1. EDU11GCL – Genres in Children’s Literature FANTASY
Lecture 3 High Fantasy
© La Trobe University, David Beagley, 2005

2. High Fantasy Issues: What is “High” Fantasy
JK Rowlings and Harry Potter

3. What is “High Fantasy”? Key reading:
CW Sullivan, (2004) High Fantasy, in The International Companion Encyclopedia of Children’s Literature, ed. Peter Hunt, vol href INTE

4. What is “High Fantasy”? What is Fantasy?
Stories with events/episodes/happenings not consistent with accepted reality (Huck)
Primary world/Secondary world
Balance of “the extraordinary and the probable” Butts (2004)
Mimesis – desire to imitate, to share reality Fantasy – desire to extend , to alter reality Hume (1984)

5. What is “High Fantasy”? What is “High” in the fantasy?
Scale of story – epic, grand, world-shattering - thus, scale of issues
Literary elements – tone, writing style
Characters – noble and base, good and evil
Philosophies – morality, lifestyles and choices
Reference and allusions - Links to other grand or famous stories
Suggests a real hypothesis about humankind’s future or about the nature of the universe (and our place in it).

6. What is “High Fantasy”? Is more serious and demanding
Complex narratives characterised by certain recurring themes and motifs
Conflict between good and evil often the focus.
Scale is worldwide or universal
Frequently take place in created worlds or imaginary kingdoms – secondary world is distinct and complete – cosmology is often a key to the resolution

7. What is “High Fantasy”?
Characters may call upon powers for good or evil
Often a quest to fulfil.
Major character is often “super”-natural and key to resolution
Goodness, truth, courage and wisdom prevail.
Ancient powers: Nargun and the Stars, Wirrun trilogy, Sabriel/Lirael/Abhorsen
Struggle between good and evil: Narnia, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Over Sea Under Stone
Quest and adventure: The Hobbit; A Wizard of Earthsea; Beowulf; Odysseus/Ulysses
Or both: Arthurian cycle, Harry Potter

8. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Biog. info on JK Rowlings
Born 1965 in Chipping Sodbury
Keen writer at school
Studied French at Uni, taught in Portugal
Developed Harry character and story outlines then, and returned to England
Initial rejection, then boom bestseller
Use of initials for boy readers
Style of books (and plots) “grows up” with Harry
Books are planned in great detail as a sequence
Draws heavily on legends and history

9. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Literary elements (borrowings from past texts)
Myths & legends: stereotypes of witches and wizards, broomsticks, owls, cats etc.
History: Nicolas Flamel and alchemy, Latin spells
Other writers: Dickens – streets of Victorian London, Blyton – Malory Towers / Famous Five / Magic Faraway tree

10. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Censorship
Magic and the Occult
is magic promoted as an active mechanism to solve the key problems or reach the resolution?
Death and Violence
Are they necessary to establish the themes, or the details gratuitous
Are the likely readers able to make such moral judgements?

11. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Popularity vs critical accord
Appeal of books:
for children – “at least they’re reading” – literature or literacy?
for adults – escapism
What is a “good” book?
Bridge to other literature

12. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Harry as High Fantasy
High does not necessarily mean Best
The main events happen to Harry because they have to, not because he chooses to act
Great questions of Good and Evil, of world threatening events
As a literary creation, Harry Potter has introduced so many readers to fantastic worlds