EDU12ACL – Australian Children’s Literature
FANTASY
STORIES
Lecture 3
Heroes and Heroines:
En-gendering the Heroic
in Fantasy Literature
© La Trobe University, David Beagley 2006
Recommended Reading
• Babbitt, Natalie (1987) Fantasy and the Classic
Hero. in Innocence and experience: essays and
conversations on children’s literature. ed. Barbara
Harrison & Gregory Maguire. Boston: Lothrop, Lea
and Shepard (on E-reserve)
• Golden, Jill (1994) Heroes and Gender: children
reading and writing. English in Australia. No. 110,
December. 42-52 (on E-reserve)
• Hourihan, Margery (1997) Deconstructing the Hero:
literary theory and children’s literature. London:
Routledge. (hmc 809.89282 HOUR)
Definitions
What is a hero?
•
•
•
•
Inherent values?
Defined by circumstances?
Therefore, defined by story
Gender?
Universal story patterns in hero fantasy
• What is a hero fantasy?
• Forms and structures typical and repeated
• Most common are Quest stories
• Indicates traditional origins in myths, legends and
epics – e.g. Iliad, Odyssey, Beowulf, Arthurian
cycle
• Despite grand scope, focus is on the individual
Universal story patterns in hero fantasy
•Provides common structure in which
authorial individuality or particular details
can be explored
•Danger of cliché and formulaic
story/characters
•Danger of perpetuating stereotypes –
both narrative and social
Universal story patterns in hero fantasy
From Robert Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces the fantasy hero follows an ancient path, universal to
all cultures, and that journey describes truths about
life and living.
See also Carl Jung – archetypes
The key stages of the journey are:
•
SEPARATION
•
INITIATION
•
RETURN
Universal story patterns in hero fantasy
• The Call to Adventure
• The Herald
• Threshold
• Succession of Trials
• Protective Figure
• Victory/quest fulfilled
• Recrossing the Threshold
Heroic agency
Agency – the capacity to act
• Agency is socially determined – i.e. it reflects what
society allows or expects of the hero
• Male agency – reflects male social stereotype
• Physical, aggressive, confronting danger, risk taking
• Female agency – reflects female social stereotype
• Nurturing, caring, repairing, submissive
Thus, characterization problem for an author:
• Hero or Heroine? Should the key female show male
agency or female agency?
• Is the heroic behaviour appropriate in her society?
• … or the reader’s society?
Identification with the Hero,
or the Heroic?
The Reader identifying with the Hero
• The vicarious experience of reading
• Balancing the imagined persona of the Hero with
the known limitations of social reality
• Male readers can match the two expectations
• Female readers encounter the contradiction of
the social dualism – the heroic and female agency
Challenging this social dualism
But …
Reinforce the traditional
•Ideals of femininity
maintained (clothing,
appearance, physique etc.)
•A “good” man is required to
provide the male attributes
of physicality, strength,
assertiveness etc.
•Female does not overpower
enemy, but enables “healing”
or repair of situation.
•Romance is just around the
corner, and defines the
successful ending
Voices
The voice of the hero and the voice of the author
• Male author presenting a female voice / female
experience
• e.g. John Marsden: So much to tell you, Letters from the
inside, Tomorrow and Elly series, Checkers, Winter
• Does the social dualism enable a female author to
write a male voice more convincingly than a male
author writing a female voice?
• e.g. Rowlings writing Harry, Rodda writing Rowan,
Wrightson writing Wirrun, Jinks writing Pagan
• Tamora Pierce, Kate Constable, Anne McCaffery
Voices and messages
Do either of Sabriel or Shædow Master claim the
femininity of their heroes as essential to the
heroic quest, or is it incidental?
• What is socially appropriate for the hero?
• What is their relationship with the key male
characters?
• Are they defined by those relationships?
• Does their femininity enable or detract from
active participation by the reader?