Identity

A few books I've read this semester involve the theme of identity in fantasy literature.  In these particular books I've noticed that they all share a common message: while our identity is shaped by our circumstances, only we can determine who we really want to be.  I think this is a great message for anyone.  We all have a choice in how our circumstances will effect us and in what ways it will build/destroy us.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Source: https://www.amazon.com/Graveyard-Book-Neil-Gaiman/dp/0060530944

Nobody Owens has a killer after him, a family that has been murdered, and is being raised by a graveyard of ghost under strict rules to not leave it.  Each of these circumstances shape and challenge him, but he determines that eventually he needs to live and experience a normal human life.  Arguable these experiences help prepare him for that choice.








The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

(Source: https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Robot-Peter-Brown/dp/0316381993)

Roz, a robot, is shipwrecked and must find a way to live in an environment not suited for a mechanical being.  She chooses to learn from and become a part of the animal community around her.  In the end, she almost becomes more than what she was built to be.











Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate

(Source: https://www.amazon.com/Crenshaw-Katherine-Applegate/dp/1250091667)

 Jackson is growing up and realizing the difficult circumstances of his family.  He begins to choose a life of lying and stealing to get by.  His imaginary friend reminds him that he can choose another way and be much happier, even when times are difficult.











The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

(Source: https://www.amazon.com/One-Only-Ivan-Katherine-Applegate/dp/0061992275)

 


Ivan, a gorilla, has only known life in a cage entertaining others.  When he promises look after another animal, he chooses to be and do more than have life in a small cage.  His circumstances and friends prepare him for what he has to do.  He chooses another life.







 Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

(Source: https://www.amazon.com/Tuck-Everlasting-Natalie-Babbit/dp/0312369816/)

Winnie is an overprotected child who longs to break from the boundaries she feels.  When her circumstances become too stifling, she leaves only to find herself kidnapped and in the middle of a fantastical event.  Winnie decides that she doesn't want to live forever, but she also wants to be daring in her own way by helping her newfound friends.

Play

I've read and studied about play in child development over the years.  I've found some commonalities in the arguments between play for children and reading fantasy literature.  I've collected a few artifacts that show these similarities.

Arguments for Play

The Need for Pretend Play in Child Development
"We often use the terms pretend play or make-believe play (the acting out of stories which involve multiple perspectives and the playful manipulation of ideas and emotions), that reflect a critical feature of the child’s cognitive and social development."


"Systematic research has increasingly demonstrated a series of clear benefits of children’s engagement in pretend games from the ages of about two and one half through ages six or seven. Actual studies have demonstrated cognitive benefits such as increases in language usage including subjunctives, future tenses, and  adjectives. The important concept of 'theory of mind,' an awareness that one’s thoughts may differ from those of other persons  and that there are a variety of perspectives of which each of us is capable, is closely related to  imaginative play (Jenkins & Astington, 2000; Leslie, 1987; Singer & Singer, 1990; Singer & Singer, 2005)."

Let's Pretend: Why Fantasy Play is So Important

(Source: http://somersetmall.co.za/blog/lets-pretend-why-fantasy-play-is-so-important-for-children/)

"True fantasy play and role play is when children dip in and out of it; where children swop roles and characters on a regular basis to experience different aspects of themselves in a multitude of ways to process their inner world."



"Children learn important social and emotional skills when they indulge in fantasy and pretend play with other children."


Arguments for Fantasy Literature

(Source: http://perimga.pw/i-funny-a-middle-school-story-quiz.html)

The Real Purpose of Fantasy
"Fantasy is vital for the human mind. It begins as the psychological process by which a child learns to fill the gaps between knowledge, reality and experience, and becomes a vital adult coping mechanism."

"they have to engage with make-believe to bridge the gap between experience and knowledge"

"Taking one step away from reality to that "safe" place of pretend, prepares us to look the world's harsh realities in the face. From there we can name the horrors and celebrate the joys before going back, with a clearer perspective on situations that bother us."



Why a Good Book is a Secret Door by Mac Barnett (Ted Talk)

I think it could be argued that reading fantasy literature is another form of play for children.

Value

Stories document values or boundaries of a certain people, social context, or political time.

"The books' knowingness goes beyond intertextuality; their preoccupation, for example with levels of knowledge and surveillance, reflects very accurately the world of their readers" (Hunt 35).

(Source: https://www.theguardian.com/books/gallery/2018/sep/06/neil-gaiman-and-chris-riddell-on-why-we-need-libraries-an-essay-in-pictures)

(Source:

https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/books/the-perfect-wizard-by-jane-yolen/)

Fantasy teaches us about others.

"Anderson writes more self-portraits than Rembrandt ever painted."

- a Danish critic

In a picture book biography of Hans Christian Anderson, The Perfect Wizard: Hans Christian Anderson, Yolen matches quotes from Anderson's stories that mirror aspects of his life.

 

Source:

(https://www.amazon.com/Brothers-Grimm-Two-Lives-Legacy/dp/0618055991)

Fantasy preserves cultures.  Grimm brothers began collecting stories to preserve German culture in times of war. From their biography, The Brothers Grimm: Two Lives, One Legacy, Donald R. Hettinga writes,

"The the brothers' search for German folktales was more than an attempt to forget what was going on around them. 'Without a doubt,' Wilhelm said, 'the world events and our need for peace in scholarship contributed to the awakening of his long-forgotten literature.'  They 'didn't only seek comfort in the past,' however, but 'hoped naturally that this direction could contribute to the return of a different time.'  They collected the fairy tales because they hoped the stories would help remind their countrymen of what it meant to be German."

I have found reworked fairy tales interesting for the new perspectives they imagine.

Wicked vs Wizard of Oz

The Nutcracker vs The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

The Three Little Pigs vs The True Story of the Three Little Pigs

Rapunzel vs Zel

The original stories seem so authoritative and objective, until you read another perspective.

(Source:

https://www.bustle.com/articles/68595-7-parts-of-the-grimms-brothers-rapunzel-that-will-shock-you-or-at-least-strike-you)

"In contrasdistinction to the Brothers Grimm's different versions of the tale, readers are potentially positioned to, at least, understand the motives of a woman who makes a bargain with the devils to procure the daughter she so needed." (Crew 82).

(Source: https://www.theguardian.com/books/gallery/2018/sep/06/neil-gaiman-and-chris-riddell-on-why-we-need-libraries-an-essay-in-pictures)

Works Cited:

Yolen, Jane. The perfect wizard: Hans Christian Anderson. New York: Dutton Children's Books. 2004.

Hettinga, Donald. The Brothers Grimm: two lives, one legacy. New York: Clarion Books. 2001.

Hunt, P. Introduction. In. P. Hunt & M. Lenz (Eds.), Alternative worlds in fantasy fiction. New York: Continuum. 2001.

Crew, H. Spinning new tales from traditional texts: Donna Jo Napoli and the rewriting of fairy tale. Reading Research Quarterly, 38, 546-551. 2002.