EDU11GCL – Genres in Childrens LiteratureFANTASY.pptVIP

EDU11GCL – Genres in Children’s LiteratureFANTASY Lecture 1Defining fantasy in Children’s Literature Lecture slides available: .au/childlit/courses.htm See also: Reviews Library Guide to subject resources Authors and illustrators Definition Stories with events/episodes/happenings not consistent with accepted reality (Huck) Question – Who determines what is consistent, accepted and reality? Definition JRR Tolkien – “On Fairy Stories” in Tree and Leaf, and The Monsters and the Critics … fairy-stories are not in normal English usage stories about fairies or elves but stories about Fairy, that is, Fa?rie, the realm or state in which fairies have their being  Primary world / Secondary world Secondary world is NOT “make believe”, “blossom and butterfly fairies” with implied inferiority and un-reality World of Fa?rie - the Perilous Realm – the feywith contiguous and equivalent reality Fantasy is its own reality, not an escape from, or pale shadow of, ours Definition Key element is IMAGINATION the capability of “forming mental images of things not actually present” (Tolkien) Imagination is key to human understanding “to boldly go where no man has gone before” “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” (Lao Tzu, c.550 bc) Suspension of disbelief “Dreaming the Future” dreaming of future truths - dreaming the truth. Dreaming of future truths Exploring the boundaries of reality and knowledge. Many great scientists (eg. Einstein, Galileo, Hawking) had powerful imaginations, dreamed up ideas rather than just testing reality. What could be, rather than what is Scientism, Empiricism, Humanism – “consistent with accepted reality” Dreaming the truth Using imagination to understand reality – speculative fiction Enables broad concepts (e.g. Good, Evil, Heroism, Truth etc.) to be explored and explained free of the grey areas of the everyday. Clear focus on specific aspects without the distractions of “relevance”. Removes from the immediate, fears to be ov