens at the end of the novel, each known for a different skill or attribute they learn on their hero’s journey. Valiance, justice, gentleness, and magnificent are the qualities that define the Pevensie children and their journeys to becoming Kings and Queens of Narnia. These qualities transcend the novels by forcing the reader to look inwards at their own defining qualities and see what about themselves would make them a King or Queen of Narnia.
Every hero’s story is forms from the roots of its original story, this root story refers to the hero myth. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone film by Joanne Rowling, the hero myth starts with Harry’s humble beginnings living with his family followed by a call to action to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but he encounters new friends that help him acquire knowledge along the way. Throughout his journey, Harry discovers the countless obstacles and challenges that has to face alongside his friends to become master wizards. The hero starts in his ordinary world, humble and innocent of his surroundings, this connects the viewer with the internal and physical struggles of the hero. Also, hero is separated from his beloved
Abstract—The “hero” from Harry Potter: The Philosopher’s Stone, is a young book taken from his dull and tedious life and swept off to the fantastical boarding school of Hogwarts. In the Black Cauldron Taran the pig keeper shares a similar situation, he is taken from his life of drudgery and whisked off on an epic journey. Each of these characters goes through similar developments on their quests, and each draws from seemingly mundane beginnings. This type of heroism seems coherent across the two books as well as similar books such as the Lord of the Rings where Hobbits become the most unlikely hero. This provides something that the reader can latch on to particularly in more fantastic books, it allows readers to identify and relate concepts of the hero to their own life, creating an immersive experience. Hero’s are not unique to young adult books, but books with strong archetypes are more popular in young audiences as it gives simplified characters as opposed to more gray writing that might include a Byronic or anti-hero characters. Comparing two similar books from two very different time periods that maintain a similar message of heroism I believe validates the purpose and impact of a hero in young adult fiction.
Over the decades, Tolkien's world of elves, wizards, monsters and magic has provided inspiration for Stephen King thrillers, Led Zeppelin songs, and Dungeons and Dragons, while spawning countless sword-and-sorcery novel followers. In fact, Tolkien’s contribution to the fantasy genre is so influential that it’s almost intimidating. “Writing fantasy seemed, for a long time, to offer only two choices: to write in the tradition established by Tolkien, or against it. Recent authors, however, approach the 'tradition' with greater freedom and while acknowledging their debt to Tolkien, they no longer feel bound by the 'authority' of the master.” Tolkien’s writings serve as the backbone of modern fantasy.
The American actor Tom Hanks once said: “A hero is somebody who voluntarily walks into the unknown”. In stories, people can pick and chose who is the villain and who are the heroes. Heroes do not always go on their adventures voluntarily but they do choose and save the day. Harry Potter is a series by J.K Rowling about a wizard who is living in the human world yet he doesn’t know he is a wizard. Until one day an owl comes into his foster home and drops of a note inviting Harry to Hogwarts a whole world for wizards.
... (eds), Children’s Literature Classic Text and Contemporary Trends, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan in association with Open University
The Narnia Chronicles have already established themselves as timeless works of literature. They appeal to both the atheists and the God-fearing, to both the uneducated and to scholars; to children and adults. An understanding of the Biblical allegory in these books is not essential to their appreciation. A critical analysis of these works, however, does allow the reader to more fully appreciate Lewis' unique gift to simplify complex narratives and craft beautiful children's fantasies. This, in turn, allows the reader to gain both a deeper understanding of Lewis as a skilled creative writer, and a deeper satisfaction of his art. To be able to appreciate C.S. Lewis as such an artisan can only add to one's enjoyment of his works.
Literature has been part of society since pen met paper. It has recorded history, retold fables, and entertained adults for centuries. Literature intended for children, however, is a recent development. Though children’s literature is young, the texts can be separated into two categories by age. The exact splitting point is debatable, but as technology revolutionized in the mid-twentieth century is the dividing point between classic and contemporary. Today’s children’s literature is extraordinarily different from the classics that it evolved from, but yet as classic was transformed into modern, the literature kept many common features.