What are some archetypes (e.g. common character types) of fantasy fiction?


The hero:

The hero (protagonist), someone you aspire to - an elevated status of being: courageous, selfless and even self sacrificing. The hero even if accidental or unwilling, accepts challenges and overcomes obstacles in pursuit of a goal he must achieve. Ged is gifted with powers. His visions foretell events yet to occur. He must learn to interpret them and seek the mysterious young woman who appears in his visions (priestess). He senses he is meant to find her - their paths inevitably cross. He is destined for something greater than being an apprentice bronze-smith. 

The Mentor:

The mentor (usually older, wiser person) appears in timely fashion when the hero needs help or guidance. Ogion arrives in time to bring Ged back to life. They impart knowledge and wisdom. Ged's first mentor is his aunt. She takes Ged to her home, normally forbidden to children. His aunt, a witch teaches him. He learns to harness his powers. She is not a typical mentor as she is devious and unlike Ogion, uses her powers for dubious reasons. She tried controlling him by binding him to her in service. Ogion the Silent, Mage of Re Albi became Ged's his second mentor.

Threshold Guardian:

The threshold guardian casts obstacles along the journey so the hero is forced into battle or to solve a riddle or bequeath a gift and so on. The threshold guardian often plays a neutral role though at times can be allied to the antagonist or be an ally. The crossing of a threshold embodies change within the hero through challenges he's overcome. Thresholds tend to happen just before the hero goes on his quest and key moments in the journey and towards the end. Ged uses his power to save the villagers from the Kargs, using a binding-spell called fog-weaving. 

Herald:

The herald declares significant events that are about to happen, that we are unaware of. It can be in the shape of a person or thing. For example: a letter that spurs the hero into action.

Shapeshifter:

The shapeshifter is unpredictable and untrustworthy and can switch allegiance. Kossil, was a priestess whose character seems to fit this role as she was deceptive. 

Shadow:

The shadow (antagonist) is something the hero must face, conquer his fear. Ged must fight the shadow that relentlessly pursues him, representative of the darker, hidden side of ourselves that lurks within the inner recesses of our being. The shadow evokes fear and unleashes chaos. 

Trickster:

The trickster is a witty, charming and cunning person/creature that is like a court jester - entertaining and amusing. The hero must keep his wits about him as the trickster is mischievous by nature. He reminds us not take life too seriously also not to be naive in situations.  


References:

Le Guinn, U. (1993; 1968). A Wizard of Earthsea. In The Earthsea Quartet (pp.13-167). 
London: Penguin. 

Retrieved 22 September 2014 from:
http://changingminds.org/disciplines/storytelling/characters/vogler_archetypes.htm

According to Lent (2000), what place does animation occupy in Asian societies? How different is this across Asia (ie comparing China and Japan)?

According to Lent (2000), what place does animation occupy in Asian societies? How different is this across Asia (ie comparing China and Japan)?

According to Lent (2000) the influence of Walt Disney in the early 1900’s characterized many of the stories and styles of animation across Asia. Many animators such as Osamu Tezuka from Japan and James Wang from Taiwan were happy to be recognized as the ‘Disney’ of their countries (Lent, 2000). The occupation of animation in Asian societies has had huge impact in terms of economy and production (Lent, 2000). Through mass media, anime has become a global market that has evolved from the imitation of Walt Disney in the early 1900’s to stylized illustrations that in Japan, embody pop culture and in China, focus on pleasing and educational stories that showcase national pride (Lent, 2000).

The Wan brothers of China, after observing American animation, created Uproar in an art studio (1926) and then their first full-length animated film, Princess with the iron fan (1941), these were created with a very western style, with many features like large expressive eyes taken from Disney and the Fleischer brothers (Lent, 2000). While western style had huge popularity, the imitation could not last and the Wan brothers understood the need to create ‘Chinese’ animation that was culturally Chinese through the inclusion of tradition, values, way of life and the application of Chinese techniques such as ink wash and folded paper, which emphasized the uniquely Chinese adaption (Lent, 2000). The political change in China reduced the production of animation to stories that involved political campaigns and government goals, which highlighted morals and values, for example One night in an art gallery (1978) centers on the enemies of the state. Other popular and chosen themes are folklore and mythology; the animation Havoc in heaven (1964) is adapted from the classic Chinese literature Journey to the west (Lent, 2000).

In comparison to China, Japan has developed anime into a pop culture phenomenon that has affected mass media (Napier, 2005). One of Japan’s earliest and recognized animators, Osamu Tezuka, drew inspiration from Disney, and the appearance between Kimba the white lion (1966) and The lion king (1994) sparked interest over the similarities, which could suggest that as Tezuka was open about his fondness and imitation of Disney, Disney might have also found an inspiration in Tezuka’s work. Another Japanese animator, Hayao Miyazaki attracted global audiences through his works from Studio Ghibli, such as Spirited away (2001), put Japanese anime on the map. Anime has found its place within Japanese society; it has become an essential product with close ties to manga, video games, and cosplay. While there are vast differences between Chinese and Japanese animation, the incorporation of history, tradition, religion, mythology and pop culture has established its place in society.

Lent, J. A. (2000). Animation in Asia: appropriation, reinterpretation and adoption or adaption. Retrieved 8 September, 2014 from http://tlweb.latrobe.edu.au/humanities/screeningthepast/firstrelease/fr1100/jlfr11c.htm

Napier, S. (2005). Anime and local/global identity. In Anime: from Akira to Hows moving castle (pp. 15-34). Hampshire: Palgrave/Macmillan.

 How and why are comics becoming more accepted as an art form? Can/should they be regarded as a literary genre?

Comics deserve recognition and respect in both mentioned categories; both equally deserving in regards to being an art form and in being a literary genre. First of all, there is an incredible amount of artwork that goes into comic books and like Herge himself, an obviously talented group of illustrators. For example: Farr. (1991) observes 'the preparation was time-consuming and particular poses were sketched in the studio from life until Herge was satisfied.' He also makes a reference to Herge being a perfectionist and in one instance, uses a scale model of a rocket with cut away sections to enable him to be accurate in his drawings. The illustrators deserve to have their art work recognized and acknowledged like any other artists work. I believe Art is art. How can a person differentiate from one art work to another, also you cannot compare for example: a comic strip to another that has been created by a different type of artist who has their own style. Roy Lichtenstein was involved in the Pop Art movement, he faced controversy regarding his works, he used art from varying comic strips, enlarged and then painted them. They were not considered 'real' art. I believe it is ludicrous to define one work as art and yet deny another equal status and recognition.

According to Varnum and Gibbons, words were favoured over images upon the invention of the printing press but favour later on shifted towards images, as they were seen to be more alluring. (introduction. p.?). Theorist Seaward Barry A. M. states, "it is images, not words, that communicate most deeply" (p.75). She also added "when an image is combined with words as in a comic strip, the words become secondary but the language of images remains primary." (p.78). When it come to the arts, the debate between painting and poetry, literature and visual art has been ongoing between both western and eastern cultures. The Roman poet Horace once stated in a passing comment: "ut pictura poesis."( as is painting, so is poetry).

I believe that when it comes to the definition of what qualifies a written piece to be regarded as a 'literary' genre, the term should apply to any narrative piece regardless of whether it's in comic book form or other. When weighing in on this debate, what should determine whether a written piece has literary value is if it adheres to the basic narrative structure and be judged on the quality of the piece.When it comes to how and why comics are becoming more accepted as an art form as well as should comics be regarded as a literary genre; you only have to see how highly the Tintin comics were held in regard. Farr. (1991), makes a reference to the Tintin comics - 'high quality drawing and compelling narrative...' Also according to Farr. (p.59)  'The Blue Lotus' has such inherent quality and class that it can be considered a strip cartoon classic which raised the comparatively young medium to new heights.'  According to Varnum and Gibbons, despite comics having been seen as a 'lowbrow' medium in America, countries such as Latin America, Japan, Canada and parts of Europe regard them highly as 'serious artistic and cultural productions.' Varnum and Gibbons (2001) believe comics are one of the most favoured forms of media that has become accepted in todays increasing visual age, alongside other mediums such as television, cinema and internet. The combined elements of representational code: images and texts, word balloons, zip ribbons and panel frames that house separate scenes of a narrative that make up comics, can easily be altered in a sophisticated manner.

Comic strips

Reference

Varnum, R. & Gibbons, C. (Ed.). (2001). The Language of Comics: word and image (p.x). Jackson: U Press of Mississippi.

Herge. (2005; 1935). The Adventures of Tintin: The Blue Lotus. London; Methuen.

Farr, M. (1991). In the Blue Lotus. In Tintin: the complete companion (pp.50-59). London: John Murray. 

Roy Lichtenstein documentary retrieved from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Slg0QkE9kU
Comic strip images retrieved from:
://www.google.co.nz/search?q=popular+comics+strips&es_sm=119&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=30oRVLmRN8zJuATW2oHAAQ&ved=0

What does Brown (2001) identify as the central themes and concerns of the novel? What elements conform to the wider generic features of SF?

Brown (2001) identified Metaphysic. Metaphysics is kind of nature of the world, existence and reality. Various metaphysical subjects such as precognition, ray-guns and alien worlds were used as the creative and popular themes of SF by Dick who have mystical and fantastic imaginative. The suggestion that the ideology of the universe appear to be real in which the truth of the illusion lies behind it. Furthermore, the second concern which was pointed was what compose of a true human being as against to a fake one. He used some  acts of people that he knew for the fiction. His SF reflected effect of events on persons. There is an alternative universe of the story in the novel ‘The grasshopper lies heavily’ as well as the alternate history of the Allies. Brown (2001, p.vii) suggested about it, “Reality as perceived by both reader and protagonist is a hoax”. He identifies empathy as one of the strength display in which he wrote based on the people under extraordinary circumstances. First of all, one of the wider generic features of his SF is that he reflected his own life and style. His life was a troubled, confused life. Having suffered anxiety attacks throughout his lifetime, this rendered him unable to function normally in society. He had some problems to eat in public. In his SF, although there are all failures and hard situations, Dick even reflected a hope for readers. Furthermore, this can also be related to ‘A Scanner Darkly (2006)' by Dick, which the drug Substance D has tormented Arctor livelihood. This lead him to be heavily reliant towards the drug, in return his superiors deem him as incapable of performing his duties. This lead him to be taken into a rehabilitation facility which was also responsible for manufacturing the substance D drug. I think all experiences can be related to the themes of Dick’s work. When we have some difficulties with something, it can make me stronger than before. ‘The man in high castle’ is his great work. He reflected his life in it. If Dick had not some problems with this life, he would not solve the problems such as many failures on his work. Brown (2001) also described that Dick reflected his life and used SF to explore his obsession with metaphysics, the nature of perceived reality, good and evil and the abuse of power.

 

References:

Brown, E. (2001). Introduction. In P. K. Dick. The man in the high castle (p.v-xii). London: Penguin.

Linklater, R. (Director). (2006).  Scanner Darkly. United States: Warner Independent Pictures.

 

Do you think comics are a children’s or adult genre / media? 

I believe comics are more suited to being a children's and youth genre/media. My reasoning for this is that a lot of the content of the comics I grew up with had simple and easy to read narratives and dialogue. For example: Archie comics, Romance comics, Ripley's Believe it or Not! Another example is a you tube video presentation by Joshua Hayes discussing 'Batman'; (worth listening to) stating that originally Batman was created for children (see 2.44). I believe comics were geared towards children and youth. McCloud S. 'Understanding comics,' (p.3). defines comics as "cheap, disposable kiddie fare." 

'Tintin' debuting on 1st November 1928 was a supplement for children though it veered off towards a more adult market with it's political themes, issues and events of the times, controversial topics and racially biased pov's and cliches (until Herge had been introduced to art student Chang Chong-chen, who enlightened him to see beyond the biased stereo-typical prejudices of the times that Herge himself had held beforehand. (p.51). Farr believes as far as Tintin was concerned, its popularity was universal. He stated Tintin's character was such that it appealed to both children and adults alike. Farr also observed that children enjoyed Tintin's exciting adventures as well as its farcical moments. He suggested adults would enjoy the political satire, use of puns, parodies and Herge's extraordinary and uncanny ability to foresee events before they occurred (Farr. 1991).  Considering Herge was a perfectionist and thorough in researching information as well as keeping a compilation, he deemed useful to him in later issues, I have to wonder if he also read and kept the book of Nostradamus as a valuable resource and reference. 

Comics were a great novel way of engaging and maintaining children's interests in reading, making reading a fun concept with it's images and easy-to-read format. Comics would have easily appealed to children who disliked reading and ordinarily would not have been motivated to want to engage in reading. I believe that comics back in the 60's would have been at the height of their popularity more so than now. Children today are more interested in electronic forms of entertainment such as tablets, where they're able to engage in an interactive experience as well as a gaming console that allows them to play at being a comic book super hero, as opposed to merely reading about them. We live in an age where people want instant gratification and as Batman would say; "Time is of the essence!" some people may opt to watch a movie and see their comic book hero spring to life on the cinematic screen or LCD screens. Of course, when it comes to comics, there'll always be the avid collectors, ardent fans and the sci-fi fans probably similiar to the likeable characters from 'The Big Bang Theory' who tend to live and breathe their favourite characters and many of these fans most likely attend the many sci-fi and fantasy conventions born from the popularity of comics. For example: Armageddon in Auckland and events like Comic-con in the states and events like the 'Comic Book Month' being held here at Auckland libraries during this September.

Reference

Farr, Michael. (1991). Tintin: the complete companion (p.6). London: John Murray.
Varnum, R. & Gibbons, C. (Ed.). (2001). The Language of Comics: word and image (p.x.).

How is science fiction different from fantasy, according to Le Guin ?

Science fiction deals with the possibility of something. Its allows the imagination to run away. to bridge the gap between reality and dreams. Le Guin states that Science Fiction mostly tries to convince the reader things we know as impossibilities as possible. It gives the viewer/reader a chance to explore the concept of one day this might actually happen or is in fact happening right now. The movies about what the future good hold for us. For example; when we watched 2012, directed by Roland Emmerich, I think that a lot of people held there breath December 31, 2013 to see if the world would end. Or another example is 1999, when the world was waiting to see if computers would take over in the year 2000. In Blade Runner, by Phillip K  Dick, he tried he demonstrated what Science Fiction is, and how it is different to Fantasy. Instead of imaging a what a would be like with humanoid beings, he created them and made them reality.

 Fantasy on the other hand deals with the reality as Le Guin states is an idea that shows the impossibility of a movie or book. That what you are reading or seeing simply cannot or will not ever be a reality. Le Guin defines Fantasy as '..that violate fundamental assumptions about 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 circumstance come true.' For example in Lord of the Rings, in no way would we ever believe that the fate of the world is in the hands of a little man who must destroy a ring that is possessed by evil. In no way would we ever believe that a tree can move or talk.

W. R. Irwin supports this same theory by saying that 'an overt violation of what is generally accepted as possibility.' He also goes on to explain that any narrative no matter where it is placed is a fantasy if it is developed or supports the impossible of what we know is the reality.

Atterby, B. The Fantasy Tradition in American Literature: from Irving to Le Guin. Bloomington: Indiana. University Press, 1980, 1-10.

W. R. Irving. The Fantasy Tradition in American Literature: from Irving to Le Guin. Bloomington: Indiana. University Press, 1980, 1-10.

P. K. Dick. Blade Runner. Retrieved 3 September from
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blade_Runner .

According to Lent (2000), what place does animation occupy in Asian societies? How different is this across Asia (ie comparing China and Japan)?

According to Lent (2000), what place does animation occupy in Asian societies? How different is this across Asia (ie comparing China and Japan)?

According to Lent (2000), animations were dated back through the various uses of indigenous artistic styles and creative skills such as paper-cut, paper fold, and ink and wash in China, or shadow theatre in China and Japan. Furthermore, animation has localized plots based on religious or folkloric stories and literary. Animation appeared in Asia in 1923. At that time, many kinds of Chinese animations were influenced by American cultures. China’s first animation is Uproar in an art studio (1926). It was also influenced by Western styles. China made first full length cartoon film: Princess with the iron fan in 1941. This film motivated Japan’s premier animator and inspired other Asian countries to do the same. Within the essence of anime there is always a global culture identity that is intertwined to western themes. Since then, countries like China and Japan set out a race in animation to showcase their prowess along with respective country cultures and values. According to Lent (2000), Hong Kong made a ‘Hong Kong Disneyland theme park’ to build up its economical standing working with 'Disney' (A western animation company). In spite of this, China, Vietnam and the Philippines use animation as a political tool in order to served governmental and bureaucratic goals. However, China and Japan continue to try to make relation to various Medias and make animation such as manga and anime that gives audiences what the Asian people want, which are the popular cultural and international views and morals of Chinese and Japanese cultures. Especially, manga and anime in Japan belongs to ‘masses. As a notable example, we might find Howl’s Moving Castle (2004). Napier (2005, p.4.) suggested “That is cultural phenomenon worthy of being taken seriously, both sociologically and aesthetically.”

 

References:

Lent, J. A. (2000). Animation in Asia: appropriation, reinterpretation, and adoption or adaptation. Retrieved 28 August, 2014, from http://www.latrobe.edu.au/screeningthepast/firstrelease/fr1100/jlfr11c.htm

Napier, S. (2005). Anime and Local/Global Identity. In Anime: from Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle (pp.15-34). Hampshire: Palgrave/Macmillan.

How is science fiction different from fantasy, according to Le Guin ?

Fantasy and science fiction differ greatly, fantasy essentially refers to the unnatural and impossible. Fantasy engages in other worldly phenomenon, such as magical creatures, beings and objects, and faraway lands. “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” (Attebery, 1980). Much like fantasy, science fiction is imaginative; it holds elements of wonder but in a more technological and scientific way. According to Le Guin (n.d.) science fiction differs from fantasy in several ways. First, it encompasses a worldly realism that reveals a sense of plausibility that entices readers into a journey that in some way could be explained by science. This also allows the reader to be able to make connections to the real world, connections such as the mention of real history, events or people. These themselves, could be altered (Le Guin, n.d.), for example a science fiction author might write about an actual event that happened but alter the outcome of it. In comparison to this, only in lesser extents of realism is shown within the fantasy genre, in C.S Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia the tale begins in a real world setting but quickly develops into the fantasy world of Narnia. Second, science fiction is usually not set within the present-day, more likely in the future where scientific advances have taken place. If a story takes place within a current time frame then the reader will expect facts otherwise it is more likely viewed as unbelievable (Le Guin, n.d.). And third, Le Guin (n.d.) states that science fiction is often recognized as the mythology of the modern day, which she then dismisses as meaningless. But why does she dismiss this? She states “Myth, legend, and folktale are ancestral to, not forms of, modern fiction. ..The nearest we come to it is fantasy” (Le Guin, n.d.). 

 References

Le Guin, U. K. (n.d.). Plausibility revisited. Retrieved August 24, 2014, http://www.ursulakleguin.com/PlausibilityRevisited.html

Attebery, B. (1980). The fantasy tradition in America literature: from Irving to Le Guin. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.