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?
Week 3 – 4
ReplyDeleteHow is science fiction different from fantasy, according to Le Guinn?
Ursula K Le Guinn, is an America author of novels, children’s books, and short stories, mainly in the genres of fantasy and science fiction. In “Plausibility Revisited - Wha Hoppen and What didn’t” Ursula Le Guin (2005) explains the difference between fantasy and science fiction. She states that “In fiction, the story is not what happened. Fiction didn’t happen”. She further explains by stating that “What validates fiction is plausibility”. “The created world is of course more or less directly related to and dependant on the actual, factual world outside the book”. For example; a story such as Ex Machina. The possibility of artificial intelligence becoming smarter than humans, questioning life. The readers are aware that it is based on real world developments and something which could be plausible.
On the other hand, Le Guin explains the idea of fantasy. She explains that fantasy is a more direct than fiction. There is no agreement to pretend that the story might have already happened or might truly happen between the author and the reader. “With the informed consent of the reader, fantasy deliberately violates plausibility…” (Le Guin, 2005). 'The wizard of Earth Sea' is a good example of this. A story of wizards, adventures, magic, and dragons. Some characteristics will be familiar to readers “only to lesser matters in realistic detail used to ground the story” (Le Guin, 2005). yet completely unfamiliar in terms of plausible existence.
Wikipedia.com. (n.d.). Ursula k. le guin. Retrieved on 21st August 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursula_K._Le_Guin
Le Guin, U. K. (2005). Plausibility Revisited Wha Hoppen and What Didn't. Retrieved on 21st August 2017, from //www.ursulakleguin.com/PlausibilityRevisited.html
great answer.
Deletenever list wiki as a reference. if you use information from wiki use it to pad your answer with out reference.
Your example from Earthsea needs more unpacking.
We as the readers know that these things do not exist. However, Elements in this novel do give it a realistic characteristic. such "earth sea" having towns and people. The towns are pre-industrial revolution which means theres no power there. This adds to that feeling that this story was set a very long time ago.
DeleteEarth sea also has elements which people might find familiar with their own lives. For example ged spending time in a boarding school. Having rivals, having a best friend. These things bring it a more realist feel and ground the story. This helps the reader connect with the story on an emotional level while knowing it's all made up.
Blog Post 2: The Wizard of Earthsea
ReplyDelete2) How does Attebery (1980) define Fantasy? Find at least five definitions?
Fantasy is like feeling something that can only exist or be felt in dreams through vivid imagination. Brian Attebery discusses the many ways in which fantasy, as a genre, can be described or expressed.
He raises the question of how the word fantasy be can precisely and usefully defined without falling into the vague, the arbitrary or the ponderous (Attebery, 1980, p.3). Due to the variety of ideas that come to mind when you think of fantasy, the thoughts can jumble up and cloud a person’s mind leaving them almost in the dark on what fantasy really is. On the other hand, some people can have a very clear idea on what they think fantasy is but it may be a narrow definition.
Attebery states that fantasy is any narrative which includes as a significant part of its make-up some violation of what the author clearly believes to be natural law (Attebery, 1980, p.3). A being whose existence is impossible or an object or person possessing magical power go against the necessities of living. This is what makes the fantasy genre. It goes against the norms of life making the most impossible, possible. It allows us to live in our imaginations. Fantasy treat these impossibilities without hesitation, without doubt, without any attempt to reconcile them with our intellectual understanding of the workings of the world or to make us believe such things could under any circumstance come true (Attebery, 1980, p.3).
W.R. Irwin states that whatever the material, extravagant or seemingly commonplace, a narrative is fantasy if it presents the persuasive establishment and development of an impossibility (Irwin, 1976, p.4). Supporting what Attebery is suggesting, Irwin also believes that fantasy is like an exploration of the unknown world. If the progress of an impossible thing is influential, it is fantasy.
Attebery describes fantasy as a game where the stakes of its reality depend on how whole heartedly you can play (Attebery, 1980, p.3). Contrary to science fiction where rather than exploring the imaginative world, it spends time convincing the audience that its seeming possibilities are explainable if we extrapolate from the world and the science that we know (Attebery, 1980, p.3).
When we read fantasy, we explore the unknown (Attebery, 1980, p.4). The ‘unknown’ could have had its start ever since imagination existed. This is why the earliest kind of fantasy is folktale (Attebery, 1980, p.4). Bruno Bettelheim, a child psychologist, says that a fairytale can be like a magic mirror which emulates aspects of our inner world and of the steps required by our evolution from immaturity to maturity. (Bettelheim, 1977, p.309).
The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin is genre defining in the fantasy realm. In classic folktale and children’s story, the main character fights the evil character. They are 2 separate defining characters. In Wizard of Earthsea, however, the good and evil characters are in fact 1 person and they are fighting the evil within themselves. Attebery states that fantasy invokes wonder and makes un familiar things seem familiar and familiar things seem strange (Attebery, 1980, p.4). Le Guin did exactly this with this novel. It made the most impossible seem possible, which is what fantasy is all about.
Attebery, B. The Fantasy Tradition in American Literature: from Irving to Le Guin. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1980, 1-10
Bruno Bettelheim, The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales (New York: Vintage Books, 1977), p 309
W.R. IRWIN, The Game of the Impossible: A Rhetoric of Fantasy (Urbana, III.: University of Illinois Press, 1976), p.4.
very good answer
ReplyDeleteyour example from Earthsea could do with some unpacking.
In your conclusion you want summarize what you have argued.
nice paragraphs
How does Attebery (1980) define Fantasy?
ReplyDeleteTo begin, Attebery (1980) cites W.R. Irwin’s (1976) definition of fantasy, stating that a work cannot be categorized as a piece of fantasy if it does not explicitly challenge everything that is generally accepted as plausible. Fantasy novels must be persuasive in this violation of possibility. Secondly, Attebery (1980) outlines a number of ways in which a story can be defined as fantasy including having the plot revolve around magical objects/things, and disrupt society’s central assumptions about life and the things that surround us. These situations or things that seem to be impossible are addressed, without a shadow of a doubt in fantasy as possibility.
As a third definition, Attebery (1980) cites J.R.R Tolkien (1965) with the statement that fantasy is “founded upon the hard recognition that things are so in the world as it appears under the sun; on a recognition of fact but not a slavery to it.” To unpack this statement, it seems to mean that without people having a firm grasp on what is real in life, and recognizing the limitations of being real, the lure of fantasy would not be perhaps as enticing. It is a form of escapism from the real.
The fourth definitions in Attebery’s (1980) work comments on the need for fantasy to fully inhabit the text. He states that it requires consistency throughout a work in order for the illusion created to be maintained throughout the piece. In order for the reader to stay within the story and complete the fiction landscape within their mind, consistency is necessary.
Lastly, Attebery (1980) explains how these definitions of fantasy can help in separating them from other often related genres. He states that science fiction often centres its storyline convincing the reader that the impossibilities within the text are actually explainable. Fantasy makes no attempt at explaining the magical and implausible aspects of the story.
In what ways does Tax (2002) suggest Earthsea may still be relevant today?
Tax (2002) comments on the relevance of Ursula Le Guin’s work today, with regard to gender. Tax (2002) states that the Earthsea novels give a progressive view on gender and specifically gender within the fantasy genre. They state that Le Guin’s writing is symbolic of our current situation regarding gender, when compared with the time of writing (1968) where we are “caught midway in our evolution as human beings”. This comment refers to the fact that gender equality has progressed significantly from the time of Le Guin’s writing, but we are not yet at a stage of society where equality has been fully reached.
Tax (2002) mentions that in the fast paced, electronic filled 21st century, fantasy novels like Le Guin’s are of particular importance as a form of escapism. This position is likely to be heightened further in 2017 compared with the time of Tax’s writing in 2002. Thus fantasy is perhaps even more relevant.
References
Attebery, B. (1980). Chapter One: Locating Fantasy . In B. Attebery, The Fantasy Tradition in American Literature: From Irving to Le Guin (pp. 1-10). Indiana: Bloomington : Indiana University Press .
Irwin, W. R. (1976). In W. R. Irwin, The Game of the Impossible: A Rhetoric of Fantasy (p. 4). Illinois: University of Illinois Press .
Tax, M. (2002). In the Year of Harry Potter, Enter the Dragon . The Nation .
Tolkien, J. R. (1965). On Fairy-Stories . In Tree and Leaf (p. 55). Boston : Houghton Mifflin Company .
Q: What are some archetypes that often recur in fantasy fiction? Give examples from Earthsea and other fantasy works you might know.
ReplyDeleteThe word "archetype" was originated from ancient Greek, the word can be split into two parts, which the first root word is "archein", which means "original or old", and second root word "typos" means "pattern, model or type". The combination of these two words means "original pattern", which refers to other similar types, objects or concepts are derived and copied. (Golden, n.d)
A sage (sometimes known as mentor), is one of the typical archetypes in fantasy literature, usually is more experienced and educational to the protagonists (particularly refers to the hero). The role they play in the context is usually an advisor of the protagonists to lead them towards the brightness and sharpen their skills to make them strong enough to be a hero.
Aihal (commonly called by his hardic name Ogion) in "A wizard of earthsea" is an example of sage archetypes. He is the chief town of Gont Island and the teacher of Ged, also the most attractive character I found throughout my reading process. He helped Ged returned to human form and also advised Ged to go to the wizard school on Roke Island. Apparently, Ogion is a good teacher, he is a man of few words, but has his own mind. As Le Guin in the book describes him: “A man would know the end he goes to, but he cannot know it if he does not turn, and return to his beginning, and hold that beginning in his being. If he would not be a stick whirled and whelmed in the stream, he must be the stream itself, all of it, from its spring to its sinking in the sea.” When Ged had his success with the raiders, he was just a young boy who has mighty ego and keen to learn only powerful magic (most likely for impressing a girl…) . It was Ogion who taught him how to be "balanced" in the magical world. Even though Ged couldn't get him at the very beginning. However, as Ged gradually gets mature and gained more experience of life, he begins to realise what Ogion taught him was really matters. Eventually, Ged followed Ogion's suggestion to be the shadow hunter instead of being hunted, and absorbed another part of him(the shadow). Since then, he started to have a deeper understanding of what himself really is. So how could all these happen without Ogion? He's indeed a very important person throughout Ged's entire life.
CONTINUE:
DeleteSame type of sage archetype appeared in the film series The Lord Of The Rings, Gandalf in the film plays a "mentor" similar role as Ogion. As described by Jason Clarke, “In general, Gandalf attempts to be a positive force in Middle-earth, keeping a delicate balance between "good" and "evil" forces, or insuring the safety and security of "good" people and their world.”("Mentor Archetype - TV Tropes", 2017) Gandalf is an advisor, and a wise man who brings esoteric knowledge to people. Jung describes the role of this archetype as often appearing "when the hero is in a hopeless and desperate situation from which only profound reflection or a lucky idea-in other words, a spiritual function or an endopsychic automatism of some kind-can extricate him" (Jung 217) Growing up with watching these films has made me an significant impression on Gandalf's snowy eyebrows and sweeping hair, also that aged but benign face. As recalled from my blurred memory of the films, Gandalf has always been standing with the "brightness", he's the embodiment of wisdom indeed and always help people out, just like Ogion. They're both the archetypes of the "nice people" in the fairy tales world and lead people to be a better themselves.
Reference:
Carl,G. (n.d). The 12 Common Archetypes. Retrieved from http://www.soulcraft.co/essays/the_12_common_archetypes.html
Mentor Archetype - TV Tropes. (2017). TV Tropes. Retrieved 16 September 2017, from http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MentorArchetype#
Le Guinn, U. (1993; 1968). A Wizard of Earthsea. In The Earthsea Quartet (pp.13-167). London: Penguin.
Jason, C.(1998). The Wise Old Man. Gandalf as Archetype in The Lord of the Rings. Retrieved from http://valarguild.org/varda/Tolkien/encyc/articles/g/Gandalf/gandalf.html
Carl, J.(1975). The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious. Princeton, The U.S: Princeton UP.
How does Attebery (1980) define Fantasy? Find at least five definitions?
ReplyDeleteDefinition 1: According to Attebury (1980) “Any narrative which includes as a significant part of it’s make-up some violation of what the author clearly believes to be natural law – that is fantasy.”, he states, "W.R Irwin has pointed out that the primary feature, without which a work simply cannot be fantasy, is "an overt violation of what generally accepted as possibility" He goes on to expand his description: "Whatever the material, extravagant or seemingly commonplace, a narrative is a fantasy if it presents the persuasive establishment and development of an impossibility, an arbitrary construct of the mind with all under the control of logic and rhetoric." (p. 9)."
Definition 2: "It can involve beings whose existence we know to be impossible, like dragons, flying horses, or shape-shifting men. It can revolve around magical objects; rings, hats, or castles possessing wills, voices, mobility and other attributes that inanimate objects do not, in our experience, possess.”
Definition 3: "It can proceed from events- two people painlessly exchanging heads, a tree reaching out to grab passers-by - that violate fundamental assumptions of matter and life. And Fantasy treats these impossibilities without hesitation, without doubt, without any attempt to reconcile them with our intellectual understanding of the workings of the world or to make us believe that such things could under any circumstances come true."
Definition 4: “Fantasy is a game of sorts, and it demands that one play whole-heartedly, accepting for the moment all rules and turns of the game. The reward for this extra payment is an occasional sense of unexpected beauty and strangeness, a quality which C.N Manlove, among others, calls “wonder”.”
Definition 5: “Fantasy invokes wonder by making the impossible seem familiar and the familiar seem strange and new.”
Attebery, B. (1980). Chapter One: Locating Fantasy . In B. Attebery, The Fantasy Tradition in American Literature: From Irving to Le Guin (pp. 1-10). Indiana: Bloomington : Indiana University Press .