1) How is science fiction different from fantasy, according to Le Guinn?
2) How does Attebery (1980) define Fantasy? Find at least five definitions?
3) In what ways does Tax (2002) suggest Earthsea may still be relevant today?
4) What are some archetypes that often recur in fantasy fiction? Give examples from Earthsea and other fantasy works you might know.
5) In what way is The Wizard of Earthsea a ‘coming of age’ novel? Does it escape from the ‘boy’s own adventure’ story? How are Ged’s adventures different from Tintin’s?
1. In the Wizard of Earthsea, Le Guin portrays many fantasy elements. According to Le Guin, there is a thin line between fiction and the real world, which corresponds to the difference between science fiction and fantasy as genres (2005). What Le Guin uses to define this difference is the idea of realism. For example, many modern day films (in the science fiction category), are based on futuristic events, or on things that are theoretically possible. Le Guin states that realism “…uses actuality and history, inserting invented characters in amongst real people and places…” (2005). With that being said, these science fiction films, or ideas, would abide by the characteristics and expectations of realism. As stated earlier, because they are theoretically possible, they differ from the works of fantasy. For example, in Le Guin’s The Wizard of Earthsea, the main character Ged (Sparrowhawk), as well as many other characters, deal with magic, dragons, “the dead”, and many other obstacles that could never actually happen in our real world. On the other hand, recent books such as Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card, are based on events that could potentially happen based on scientific research (i.e living on a different planet, communicating with other sources of life). While both Wizard of Earthsea, and Ender’s Game are heavily based on fiction, they attempt fiction on two different ends.
ReplyDeleteIn order to understand how they both approach fiction, one must understand what fiction is. The dictionary defines fiction (referred to as a genre) as “plot-driven fictional works written with the intent of fitting into a specific literary genre” (2009). The key word here is that there are more than one “fictional works”. As a matter of fact, while both science fiction and fantasy fall under fiction as an umbrella term, they are different “literary genre’s”. Le Guin confirms this when she compares both terms. She states that “science fiction is a blank page and the imagination can write anything it likes on it” given that it is, in a manner, plausible (2005). This is why science fiction is ultimately a distinctive sub genre when compared to fantasy. Referring to prior declaration, fantasy is something where the imagination runs wild, and there is no need for evidence to prove that the events happening in the book can be tested as true. Le Guin refers to fantasy as “radical”. She goes on to explain that conclusively, the two sub-genres (if you want to refer to them as that) are different. While one needs to be deemed as theoretically plausible, the other does not. This reflects in the different writing forms and how overall the books are written. One echoes heavily off of realism, while one contravenes plausibility (2005).
However, while both are different in their unique ways, they both fall back under the (main) genre of fiction. With that being said, they are both densely fictive, but are approached differently when being written.
break you answer into smaller paragraphs. indent or use a line gap. your examples from the primary text could do with some unpacking. Overall great work.
ReplyDelete1.
ReplyDeleteIn the Wizard of Earthsea, Le Guin portrays many fantasy elements. According to Le Guin, there is a thin line between fiction and the real world, which corresponds to the difference between science fiction and fantasy as genres (2005). What Le Guin uses to define this difference is the idea of realism. For example, many modern day films (in the science fiction category), are based on futuristic events, or on things that are theoretically possible. Le Guin states that realism “…uses actuality and history, inserting invented characters in amongst real people and places…” (2005). With that being said, these science fiction films, or ideas, would abide by the characteristics and expectations of realism. As stated earlier, because they are theoretically possible, they differ from the works of fantasy. For example, in Le Guin’s The Wizard of Earthsea, the main character Ged (Sparrowhawk), as well as many other characters, deal with magic, dragons, “the dead”, and many other obstacles that could never actually happen in our real world. Sparrowhawk finds himself on 'magical' adventures that while might relatively relate to the average human (i.e morally and ethically), a real human would never experience. On the other hand, recent books such as Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card, are based on events that could potentially happen based on scientific research (i.e living on a different planet, communicating with other sources of life). While both Wizard of Earthsea, and Ender’s Game are heavily based on fiction, they attempt fiction on two different ends.
In order to understand how they both approach fiction, one must understand what fiction is. The dictionary defines fiction (referred to as a genre) as “plot-driven fictional works written with the intent of fitting into a specific literary genre” (2009). The key word here is that there are more than one “fictional works”. As a matter of fact, while both science fiction and fantasy fall under fiction as an umbrella term, they are different “literary genre’s”. Le Guin confirms this when she compares both terms. She states that “science fiction is a blank page and the imagination can write anything it likes on it” given that it is, in a manner, plausible (2005). This is why science fiction is ultimately a distinctive sub genre when compared to fantasy. Referring to prior declaration, fantasy is something where the imagination runs wild, and there is no need for evidence to prove that the events happening in the book can be tested as true. Le Guin refers to fantasy as “radical”. She goes on to explain that conclusively, the two sub-genres (if you want to refer to them as that) are different. While one needs to be deemed as theoretically plausible, the other does not. This reflects in the different writing forms and how overall the books are written. One echoes heavily off of realism, while one contravenes plausibility (2005).
However, while both are different in their unique ways, they both fall back under the (main) genre of fiction. With that being said, they are both densely fictive, but are approached differently when being written.
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ReplyDeleteAs Le Guin (2012) herself stated in her afterword of the novel, she had written the novel on the premise that old wizards with pointy hats would have been kids once themselves “and when they were young, when they were fool kids, how did they learn to be a wizard?” (Le Guin, 2012) Not only was she asked to focus her novel at the particular age group of readers who themselves were adolescents transitioning to adults, but the main focus was the protagonist himself coming to age as the famous, all powerful wizard he is now. The fantasy genre in fact was a perfect vehicle for such themes as “most of this marvellous flood of literature was written for adults, but modernist literary ideology shunned it all to children” (Le Guin, 2012). Focussing such a genre towards a specific age group however allowed her to take these conventions and concentrate them towards trials and tribulations synonymously faced by the readers and frame it in a fantastical world. Fantasy as such “more than realistic fiction… can clarify philosophical and moral conflicts [by] embodying them in story lines not directly applicable to our own complex and muddled lives” (Attebery, 1980).
ReplyDeleteFeaturistically, Ged’s trials in The Wizard of Earthsea are concurrent with the “coming of age” genre as it is set in Ged’s past and spans the period from adolescence to young adulthood. At early stages Ged was surrounded by his peers and there was a lot of secondary person directed dialogue however as the shadow was released Ged withdraws into himself and the novel predominantly focuses on internal monologue as well as adventure. The shadow therefore can be representative of the part of adolescence where the protagonist must overcome a conflict within themselves on their own.
Although a more complex narrative with moral ambiguities, Le Guin does not escape from the “boy’s own adventure” story in the sense that it revolves around a male protagonist on an individual adventure with weakly developed female supporting characters. “It’s in this sense that [her story] was perfectly conventional” (Le Guin, 2012). As Le Guin herself claims “she was too caught in the tradition of heroic male fantasy”, (Tax, 2002). “The stories were about men, what men did, and what was important to men” (Le Guin, 2012).
Similarly, the “Boy’s Own” publications “combined the adventure and suspense of dime-novel fiction with the more acceptable juvenile literature in which proper behaviour reaped rewards and stories have obvious morals.” It contained themes of interest to juvenile male readers and “sought to mould character, encourage fitness, and develop interests in hobbies and skills” (http://www.philsp.com/data/data069.html#BOYSOWNMAGAZINEUK). These publications can be said to speak down to the reader by outlining what was to be expected of adolescents experiencing this coming of age however is not realistically depicted or gives leeway to the fundamental rites in making mistakes when coming of age.
Tintin is a perfect example of the “Boy’s Own” protagonist. He has no shadow within himself and is always on the good side of the moral scale. His adventures have obvious villains and heroes where Tintin always comes out on top of the moral scale. He epitomises characteristics within the “Boy’s Own” genre that aimed to mould the character of the readers themselves. Tintin however is not a relatable character in the sense he is the boy that never ages. He never fights with any villainous tendencies within himself and has no background story. Therefore it can be said that he is a difficult character to relate to therefore his actions can be thought of more as a moral preaching rather than a lesson learnt.
Unlike Tintin, Ged’s adventures has no villains or heroes. Escaping from the “Boy’s Own” genre characteristics, Le Guin (2012) states “my story took off in its own direction, away from… the whole matter of what makes heroes and villains. Hero tales and adventure fantasies traditionally put the righteous hero in a war against unrighteous enemies… but there are no wars in Earthsea”, at least, not in the physical sense. “A hero whose heroism consists of killing people is uninteresting to me [as]… war as a moral metaphor is limited, limiting, and dangerous.” “You divide the world into Me or Us (good) and Them or It (bad) and reduce the ethical complexity and moral richness of our life to Yes/No… This is puerile, misleading, and degrading” and “it evades any solution but violence and offers the reader mere infantile reassurance” (Le Guin, 2012).
ReplyDeleteUltimately, “to be the man he can be, Ged has to find out who and what his real enemy is. He has to find what it means to be himself. That requires not a war but a search and a discovery” (Le Guin, 2012). His adventure of self-discovery is the epitomy of the coming of age novel genre but still retains the fantastical nature of being absorbed in a world that makes “the impossible seem familiar and the familiar seem new and strange” (Attebery, 1980). The Wizard of Earthsea does not escape aspects of the “Boy’s Own Adventure” genre in the sense that it contains a sole male protagonist and denotes the female characters to either a passive object of desire or an active woman who causes destruction or tragedy (Le Guin, 2012). It does however escapes the genre, representative through Tintin’s adventures, by blurring moral ambiguities to create a more authentic and realistic commentary on life and trials adolescents may face themselves.
References
DeleteAttebery, B. (1980). Locating fantasy. In The Fantasy Tradition in American Literature: From Irving to Le Guinn (pp.2-9). Bloomington: Indiana U P, 1980.
Le Guin, U. (2012). A Wizard of Earthsea. New York, New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Magazine Issues. Retrieved October 10, 2017, from http://www.philsp.com/data/data069.html#BOYSOWNMAGAZINEUK
Tax, M. (2002). Year of Harry Potter, Enter the Dragon. In
The Nation.
1) How is science fiction different from fantasy, according to Le Guinn?
ReplyDelete2) How does Attebery (1980) define Fantasy? Find at least five definitions?
Fantasy is an old and extensive genre that many people have tried to define in the past. Among them is Brian Attebery in his paper "The Fantasy Tradition in American Literature: From Irving to Le Guin." To define the term "fantasy" he looks at various different scholars and their definition. Tzvetan Todorov for example thinks that fantasy describes "that hesitation experienced by a person who knows only the laws of nature, confronting and apparently supernatural event." (Attebery, 1980) In contrast to that Erik Rabkin thinks the nature of fantasy is to "contradict, not our accepted model of the world, but rather the model generated within the story itself." (Ibid.)
Attebery disagrees with both of these opinions. To Todorov's definition he says that it doesn't include tales about "unquestionably supernatural happening" (Ibid.) and Rabkin classifies only works such as Alice in Wonderland as fantasy, while classifying classic fantasy works like Lord of the Rings as mere fairy tales. Attebery believes that a broader definition for a genre as extensive as fantasy works best. Therefore, he agrees most with W.R. Irwin, who says that fantasy is "an overt violation of what is generally accepted as possibility." (Ibid.) Essentially, if you break it down, he's saying that fantasy equals magic. However, Attebery expands on this statement by adding a level of author intent. He says that "any narrative which includes as a significant part of its make-up some violation of what the author clearly believes to be natural law - that is fantasy." (Ibid.) Meaning that for a work to be fantasy, the author has to think that it is fantasy. Lord of the Rings is fantasy, the bible isn't. Beyond that, Attebery also points out that for fantasy to work, it requires something else beyond that. While fantasy contradicts the natural law of our world, it must follow its own internal laws and therefore gain consistency and immersion. (Ibid.)
Ursual Le Guin takes a similar stand in "Plausibility Revisited - Wha Hoppen and What Didn't." She too points out that "what constitutes plausibility in fantasy is the coherence of the story" (Le Guin, n.d.) echoing Attebery's idea that consistent internal laws are key to immersion. While surreal fiction and poetry can be nonsense, introducing the reader to new worlds at a whim, fantasy doesn't that that kind of freedom. It needs to be consistent to function. (Attebery, 1980) Le Guin's general definition of fantasy also agrees with that of Irwin, which Attebery accepts. She says that "fantasy deliberately violates plausibility in the sense of congruence with the world outside the story." (Le Guin, n.d.) Both hers and Irwin's definitions are centred around the idea that fantasy actively goes against what we assume to be true in the world we live in. Once again, proving the statement that fantasy equals magic true.
ReplyDeleteIn contrast with that, science fiction is more realistic. As Le Guin puts it: "Realism and science fiction both employ plausibility to win the reader's consent to the fiction." (Ibid.) The idea is that what happens in science fiction could potentially happen in our own future, which makes it grounded in realism and believable. Or as Attebery puts it: "science fiction spends much of its time convincing the reader that its seeming impossibilities are in fact explainable if we extrapolate from the world and the science that we know." (Attebery, 1980) This goes directly against fantasy, which's nature it is to deliberately contradict the natural laws of the world we, the readers and the author, live in.
References
Attebery, B. The Fantasy Traditio in American Literature: From Irving to Le Guin. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1980, 1-10
Le Guin, U. Plausibility Revisited -- Wha Hoppen and What Didn't. Ursulakleguin.com. Retrieved 12 October 2017, from http://www.ursulakleguin.com/PlausibilityRevisited.html