Does the Walker Choose the Path, or the Path the Walker? – Female. Characters
in Garth Nix's The Abhorsen Trilogy. Diploma Thesis. Brno 2011. Supervisor:.
MASARYK UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
Does the Walker Choose the Path, or the Path the Walker? – Female Characters in Garth Nix’s The Abhorsen Trilogy
Diploma Thesis
Brno 2011
Supervisor:
Written by:
Ing. Mgr. Věra Eliášová, Ph.D.
Bc. Dita Šrámková
Prohlášení
Prohlašuji, že jsem závěrečnou diplomovou vypracovala samostatně, s využitím pouze citovaných literárních pramenů, dalších informací a zdrojů v souladu s Disciplinárním řádem pro studenty Pedagogické fakulty Masarykovy univerzity a se zákonem č. 121/2000 Sb., o právu autorském, o právech souvisejících s právem autorským a o změně některých zákonů (autorský zákon), ve znění pozdějších předpisů.
Souhlasím, aby práce byla uložena na Masarykově univerzitě v Brně v knihovně Pedagogické fakulty a zpřístupněna ke studijním účelům.
Declaration
I hereby declare that this diploma thesis is my own work and that all the sources of information I have used are listed in the references, in compliance with the Penalty Code for students of the Faculty of Education of the Masaryk University and Act No. 121/2000 Coll. on Copyright and Rights Related to Copyright and on Amendment to Certain Acts (the Copyright Act) as amended.
I approve that this diploma thesis is stored and available for study purposes in the library of the Faculty of Education at the Masaryk University Brno
Bc. Dita Šrámková
Acknowledgement:
I would like to thank my supervisor, Ing. Mgr. Věra Eliášová, Ph.D., for giving me her support and guidance throughout the writing process. I would also like to express thanks to all my family, especially to Michal, Karolína, Evelína, my parents and friends for their support and patience.
Contents 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................5 2. A Brief History of Children’s Literature.......................................................................9 3. Definition of Children’s Literature .............................................................................15 4. Gender in Children’s Literature ..................................................................................20 5. Fantasy Literature........................................................................................................24 6. Biography of Garth Nix ..............................................................................................28 7. Plot of The Abhorsen Trilogy......................................................................................30 8. Setting - The Wall and Two Worlds ...........................................................................35 9. Sabriel .........................................................................................................................39 9.1 Identity ..................................................................................................................41 9.2 Maturity.................................................................................................................46 9.3 Gender Roles - Relationship .................................................................................51 9.4 Parenthood ............................................................................................................54 9.5 Sabriel’s Companion.............................................................................................56 10. Lirael .........................................................................................................................59 10.1 An Outsider .........................................................................................................59 10.2 Theme of Death and Suicide ...............................................................................62 10.3 A Different Path ..................................................................................................64 10.4 Identity ................................................................................................................67 10.5 Maturity...............................................................................................................71 10.6 Sexuality..............................................................................................................75 10.7 Lirael’s Companion – Disreputable Dog ............................................................77 10.8 Family .................................................................................................................80 11. Conclusion ................................................................................................................83 Resumé............................................................................................................................86 Summary .........................................................................................................................87 Works Cited ....................................................................................................................88 Attachments.....................................................................................................................92
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1. Introduction Generally, children’s literature is highly valued in many countries around the world. We are living in a period of remarkable generation and consumption of children’s literature and, as a consequence, this causes a more general interest in this field. Children’s literature is now being taken as a serious subject of further analysis and exploration. Stories told through children’s books represent one of the important ways of helping children understand their own lives and explore various imagined worlds through which they can experience feelings and thoughts in ways different from their own. There are many kinds of narratives that reach a child, the reader, and with the current fast development of new technologies, new phenomena such as e-mails, mobile text message, internet with wide variety of chatting programmes and lately wide spread social networks, etc. have become an inseparable part of children’s lives. But even in this technological world the written and oral stories still retain the importance of their position. The children’s literature is written for a different audience, the child, the reader, and it is the way a story is communicated to the audience and its effects on the child, the reader, which form part of the field of children’s literature. Reading a story should be an enriching and interesting experience for the child, the reader, however, it is important to bear in mind that neither children nor the children's books are a homogenous mass. Therefore, the child, the reader, should be emotionally and intellectually capable of absorbing the values that are presented by the author in the book. The first part of this diploma thesis presents a theoretical background on children’s literature. A history of children’s literature is presented. Originally children’s literature was intentionally written for education and religious purposes. For the purposes of amusement it started to occur later on and continues to exist
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simultaneously. Definitions of children’s literature and fantasy literature are discussed in the following parts of this thesis. Another important part of my diploma thesis is the gender and gender roles that have significantly changed during the last century and therefore, it is not surprising that the main characters of Garth Nix’s The Abhorsen Trilogy are females, Sabriel and Lirael. These female protagonists swap roles with male characters portrayed in the stories (i.e. they save the male characters, which later on take on supportive roles of companions and obey Sabriel and Lirael’s orders). Contrary to other fantasy novels (e.g. Harry Potter series), female protagonists in The Abhorsen Trilogy do not have to overcome any obstacles arising from their social position as both males and females in the novels are equally treated. This helps them as they are not distracted from their quest by any other social obstacles. In my thesis, I will concentrate on these main female characters of The Abhorsen Trilogy (Sabriel, Lirael, Abhorsen) and discuss them from different points of view; for example I will focus on their gradual development of their journeys. The trilogy is a Bildungsroman1 of young girls, discovering the responsibilities and opportunities that come with growing up. Deidre F. Baker in her paper on internet “What We Found on Our Journey through Fantasy Land” states that in fantasy for children “the quest and journey is usually a quest for wholeness and identity, for maturity.” I follow the journeys of Sabriel and Lirael and their gradual transformation into their new identities and maturity. Various challenges, adventures and events on their journeys help the characters develop and to become “new” persons. Persons who learn on their journey as well as makes mistakes, change through the experience.
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Bildungsroman is a novel of formation, a novel whose principal subject is the moral, psychological, and intellectual development of a usually youthful main character.
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What Baker does not mention is the question of freedom that comes along with the journey. A person is on his/her own and experiences freedom and independence. It is the internal fight of secret desires of Sabriel and Lirael and responsibilities that they are assigned to manage. They find out that they are predetermined for their roles as their “paths” were chosen. They cannot be free of their inheritance; however, they find freedom and satisfaction in their new roles. This also relates to the question from the title of this diploma thesis: “Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?” (Sabriel 46). This quotation reoccurs several times in the trilogy and suggests perpetual questioning of the characters about their journey, choices and decisions, whether they have any influence on their lives or whether everything was set in advance and they just follow the “path”. Sabriel undergoes a significant development in all three sequels of the trilogy. At the beginning she experiences freedom from the school routine, when she starts her journey. Later in the trilogy she is also introduced in the role of a mother. This is the area where Sabriel experiences disillusion. It is due to her continuous participation in protecting her magical country from evil and her involvement in political issues of the two neighbouring countries (magical and non-magical) that she faces the distress of never being a good mother (i.e. full-time mother). The thesis discusses Sabriel’s view of motherhood and also the fact that her husband Touchstone often substitutes her in the role of a mother. This proves that fantasy literature reflects the ever-changing roles of males and females in today’s society. In case of the second female character, Lirael, I will argue about the character’s development in the sense of the Bildungsroman. Nevertheless, contrary to the typical Bildungsroman, Lirael starts her story in the condition of disillusion and a suicidal attempt. She develops throughout the story and ends up full of hope. Thus, the author
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introduces a “new” Bildungsroman by changing the order of the character’s development, while maintaining “a social context that will facilitate the unfolding of inner capacities, leading the young person from ignorance and innocence to wisdom and maturity” (The Voyage in: Fictions of Female Development 6). Lirael’s relationship with the society “is marked by clashes of unique human possibility with the restraints of social convention” which is typical for the Bildungsroman (6). Lirael is an outsider within her society; however, she develops into a responsible person who does not hesitate to sacrifice herself for the good of the society.
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2. A Brief History of Children’s Literature Defining children’s literature is a complex issue because it is a subject in constant development. One way of defining the term of children’s literature is to examine its development in the course of time. John Rowe Townsend in his book Written for Children (1995) mentions that before the existence of children’s books, the society first had to accept children as individuals with their own needs and interests, “not merely as miniatures of men and women”(3). Literature produced for children before the 18th century was disregarded and was meant for adults. The core of historical literature consisted of myths2, legends3, stories and especially folklore, passed from generation to generation through day to day speech. Children were eager to hear of the adventures and many of these tales were later written down and are still enjoyed by the children of today. Books specifically for children existed during the 17th century. The book Orbis Sensualium Pictus by Jan Amos Komenský published in 1658 is considered to be the first picture book especially for children. Until the end of the 17th century, books produced for children were mainly schoolbooks or books of manner and morals. Peter Hunt in his essay “Introduction: The Expanding World of Children’s Literature Studies” states that “histories of children’s books worldwide demonstrate tensions between the exercise of educational, religious, and political power on the one hand, and various concepts associated with “freedom” (notably fantasy and the imagination) on the other”(5).
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According to Edith Hamilton, Mythology Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes Hamilton, myths are explanations of something in nature, myth is early science, and the result of men’s first trying to explain what they saw around them. Greek and Roman mythology shows us the way the human race thought and felt ages ago (19). 3 “Legend is a historical narrative, a symbolic representation of folk belief.” (Wikipedia)
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Townsend’s description of the beginnings of literature written for children serves as an example of educational and religious power in the past. He states that because of the strong influence of Puritans, children were seen as the ones to be rescued. In England, A Token for Children, being an Exact Account of the Conversion, Holy and Exemplary Lives, and Joyful Deaths of Several Young Children by James Janeway was the most famous being repeatedly reprinted through to the 19th century. In the American colonies, the New England Primer first published between 1687 – 1690 became the most successful educational textbook. At the beginning of the 18th century the Puritan hold started to diminish and new attitudes and approaches to children slowly took over and a child started to be seen as an innocent being (Townsend, 5 – 11). Ivana Bobulová in her essay “A Brief History of Children’s Literature Conception of Childhood” says that English and American children’s literature from the 18th century was dominated by the French writer Charles Perrault and his Tales of Mother Goose, a collection of fairy tales similar to Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, etc. (23). Educational text continued to dominate writing for children, a typical example being “A Little Pretty Pocket-Book” published by John Newbery in 1744. Puritan hold remained strong in colonial America for most of 18th century with virtually no American writing for children (Townsend, 20). Bobulová further mentions that attitudes toward children were influenced by the philosophies of John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, whose appeal was that they gave due consideration to children’s distinctive needs and pleasure in learning and education (19). They both influenced children’s literature; they wanted a new, rational and more liberal approach to education. Despite this, they were criticized by educationalists and moralists of the time, including Maria Edgeworth, Sarah Trimmer and Mary Sherwood. Sherwood’s The Fairchild Family (1818) introduces moral lessons in every chapter
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(Townsend, 25 – 28). The primary goal of children’s literature at the time was to impress good and proper morals, and a sense of religion upon young readers. In the middle of 19th century Britain and the United States were growing and becoming more literate, which helped to provide an economic base for flourishing of children’s literature. Thus, it is called the Golden Age of Children’s Literature. Peter Hunt in the book Children’s Literature: The development of Criticism (1990) states that the 19th century is the period when children’s literature developed into its modern form (5). During the first half of the 19th century the collection of fairy-stories by Grimm brothers and Hans Andersen’s fairy tales were translated into English. At the same time we find the beginning of the historical novel (by Sir Walter Scott), which set out the first historical adventure stories written especially for children (by Captain Marryat). Townsend states that the total liberation from didacticism is one of Treasure Island’s (1883) by Robert Louis Stevenson outstanding features and its qualities such as speed, colour and excitement, which attract the child-reader (43 – 45). In America, stories of great adventures were also published, recognised as “the making of America”, i.e. Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884) by Mark Twain. During this period literature was also starting to be written for the particular interest and needs of girls, including authors such as a British writer Charlotte Mary Yonge and her historical romance novel The Daisy Chain (1856), and American writers Louisa May Alcott best known for her novel Little Women (1868) and Susan Coolidge What Katy Did (1872). An English writer Lewis Carroll represents nonsense literature4 which was developed just for children’s entertainment: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865), 4
Nonsense literature uses sensual and nonsensical elements to defy language conventions or logical reasoning. The effect of nonsense is often caused by an excess of meaning, rather than a lack of it.
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Through the Looking Glass (1872). Carroll introduced a variety of features such as the use of nursery rhymes and also animals to act out the various plots in these books. The Alice books also introduced illustration to children’s books as mentioned by Joyce Irene Whalley in the essay “The Development of Illustrated Texts and Picture Books“: “Here we have perhaps for the first time an artist and a writer working together to produce a definitive form of an illustrated story“(223). The illustrations provide reader with visual forms in his/her mind. The Alice books also marked the “true beginning of the age of fantasy in children’s literature” (Townsend, 76). A brief definition of fantasy is introduced in The Oxford Companion to Children’s Literature (1984) as following: “Fantasy is a term used to describe works of fiction, written by a specific author and usually novel-length, which involve the supernatural or some other unreal element” (Carpenter, Prichard 181). Among fantasy writers of the Victorian period belongs George MacDonald and his books At the Back of the North Wind (1871, The Princess and the Goblin (1872). Edith Nesbit in her three books Five Children and It (1902), The Phoenix and the Carpet (1904) and The Story of the Amulet (1906) introduces magical creatures. One of the most famous American novels of the period is The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1899) by Lyman Frank Baum. Bobulová states that a new genre, which once belonged to adult literature, develops as a part of literature for children – animal stories5, with the best known The Jungle Books (1894) by Rudyard Kipling and Black Beauty (1877) by Anna Sewell (26). According to Townsend, this genre was the field “in which Canada has continued
Nonsense is often humorous in nature, although its humour is derived from its nonsensical nature (Wikipedia). 5 Animal stories may be divided into two main kinds: those about humanized animals and those about animals as such. (Townsend 94)
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to excel”, e.g. Ernest Thompson Seton’s Wild Animals I Have Known (1898), Charles George Douglas Roberts’s Red Fox (1905) (96). The 20th century was affected by the World War I. As Townsend describes, children’s literature in Britain recorded the shortage of writing during the war years, quickly returning post war but with a demonstrable increase in quantity rather than quality. Generally, during the decade after the war there was a lack of interest in children’s literature. This was in contrast to the United States where books for children were advancing, mainly due to the provision a favourable environment (Townsend 127 128). Books for children during the period between the wars started to be softer, which can be seen in works by Hugh Lofting and the adventures of a doctor in The Story of Doctor Dolittle (1920) and Alan Alexander Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh (1926). The books introduce generous and kind main characters to readers, who can experience interesting adventures via these characters, which is relaxing for the post war period. In the 1930’s fantasy literature retained its important position through the books Mary Poppins (1934) by Pamela Lyndon Travers, A Traveller in Time (1939) by Alison Uttley. However, the best known fantasies, recognized today as classic children’s books, are The Hobbit, or There and Back Again (1937) by J.R.R. Tolkien. The second half of the 20th century is marked by many changes. World War II was followed by the Cold War and these were amongst the factors influencing many changes in the society. Townsend comments on how these events were reflected in the society as follows: “old certainties broke down; the bulwarks of religion and family life were weakened” (167). The wars followed by the Cold War disturbed the values, “certainties” of the society provided by the “family” and “religion”. These “old certainties” ceased to exist for many people after experiencing the horrors of the wars,
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which left many families incomplete. This period is also marked by an increase in the quality of books for children and in the development of criticism. Fantasy literature, mostly with its magical elements, offers different perspectives to its readers. Roger Lancelyn Green in the essay “The Golden Age of Children’s Books” says that “Magic to most children is only just out of reach: it fills their imaginings and informs their games” (47). “Magic” enables “children” to experience adventures fulfilling or exceeding their “imagination”, absorbing them in “games”, which are impossible to seize in the real world. Children experience magic for example in Clive Staples Lewis’s series of fantasy novels The Chronicles of Narnia (the first sequence published in 1950) and in the fantasy books for children by Roald Dahl. The boom of children’s literature in the second half of the 20th century continues in the 21st century and also means that there are many new authors producing a wide range of books. Modern fantasy writers of books for children and young adults include: Terry Pratchet and his Discworld series, Ursula K. Le Guin and her Earthsea series, Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials, J. K. Rowling and her Harry Potter books, Garth Nix and his Abhorsen trilogy, and others. These books introduce strong male or female characters who undergo some transformation throughout the story. The characters of the novels experience adventures, face danger and fight evil to save the world from destruction or save other people. Today’s world is embraced by use of new technologies and their continuous development and rapid improvement, e.g. mass media (TV, radio, etc.), information technology and the expansion of the internet, especially at the end of the 20th century and its common daily usage in the 21st century. This is projected into children’s books and in their handling and perception, including adaptation of books for television, computer games or books recorded on CDs.
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3. Definition of Children’s Literature Children’s books have a long history and contain elements of folk, fairy tale and a spoken tradition. Describing a brief history of children’s literature leads us to define the term, but, as already stated, defining children’s literature is a complex process because there are many and distinctive opinions and theories regarding the meaning of the term children’s literature. Simply put, children’s literature is any literature produced for entertainment, education or socialization of children. The basic definition that “children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve and is often illustrated” and that “the term is used in senses which sometimes exclude young-adult fiction, comic books, or other genres” is not very suitable (Wikipedia). Silvia Pokrivčáková in the essay “Children’s Literature and Its Study” defines children’s literature as “a notion used for a set of literary texts (fiction, drama, poetry, and some non-fiction) written especially for children between the ages of one and sixteen” (9). However, maybe this is too simplistic and it should be stated that an assumption of the existence of a child, the reader, is a conjoining element of other definitions of children’s literature. Authors or publishers may declare that a book is for children, also a person giving a book to a child may consider the book to be a children’s book, or children themselves decide the book is intended for them. Nevertheless, the existence of the child as the reader remains in all of these options. Peter Hunt in Children’s Literature: the Development of Criticism (1990) suggests that the boundaries of children’s literature are very unclear; it cannot be defined by written characteristics either of style or content, and also the child-reader is equally elusive. Still, he specifies that “it is the child, the reader, the close relationship between the reader and the text, and the way text is read by the audience that defines the
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type of literature” (1). “The child, the reader,” creates relationship with the text and thus the literature is defined as children’s literature. The importance of the relationship between the child as the reader and the text is also mentioned in Karin Lesnik-Oberstein´s definition of children’s literature. In her essay “Defining Children’s Literature and Childhood” she states that “the definition of ‘children’s literature’ lies at the heart of its endeavour: it is a category of books the existence of which absolutely depends on supposed relationships with a particular reading audience: children” (15). The purpose of children’s literature is to be something specific, because it is aimed at children as the particular reading audience. Children’s books were originally didactic and were to affect children’s good manners and morals. Today the concept of a child is different and children’s literature should respond to children’s needs. Children are provided with endless opportunities and support in order to assure the most suitable development for them. Lesnik-Oberstein says that the present characteristic of children’s literature is that it should address the child-reader through “amusement and inherent appeal, not through primarily didactic messages, which are described as being merely instructive, coercive, intrusive, or dull to the reading child” (22). Despite the fact that literature for children should meet their needs, it still possesses moral power. Lesnik-Oberstein points out that “‘children’s literature’ means in its most fundamental sense to every critic who uses the term: books which are good for children, and most particularly good in terms of emotional and moral values” (15). Further on she suggests that the definition of “‘Children’s literature’ becomes defined as containing, both in form and content, the ‘needs of children’, and, therefore, this is how ‘children’s books’—written, published, sold, and usually bought, by adults—come to be spoken of as if the ‘child’ were in the book” (22). This suggestion implies that it is the adult who decides what is considered as
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“children’s literature”, i.e. it should be something that is good for children and gives them “proper”, according to various cultures, picture of moral values as well as entertainment. Children projecting themselves in a book should perceive these values. Sometimes there can be a danger that adults may not know what the children’s needs are and they can follow other aims as well. It is questionable especially in case of publishers, whose primary aim can be profit and not the children’s needs. Hunt further reveals the real secret of a child’s book, which consists “not merely in its less dry and less difficult, but more rich in interest – more true to nature – more exquisite – more exquisite in art – more abundant in every quality that replies to childhood’s keener and fresher perceptions” (21). Children’s view and perceptions vary from adults’ perceptions and to accommodate to children’s perceptions makes a book interesting for the child, the reader; importantly again pointing out the importance of the child, the reader. On the other hand, David Rudd presents in his essay “Theorising and theories: How does children’s literature exist?” that children’s literature unquestionably has social, cultural and economic reality. It is part of the “practically real” (20). The children’s reality results from common reality. His attempt to depict the essence of the children’s literature is contained in the following: Children’s literature consists of texts that consciously or unconsciously address particular construction of the child, or metaphorical equivalents in terms of character or situation (For example, animals, puppets, undersized or underprivileged grown-ups), the commonality being that such texts display an awareness of children’s disempowered status (whether containing or controlling it, questioning or overturning it). Adults are as caught up in this discourse as children, engaging
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dialogically with it (writing/reading it), just as children themselves engage with many ‘adult’ discourses. But it is how these texts are read and used that will determine their success as ‘children’s literature’; how fruitfully they are seen to negotiate this hybrid, or border country. (2526) Children’s literature addresses the child, the reader, via e.g. children’s characters who reflect the children’s status in the society, which is very often “disempowered”. However, it depends on a writer, an adult, who has the power to change this status, can overturn it and empower the children’s character as it usually happens. This way the child, the reader, can experience adventure and power through the character’s actions. In case of children’s literature it is an author, usually an adult, who has to “cross the border” to children’s world and their perceptions, adapt to it and make it as vivid and interesting as possible in order to succeed and to “deserve” children’s attention. The following may help in explaining characteristic features of children’s literature. C. W. Sullivan in the essay “High Fantasy” lists characteristic features for children’s literature: intrusions by the author, a plot development, and word or language play (Sullivan 306). Roger Lancelyn Green in the essay “The Golden Age of Children’s Books” provides other characteristic features of children’s literature: books for children are generally shorter, they favour an active treatment with dialogue and incident; child protagonists are the rule; plot develops within clear moral scheme; language is based on real children’s speech; books for children contain adventure, magic, fantasy, and simplicity (51 – 52). Children’s books with fast-paced stories and positive development of children’s characters, which are close to the child, the reader, through their language, action and are empowered with mastering magic, are usually interesting for the child, the reader.
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There are many views and different opinions of the definition of the children’s literature. But the importance of the intended audience – the child, the reader is omnipresent in most of them. Children’s literature should enable the reader to experience something beyond the everyday reality and broaden the perspectives of the reader. It is important that children’s literature is entertaining for the child, the reader, nowadays. Moreover, The Abhorsen Trilogy contains and transfers the moral messages to the child, the reader, to facilitate reader’s unconscious learning. As an example may serve that the main female protagonists are altruistically willing to give up their lives in their fights with evil power to save the society. The protagonists never consider any cooperation with evil power and they automatically fight for common good.
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4. Gender in Children’s Literature Books reflect culture and values of the society. Story telling in the past and in today’s books for children are means of transmitting attitudes towards various roles in the society. Children receive information from books and illustrations, which subsequently helps to form their perception of gender roles, their future life, and their attitudes. Therefore, they should be able to identify with a variety of role models, which should truly reflect culture and expectations of the society. Specific gender stereotypes can be seen in children’s literature since its early beginning in the middle of the 18th century. Books for children reflected the culture of the society as the same way as the books for adults did. Girls and women played passive roles, in which they were waiting and hoping for a man to save them, as in fairy tales such as “Snow White” and “Sleeping Beauty”. In the 20th century, we can notice a new approach to gender roles in literature in which female heroines conform to traditionally male models. This is in contrast to the past, when the world was rather a man’s world. Townsend’s description of the Victorian England, may serve as an example, where “It was man’s work and pleasure to build a nation or empire, win wars, pioneer newly-won territories or develop industrial or commercial wealth” (39). This clearly implies that women were supposed to be mothers and wives and had supportive, dependant roles, which Townsend further describes: “Woman’s place remained in the home, the feminine virtues were piety, domesticity, sexual submission of repression” (39). Townsend states that this is also projected in books, which were divided for boys and girls, where boys experienced adventures and “For girls there was a different kind of fiction, considered suitable for the gentler sex. Happily there is no doubt that girls read and often preferred so called ‘boys’ books; less happily, this meant they had to read about young heroes, not young heroines” (39). This
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also confirms the fact that writers of the “classic” children’s literature in the 19th century were mostly men. Lissa Paul discusses in her essay “Feminism revisited” the influence of feminism on children’s literature. She states that the feminist movement supported the development of feminist criticism in the 1970’s and 1980’s and even though past, it still continues to influence readings of texts (114). Feminism was one of the fields from which gender studies were transformed and which helped to destabilize the hierarchical orders in the society as well as in literature. “In gender studies, the term "gender" is used to refer to the social and cultural constructions of masculinities and femininities, not to the state of being male or female in its entirety” (Wikipedia). Feminism influenced literature in several ways, such as reading of books written by women authors. Beverly Lyon Clark in Girls, Boys, Books, Toys: Gender in Children’s Literature and Culture (2000) says that the feminist movement helped to reclaim women authors who were undervalued, e.g. Louisa May Alcott and Evelyn Sharp in the late 1970’s and in 1980’s, who were authors viewed from a different perspective (3). Similarly the style of writing books changed and this is not relevant for women authors only. Paul mentions the example of a woman writer Le Guin, where the influence of gender on her Earthsea novels is obvious. Her first novels published between 1968 and 1972 are “in the genre of the traditional heroic fantasy” with the main male characters (118). Seventeen years later Le Guin “scraps male-order heroism” and creates “a feminist pro-creative, re-creative hero” (119). Female heroes started to be written into the main roles, experiencing adventure and being active. Female characters that do not hesitate and, during their quest, mature and become decisive heroines clearly expressing their ideas and intentions became common in the fantasy literature. In some cases the male and female characters exchange their roles as in The Abhorsen trilogy.
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Annis Pratt in her book Archetypal patterns in Women’s Fiction (1981) says that even after reading many women’s novels, she discovered contrary to her expectations that “even the most conservative women authors create narratives manifesting an acute tension between what any normal human being might desire and what a woman must become” (5 – 6). According to her, women’s fiction reflects different experience from men’s experience due to the expectation of society regarding the social roles of women. Society always expects that individuals learn the roles he/she must play later on during their lives during adolescence. Women (and also men) are somehow predetermined to their position in the society, even though it appears that especially women are those who are told what to do. The internal “fight” of women between what they desire, what they want to do and what they are expected to do, or are told to do, is evident even today. The development of technologies in the 20th and 21st century has brought many changes into the society, its attitudes and behavior of people and, of course, consequently into the roles of males and females within the society. Nowadays, women have many opportunities, but they are still bound by the expectations of the society and predetermined roles such as being mothers, and under such circumstances they still have to make choices and undergo the internal “fight”. Judy Simons in her essay “Gender roles in children’s fiction” states that “In fact, brave, smart, resourceful girl protagonists are by no means unusual in recent children’s novels…” (156). Further on she summarizes that “Unambiguous and inflexibly enforced gender boundaries can provide the reassurance and stability which young readers crave, while at the same time offering a delightful opportunity for transgression and sociocultural adventure” (157). Fantasy literature used to be the domain of male characters. Today, the situation is different and readers can identify with female characters in the books for children and young adults. Courageous girls and women in fantasy literature
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achieving their goals, even though the journey of achievement is often very unclear, provide another view and new options for young readers.
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5. Fantasy Literature The word fantastic derives from the Latin word phantasticus, which means to make visible or to manifest. Rosemary Jackson says in Fantasy: The Literature of Subversion (2003) that in the general sense, “all literary works are fantasies” (13). Myths and legends have been an important part of cultures from the beginning and form the basis of literature through orally transmitted stories. Stories explained the world that people lived in, provided lessons about behaviour and consequences of people’s actions and educated in addition to providing entertainment. Children’s literature and fantasy literature are linked very closely with the connecting element of the child, the reader. Nevertheless, both literatures can be and are read by adults as well. It is difficult to distinguish fantasy literature form children’s literature as they both can evoke the reader’s imagination and provide options for identifying with various characters. But the distinction of fantasy literature can be seen in the powerful creation of another worlds, moral message (fighting against evil), usage of magic and supernatural powers and others, triggering more vivid imagination of the reader. Generally, in fantasy anything is possible, but somehow feels real. Fantasy is the genre in which the same book can be read by children, juveniles and adults. Fantasy has a wide and infinite scope, it is therefore difficult to find a precise definition of fantasy literature. There have been various attempts, Frances Sinclair based the definition presented in Riveting Reads Plus Fantasy Fiction (2008) on its characteristic features is: Fantasy can be set in past, present or future, in our own world or in powerfully imagined secondary, parallel or alternate worlds and it may include some but not necessarily all elements: -
a struggle between good and evil
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elves, dwarfs, goblins or other imagined races
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mythological creatures
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some reference to or basis in myths and legends, or folklore and fairy tales
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the use of some form of magic
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portals to another world or to the past
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some sort of quest: for an object or spiritual of physical journey
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self aware and talking animals
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coming of age
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supernatural beings or events
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a medieval-like setting
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timeslip /timetravel (5)
This definition of fantasy literature, together with those following, applies to the understanding of the term fantasy for this diploma thesis. Magic, fictional worlds interconnected with the worlds very similar to our world, in addition to the main characters possessing supernatural powers, magical creatures etc. occur in The Abhorsen Trilogy. Jackson presents that fantasy “disturbs ‘rules’ of artistic representation and literature’s reproduction of the ‘real’” (14). She states that “Fantasy re-combines and inverts the real, but it does not escape it: it exists in a parasitical or symbiotic relation to the real. The fantastic cannot exist independently of that ‘real’ world which it seems to find so frustratingly finite” (20). This suggests that the “fantasy world” can reflect our “real” world, or its features, in various, unexpected blends or in reversed manner. Nevertheless, it remains connected with our “real” world, but moreover, it goes beyond the “finite”. The “fantasy world” both supports our “real” world and stresses
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“symbiotic”, supportive mutual relation. On the other hand, it can point out some negative aspects of our “real” world projected in “parasitical” relation to it. Fantasy crosses the border of our world, breaks the natural patterns and allows the impossible to happen, e.g. characters possess supernatural forces, communication with dead, etc. This is important for girls as readers, because it shows them that they can achieve more in the real world than what the society or their parents expect from them, just the way the female characters achieve their goals in the fantasy. Fantasy according to Townsend “is a modern form, belonging to the age of the novel. It is extremely variable; it may involve the creation of new worlds, or it may require no more than a single derangement of physical possibility, such as time shift in the world we know” (67). Townsend’s definition confirms the variety of elements and options which fantasy offers such as “new worlds” or “time shift” which differ from our own real “world”. Manlove in Modern Fantasy: Five Studies (1975) considers the term fantasy relatively unimportant and his definition is that fantasy is “A fiction evoking wonder and containing a substantial and irreducible element of supernatural or impossible worlds, beings or objects with which the mortal characters in the story or the readers become on at least partly familiar terms” (1). Manlove’s definition points out that the characteristic features of fantasy have an effect on the reader of “evoking wonder”; the reader reacts to the text, to what he/she is “partly familiar”. Fantasy allows the reader to experience the magic that is in the world around us and more importantly the magic in ourselves. It involves a variety of images and plot turns and contains elements that are not realistic, such as magical powers and creatures, talking animals, supernatural forms, other impossible worlds with different parameters, and reality different from ours with its own accepted rules, time shifts. Fantasy provides
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the reader with stories that could not happen in real life and makes the reader believe them, thus they may start believe in their own abilities and possibility of achievements. During the history of fantasy literature, several sub-genres have developed. There is a wide variety of sub-genres, which frequently overlap with each other and here are some examples: animal fantasy, fairy tales, heroic fantasy, high fantasy, comic fantasy, dark fantasy, mystery fantasy and others. Also, the form of a fantasy story varies from simple stories of magic to profound and complex imaginative constructions. In the 19th and 20th centuries, fantasy has tended to be a British domain and speciality in English-language children’s literature (e.g. L. Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings). However, at the end of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st century fantasies from America (Christopher Paolini’s Eragon, Eldest, and Brisingr) and more recently Australia (Paul Collins and his series The Jelindel Chronicles) have started to appear. . Garth Nix, whose trilogy is analyzed in this diploma thesis, is a representative of contemporary fantasy writers.
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6. Biography of Garth Nix Garth Nix was born in 1963 in Melbourne, Australia. Garth left Melbourne at an early age for Canberra, before further widening his travels to the United Kingdom when nineteen. Garth returned to Australia and began to study at the University of Canberra, completing his degree in 1986. Working life began in a bookshop, then as a book publicist, a publisher’s sales representative, before reaching the position of editor. He was also a part-time soldier in the Australian Army Reserve, serving in an Assault Pioneer platoon for four years. Garth left publishing and began working as a public relations and marketing consultant from 1994-1997, before becoming a full-time writer in 1998 for one year, before ultimately joining Curtis Brown, Australia as a part-time literary agent in 1999. In January 2002 Garth dedicated his life to writing again. Garth’s books include the award-winning fantasy novels Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen (The Abhorsen Trilogy); and the cult favorite YA SF novel Shade’s Children. Sabriel won both the Best Fantasy Novel and Best YA Novel in the 1995 Aurealis Awards. It is also an American Library Association (ALA) Notable Book, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, His fantasy novels for children include The Ragwitch; the six books of The Seventh Tower sequence and The Keys to the Kingdom series. More than five million copies of his books have been sold around the world, his books have appeared on the bestseller lists of The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, The Guardian and The Australian, and his work has been translated into 37 languages. The author introduces male and female protagonists in his stories and most of them represent outsiders (e.g. Arthur in Minster Monday, Lirael in Lirael). However,
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these outsiders change throughout the stories and overcome the obstacles on their journeys. Another important fact is that Nix’s protagonists are represented as real humans, with their troubles, and at the same time they are empowered (e.g. with magic skills) and succeed in their tasks. Such protagonists are easy to understand and identify with. Nix is not afraid to discuss serious topics (e.g. death, being afraid of death) in the books for young adults, presenting the topics in suitable and understandable way. He now lives in a beach suburb of Sydney with his wife and two children.
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7. Plot of The Abhorsen Trilogy Garth Nix creates a dark, fantasy world in his three novels Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen (see Attachment no. 1). In this fantasy world the world of the magical Old Kingdom overlaps with the world of the “modern” Ancelstierre that lies across the Wall and is similar to technology and world of Britain at the beginning of the 20th century (using electricity, busses, airplanes, weapons, etc., however, this technology does not work near the border with the Old Kingdom). The first novel Sabriel is named after the main female character Sabriel who lives within these two totally different but connected worlds. Sabriel is an eighteen year old girl and lived most of her life in Ancelstierre where she attended Wyverley College which she is about to finish. However, her real home is the Old Kingdom, which she left as a child. The Old Kingdom is not safe for her, because she is the daughter of Abhorsen – “a necromancer, but not of the common kind. Where others of the art raise the dead, I lay them back to rest. And those that will not rest, I bind – or try to” (Sabriel 14), and dangerous spirits, such as Dead Hands (undead corpses) and other Free Magic6 creatures keep entering to the Old Kingdom from the Death. Unexpectedly, Sabriel is forced to return to the Old Kingdom, which she knows only from her father. The reason is that Abhorsen is missing and she receives his spelled sword and bandolier with seven magical bells from her father’s sending. Each bell has its name and specific characteristic7 and anyone who met a necromancer “remembered the bells” (37).
6
Free Magic is evil, dark magic. Free Magic constructs and creatures hunt, kill and feed upon the bodies and the souls of humans. Human beings identify the occurrence of Free Magic by its typical metallic smell and taste in their mouth. 7 Seven bells: Ranna, the Sleepbringer, takes all those who hear it into slumber. Mosrael, the Waker, throws the ringer further into death and listener into life. Kibeth, the Walker, gives freedom of movement to dead, or walkers them through the next gate. Dyrim, the Speaker, is the voice that the dead so often lost, but can also still a tongue that moved too freely. Belgaer, the Thinker, can restore independent thought, memory of a living person or erase them. Saraneth, the Binder, shackles the dead to the wielder’s will. Astarael, the Sorrowful, casts everyone who hears it far into death including the ringer (Sabriel 65).
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Inexperienced she faces a new unknown world and also danger in the form of the Dead and other creatures from the Death. These creatures endanger the whole Old Kingdom and she finds herself as the only person with the power to fight the Dead as she is to become the Abhorsen. On her journey she explores the magical world of the Old Kingdom and fights the evil from the beginning. Later she is accompanied by other important characters: Mogget, an ancient Free Magic constructed in the form of a white cat bound by the Charter Magic8 collar to serve Abhorsens for many centuries, and Touchstone, a young Charter Mage, with his secret, but predictable past, whom she rescues from an underground harbour of burial ships. Sabriel travels with her companions further into the Old Kingdom in an attempt to find the Abhorsen and faces threats on all sides. As they proceed, every step brings them closer to a battle where forces of life and death will fight. They find the Abhorsen in Belisaere, trapped in Death and unable to return for long. The Abhorsen informs her that they have to confront Kerrigor, an evil that threatens the Old Kingdom and Ancelstierre. Sabriel releases her father from Death and he fights Kerrigor with his bell and released Mogget and defeats him. Sabriel together with Touchstone have to travel to Ancelstierre to find Kerrigor’s body to prevent him from rising from Death again. She succeeds and with help defeats and binds Kerrigor.
8
Charter Magic is connected to the Charter, a pure endless flow of energy, galaxy of Charter symbols, linked together with no beginning or end, containing and describing the world in its movement. The Charter Magic is used by Charter Mages. Charter Mages are particularly spiritually connected to the Charter, by birth or baptism, or both. (Sabriel 35 – 36)
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Lirael is the sequel to Sabriel, and the second book of Nix’s trilogy. The setting of this sequel is fourteen years after the events of Sabriel. Sabriel together with King Touchstone restored the Old Kingdom and gained certain control. She now rules at his side as Abhorsen, trying to keep the people safe from the dark power of Free Magic. Their children Ellimere and Sameth attend the school in Ancelstierre before taking up their roles in the Old Kingdom. The two main characters are Lirael and Prince Sameth. Lirael is the only daughter of the future seeing Clayr9 who does not possess the Sight and who has never felt like a daughter of the Clayr. She is abandoned by her mother and unknowing of her father’s identity, and she resembles no one in the large, extended family in the Clayr’s Glacier. Therefore, Lirael spends her days as librarian, sometimes without speaking to another human being for weeks. She experiences many adventures in the great mystical library and summons the Disreputable Dog, her only true friend, companion and advisor. The Disreputable Dog is a creature of suspicious magical origin whose true nature remains unknown (although we learn more in the next book, Abhorsen). Prince Sameth, Touchstone and Sabriel’s only son, does not want to disappoint his beloved parents, even though he is disheartened by the fact that he is the Abhorsen-in-Waiting. Evil is once more in the Old Kingdom. A necromancer Hedge is concentrating Dead Hands in the West near the Red Lake trying to dig out the Destroyer, beginning the first steps of a plan that threatens the Old Kingdom and Ancelstierre. Five years later, Prince Sameth experiences an encounter with Hedge in Ancelstierre and is injured. After this experience he is terrified of becoming Abhorsen. He returns to the Old
9
“The Clayr are a group made up nearly entirely of women, who live in a snowy mountain called the Clayr’s Glacier, located in the northern part of the Old Kingdom. The Clayr share a common appearance —nearly all beautiful, and all possess nut brown skin, very pale blond hair, and eyes of blue or green. They are all Charter Mages and possess the Sight, the ability to see glimpses of possible futures. The Glacier is also home to the Great Library of the Clayr.” (Wikipedia)
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Kingdom, where he is expected to study as Abhorsen-in-Waiting. Lirael and Sameth meet when Lirael leaves the Clayrs, after finding out that she is a Remembrancer10 and is seen by the Clayrs in a boat on the Red Lake with Nicholas Sayre. Therefore, she sails down the River Ratterlin with her Disreputable Dog. Nicholas is Sameth’s friend, who intentionally travels to the Old Kingdom to see his friend; however, he unintentionally cooperates with Hedge, and being under his power, is searching the lightning trap at the Red Lake. Sameth leaves the palace and travels to find his friend Nicholas. Mogget joins him on the way and helps him to escape the Dead. Therefore, they “travel” in a bathtub on the River Ratterlin, where they meet with Lirael. Together they reach Abhorsen’s House, escaping Chlorr of the Mask (who was once a powerful necromancer and Free Magic sorcerer, but now is one of the Greater Dead) and her servants Dead Hands. They need to decide what to do and have to discover a secret bond between them in order to understand what is truly expected of them. While recovering in the safety of Abhorsen’s House, Sameth is given a surcoat with the golden towers of the royal line and the Wallmakers’ trowel, whereas Lirael is given a surcoat with the golden stars of the Clayr and the silver keys of the Abhorsen. Mogget confirms that Lirael is Sabriel’s step-sister, therefore Sameth’s aunt, and inherited the right Abhorsen-in-Waiting and Remembrancer, because only a child of Abhorsen and Clayr is able to look into the past. Sameth feels great relief in not being Abhorsen-in- Waiting and accepts his role of Wallmaker bloodline with new courage. At the end Sameth decides to join Lirael and helps her to find Nicholas at the Red Lake.
10
Remembrancer is a person able to look into the past when he/she enters the Death.
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The third sequel is called Abhorsen and begins at the same place and time where we left Lirael and Sameth, at Abhorsen’s House. The main characters have their mission and they must leave the House without being noticed and stopped by Dead Hands led by Chlorr of the Mask. In this sequel is revealed the beginning of the Nine Bright Shiners, free magic entities which created the Charter. Orannis, called Destroyer, the Ninth Bright Shiner that resisted being bound into the Charter, wakes a terrible power and its time of re-emergence seems close. It is Lirael who holds the fate of the world in her hands. As Remembrancer she realizes that further back she wishes to look, the deeper into Death she must travel. Lirael, in order to understand how Orannis was originally bound, must travel to the deepest realm of Death, passed the Ninth Gate, so that she may see the making of the Charter itself. However, Lirael is not facing the danger alone. Her family, representatives of all bloodlines stands with her to defeat Destroyer. Sabriel, Touchstone, Sameth, Ellimere, Mogget and the Disreputable Dog. Sabriel and Touchstone returned from the Ancelstierre, escaping the assassination attempt organized by corrupted government. Sameth has the important role, as Wallmaker he has to make new sword for Lirael. They all together with the Clayr, Ellimere stand with her against Orannis. Originally, Seven Bright Shiners bound Orannis at the beginning and at this point The Disreputable Dog reveals herself as the true remnant of Kibeth. Each of them takes one bell but their attempt shows that Orannis grew stronger and they are unable to succeed. Sameth frees Mogget, and he makes his choice, not bidden by the bells or any spell, but of his own free will, to side with the Abhorsen and fight Orannis. Also Lirael is prepared to sacrifice herself, to die. Unexpectedly, the Disreputable Dog saves Lirael and disappears into Death. Orannis is defeated and bound.
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8. Setting - The Wall and Two Worlds The setting of this trilogy is in two different worlds typical for the fantasy literature. The story starts with Sabriel attending the boarding school at Wyverley College in Ancelstierre and introduces the reader non-magical country, similar to England at the beginning of the 20th century. Technology in this country functions similar to how it functioned at the beginning of the last century, e.g. buses, cars, airplanes follow the physical laws as we know them. However, when approaching the Old Kingdom at the North and getting closer to the Perimeter11 and the Wall, these laws stop to apply and technology becomes unreliable. The Old Kingdom is the magical country where Charter supports everything that exists there. Almost all things are described, contained and joined by the Charter. The Charter flows everywhere, though in some places it is distant or blocked. Simultaneously, there also exists Free Magic, which uses different powers, not governed by the Charter. Free Magic sorcerers and Free Magic creatures are enemies of the Charter and those who use Charter Magic. All necromancers12 are Free Magic sorcerers. The Abhorsens are the only Charter Mages who can also use Free Magic, though they resist the lure of its more straightforward, dark power. The idea of parallel worlds, the magical country bordering with the non-magical country, is not new for the fantasy literature, e.g. parallel worlds in Philip Pullman’s trilogy His Dark Materials, magical country in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Nix took another approach and his countries are separated by the Wall, but the difference in countries is immediately visible through different weather seasons which
11
“A perimeter is a path that surrounds an area. The word comes from the Greek peri (around) and meter (measure).” (Wikipedia). 12 A necromancer is a practitioner of the dark arts who summons the dead, wields the power of lost souls; he/she can use his/her power to bring allies back from the death
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occur at the same time in each country. Nix mentions in an interview at Young Adult Books Central that “The Wall itself, and the discontinuity of the seasons in Ancelstierre and the Old Kingdom (my non-magical and magical countries) comes from a picture I saw of Hadrian’s Wall13, where there was a green lawn on the southern side, and snow on the northern side” (Young Adult Books Central). The Wall is the area where these two different worlds overlap and is described as follows: “The Wall itself looked normal enough, past the wasteland of wire and trenches. Just like any other medieval remnant. It was stone and old, about forty feet high and crenellated. Nothing remarkable, until the realisation set in that it was in a perfect state of preservation” (Sabriel 29). It is possible to find the political themes in “the Wall”, which can be associated with the Berlin Wall, concrete wall with barbed wire, which was surrounding West Berlin in the Cold War. “Wire” and “trenches” can be associated with the prison, or strictly restricted area, which is to prevent anyone from escaping or crossing the border and to protect the country. The wall, “wires” and “trenches” separate the two countries physically. The “Wall” can symbolize the isolation of two worlds, the assumed power of one country over another, similar to the Cold War. The Perimeter in Ancelstierre runs from coast to coast, parallel to the Wall. The Perimeter and the Wall were built to prevent things from the Old Kingdom going to the Ancelstierre; however, they are more successful at keeping people from Ancelstierre out of the Old Kingdom. Another association with the “Wall” is the war. Nix in an interview conducted with Joseph Pike in September 2002 at Jubilee Books Magazine web sites says that the
13
“Hadrian’s Wall is continuous Roman defensive barrier that guarded the north-western frontier of the province of Britain from barbarian invaders. The wall extended from coast to coast across the width of northern Britain. Emperor Hadrian (ruled ad 117–138) went to Britain in 122 and, in the words of his biographer, “was the first to build a wall, 80 miles long, to separate the Romans from the barbarians.” The initial construction of the wall took approximately six years, and expansions were later made.” (Encyclopedia Britannica) (See Attachment no. 2)
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First World War was a main area of interest and was an influence on Sabriel. The Wall is in a way a metaphor for the stupidity of the war, inflexibility of the decision-making, political issues, bureaucracy as showed in the following dialogue of Sabriel and Colonel Horyse: “You’re a necromancer”, he said bluntly. “So you’ll probably understand. This crossing point has seen too many battles, too many dead. Before those idiots down South took things under central command, the crossing point was moved every ten years, up to the next gate on the Wall. But forty years ago some… bureaucrat…decreed that there would be no movement. It was a waste of public money. This was and is to be, the only crossing point. Never mind the fact that, over time, there would be such a concentration of death, mixed with Free Magic leaking over the Wall, that everything would…” “Not stay dead”, interrupted Sabriel quietly. (37 - 38) This is an example of the stupidity of remote control. The “central command”, of the troops who protect the Ancelstierre, from far away generals who insist that they are equipped and fight in the same way they would anywhere else in the technological Ancelstierre, shows the inconsistency and ignorance of the situation at the “Wall”. The decision of not moving the crossing points has a political background and is justified by saving “public money”. This is due to hypocrisy of the politicians who do not understand the situation, but require complying with bureaucratic procedures from the past. It is demonstrated “over time” that the political decision made without the proper knowledge was not appropriate. As technology does not function at the Perimeter, the weapons are pointless. Army is not allowed to train their men in charter magic or not allowed to use silver weapons, but they do because they have to be effective. They do
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not follow the orders in order to survive and save their lives. Therefore, the army up in the North creates and follows own rules, secretly and independently from the “central command”.
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9. Sabriel Sabriel, as already mentioned, is the main female character of the sequel Sabriel. She attends the boarding school in Ancelstierre. The school with a sign above the gate informs that Wyverley College was “Established in 1652 for Young Ladies of Quality”. The boarding school corresponds with the school system in England, where the history of boarding schools, the practice of sending children, originally mostly boys, to schools so that they could learn together is very long. In the Early Middle Ages, from around 500 AD in Europe, boys of about six were sent to monasteries to be educated by monks in the reading and writing of Latin, with the purpose of becoming monks or priests themselves. The boarding schools remain the mark of the social status and tradition of the family. Even today it is still an important factor in the class system. The fact that Sabriel attends the boarding school behind the Wall informs the reader that she must come from a wealthy and respected family, although without any tradition of being educated at the boarding school and especially not in Ancelstierre. Wyverley College has a good reputation and therefore considered suitable for Sabriel to prevent her from any possible danger. Moreover, the school is situated close to the Northern boarder with the Old Kingdom and basics of the magic are taught there too. Unexpectedly, Sabriel, who is being partially prepared for her inherited role of the Abhorsen, is forced to leave the relative safety of the school, the only world she is familiar with. The Abhorsen has the task to keep the world safe and has the skill to journey into and out of death. The inseparable part of this inherited role of the Abhorsen is responsibility along with lifelong self-sacrifice, determination and self-control. Sabriel receives powerful tools: the leather bandoleer with seven bells (see Attachment no. 3) and the sword with its inscription “The Clayr saw me, the Wallmaker made me, the King quenched me, Abhorsen wields me so that no Dead shall walk in Life. For this
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is not their path” (Sabriel 356). This shows the power and importance of the sword, because all bloodlines connected the powers in making the sword to keep the “Dead” on their “path” in Death. These circumstances suddenly change the situation and when Sabriel receives the bandoleer and sword from the sending, which was sent by her father, she sets off for her journey for her new identity of Abhorsen. However, her limited knowledge of the Old Kingdom and lack of information about the current situation, handed over to her from her father, together with distant memories from her childhood do not give her the clear idea what she is facing. She also has to forget about her own plans, when she considers going to university in Ancelstierre, which would mean staying with some friends she knows since she was five. Staying in Ancelstierre would also give her the possibility of social interaction, “particularly with young men” (20). All that would mean giving up her magic. As mentioned in the introduction, Baker states that in fantasy for children “the quest and journey is usually a quest for wholeness and identity, for maturity.” A protagonist gains experience, transforms and thus matures throughout the journey, which usually has a special aim. Freedom and independence are other aspects that occur on the journey. Sabriel expresses her wish to continue in her studies in the first chapter, accordingly wish to be by herself and delay her future duties. But, the necessity of the situation brings her to a different path, not wished, but expected as it is the inherited path of Abhorsen. Sabriel knows this path she has to take; she is an anti-necromancer and her duty is to put the Dead to rest.
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9.1 Identity Inexperienced Sabriel arrives at the Perimeter Zone and her first expression is positive and makes her forget about her own plans: “She felt a sense of mystery and wonder kindle with the force of the Charter Magic she felt around her – a sense of something so much more alive than the bitumened parade ground, and the scarlet warning sign. And much more freedom than Wyverley College” (31). “Mystery” and “wonder” are always attractive for children and young adults, anything obscure, inexplicable or enigmatic arouses interest and option for an adventure. Adventure is connected with Sabriel’s journey, with her new path and quest. All this, connected with the feeling of “freedom”, in sense of being alone without any supervision of teachers or parent, provides her positive feeling and excitement. Generally, childhood is usually marked as free of responsibility and mostly as obligatory towards the school rules and parents’ demands and expectations. Consequently, sudden acquisition of freedom on Sabriel’s journey is very adventurous and intoxicating, but for a very short time. Every “freedom” is connected with responsibility for oneself and in case of Sabriel with responsibility for all living people in the Old Kingdom and even Ancelstierre, which she is to find out on her journey. At the border it is the first time for her when she has to vindicate herself. She has to face the uncertainty within herself and also obvious disbelief from the soldiers in her abilities. She knows she has to hurry and she learns quickly. Reader notices Sabriel’s change when talking with the soldier in charge, Colonel Horyse: “Sabriel met his gaze and her eyes were not the uncertain flickering beacons of adolescence” (46). Sabriel realizes that uncertainty and youth must not have any influence on her following actions and decision-making. She describes that she is only eighteen years old on the outside; she first walked in Death when she was twelve and a year ago, “I turned the final page
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of The Book of the Dead. I don’t feel young anymore” (46). Despite of being inexperienced in her role of an Abhorsen, she has some practice and she definitely has the theoretical knowledge from the “book”. Knowing and entering the “Death” leave Sabriel affected and even though she is physically “young”, her experience with the “Death” makes her older. She thinks she knows what she is to face. She knows her future identity of Abhorsen, but she still tries to suppress it and delay it. Still, her journey is the beginning of her “new life” as the Abhorsen. Crossing of the Wall is for Sabriel irrevocable crossing on her new path “from her past into her future” (49). It is the journey from her “past”, i.e. trouble-free childhood in the non-magical country, innocence into her “future”, i.e. the magical country, her home country, which is new for her and she has to face this challenge on her own. Sabriel is to find out more about herself and her abilities on her new path. She learns through experience on her journey. Sabriel on her quest towards her new identity endeavours to find out more about herself and the world she now inhabits. She is to encounter Free Magic constructs and Dead from her crossing of the Wall. The beginning of her journey is exhausting: “All her plans and dreams, her hopes and courage, fell out of her to be replaced by pure, unthinking panic” (81). Even though she is tired and her thinking that none of her “plans” are to happen and is overtaken by the “panic” on her first encounter, she manages well. Sabriel has left the secure place of Wyverley College and is left alone in a dangerous country without certainties and with new demanding responsibilities. Sabriel becomes more confused by her lack of knowledge of the situation in the Old Kingdom, lack of knowledge of Charter magic and lack of experience: “Everything that had seemed so certain and solid in her life a few days ago was crumbling. She didn’t even know who she was really,…” (119). Certainties of her childhood are inevitably gone. Her journey and circumstances force her to undergo a change. This change
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applies to her appearance as well as her self understanding, personal change: “…a gleaming, deep blue surcoat, dusted with embroidered silver keys…Last of all came sword belt and bell bandoleer” (123). “Silver keys” are the symbol of the Abhorsen bloodline. When Sabriel wears the cloth of the Abhorsen she becomes more confused, but at the same time closer to understanding of who she is: “She turned to the mirror and looked at her reflection, both pleased and troubled by what she was. She looked competent, professional, a traveller who could look after herself. At the same time, she looked less like someone called Sabriel and more like the Abhorsen, capital letter and all” (123). In this quotation is clear her confusion by stating that she is “pleased and troubled” by her appearance. She now looks like Abhorsen, “competent, professional”, person grown up and able to “look after herself”, but at the same time she realizes that she lost her previous identity as Sabriel, innocent student. She now has to adjust to her new image of the Abhorsen. Sabriel’s personal quest for identity and freedom is closely connected with her quest for her father, the Abhorsen. Sabriel starts to realize the extent of her responsibility through understanding the role of her father the Abhorsen “that he was many different things to different people” (41). To many people he might be dangerous, but all acknowledge his importance. She recognizes that his role of protecting the world from evil Free Magic and from Dead is much more important than she thought and that people not only in the Old Kingdom, but also in Ancelstierre rely on him. The amount of responsibility frightens her and therefore, she partially still denies her new identity, as the Abhorsen: “And I’m not out to save the Kingdom, just to find my father, the real Abhorsen” (175). She insists that it is her “father”, whom she is to “find” and “save” and that it is her “father” who is the Abhorsen. This way she tries to avoid the responsibility for the “Kingdom”, which goes along with the role of the “Abhorsen”.
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She concentrates on her task to save her father: “That is the one important thing. Rescue Abhorsen” (182). As she states to “rescue” her father is the “one important thing”. Other events on her journey are her tasks to deal with and she does so successfully with good luck and help of Touchstone and Mogget. She realizes the importance of her father, the Abhorsen, for the whole kingdom, but still, she wants to hand back this responsibility to her father. It is the only way for her to deal with the situation and it shows her acting responsible for only finding her father and at the same time immature, as she wishes not to have the responsibility of Abhorsen for the Old Kingdom. Her effort of postponing the realization and full impact of the role of the Abhorsen is demonstrated for example by her insisting of addressing her Sabriel: “Please, please, just Sabriel,” Sabriel said tiredly. “I’ve just left school – I’m only eighteen! Calling me milady seems ridiculous.” (185). Sabriel, being young, is full of contradictions, on one side she does not feel young anymore, because she has been to Death and has read the “Book”, on the other hand, when someone addresses her Abhorsen, title of her new role, she refuses it. As well as she refuses to be addressed “milady”, title symbolizing the importance of her role, which seems “ridiculous” to her, because she has just finished the “school” and is too young to be called like that. These are all signs of denying her newly discovered identity and being immature. Finding her father imprisoned in Death and following events help Sabriel to realize that she cannot longer delay her accepting of the new identity. She rescues her father but he informs her that he can come back only for a time. Because “he could never truly live again”. “Consciously she chose to barricade this knowledge from her mind” (274). Sabriel knew from the beginning that father’s spirit had been too long from his body that it would be impossible to bring him back to life. But her “choice”
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was to suppress this information. She makes herself believe that he will come back and take over the responsibility of Abhorsen. This way she tried to protect herself. Nevertheless, the death of her father, i.e. of Abhorsen causes that Sabriel matures as it is inevitable to identify with her role. At the end of the story, Sabriel returns to Ancelstierre as the Abhorsen. Now, knowing that her father died in the fight, she is the Abhorsen with all responsibilities and duties of the office. She does not doubt her new identity, and everybody else is aware of her importance. The change, transformation of herself and her own perception do not allow her to consider Wyverley College her home anymore: Home, thought Sabriel for a moment. But that was no longer true. It had been home for the better part of her life, but that was past. It was the home of her childhood, when she was only Sabriel. Now, she was also Abhorsen. Now, her home lay in the Old Kingdom, as did her responsibilities. But like her, these travelled. (338) Sabriel fully experiences her change of identity that she underwent on her journey in direct confrontation back at Wyverley College, Ancelstierre. She finds it to be the place of her “past”, her innocent and trouble-free “childhood” without proper awareness of her role of Abhorsen. Realization that her “home” is now in the “Old Kingdom” is just a continuous development. She returns to fight the enemy as the “Abhorsen”. Sabriel will never be free of her “responsibilities”, no matter in which country she is. Sabriel is the Abhorsen now and feels distant from her past and also from her school friends as she in fact sees: “respect and something like wonder in their eyes” (349). Her school friends remained the same, whereas Sabriel on her quest for her father found her new identity connected with protecting the living from evil forces. Thus, her new identity allows her to feel free in new role.
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Sabriel returns to Wyverley College eighteen years after the Old Kingdom restoration and just her presence evokes following expressions of the schoolgirls: “who looked on in awe at the legendary Sabriel and her consort, eve if he was only the King of the Old Kingdom and nowhere near as interesting. Sabriel had once been one of them.” (230). The fact that “Sabriel had once been on of them”, one of the students, is even for new generation of students at Wyverley College fascinating. Sabriel was “one of them” and she inherited her office of Abhorsen and her actions, and therefore Sabriel herself, became “legendary” due to her new identity. Sabriel was predetermined by her heritage to become Abhorsen, her path was chosen when she was born, but she had to undergo her quest for identity.
9.2 Maturity Sabriel on her journey realizes how naive and unknowing of real life in the Old Kingdom she is: “…how she could have ever thought that a First in magic from an Ancelstierran school would make her a great mage in the Old Kingdom. Fear and realization of ignorance were strong medicines against stupid pride” (86). Sabriel’s initial excitement and feeling of freedom from her new mission and her “pride” of being successful in her studies in Ancelstierre is taken over by “fear” and makes her humble, knowledgeable that she needs to learn much more. This explained in context of Baker’s quotation points out that Sabriel is heading towards maturity by realizing her lack of knowledge. It also demonstrates that Sabriel responds to the given circumstance in an appropriate way. She starts to adapt to the new environment. It depends on inexperienced protagonist’s ability to acquire the self-knowledge and wisdom needed to surmount the challenges she must meet.
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Sabriel again reveals her lack of knowledge of the Old Kingdom and its lifestyle and traditions to Touchstone: “I was raised across the Wall, in Ancelstierre, so I have very little idea about what is going on. I have huge gaps in my knowledge of the Old Kingdom, including everything from geography to history to Charter Magic” (175). “Little idea about what is going on” signifies Sabriel’s need to learn more about the Old Kingdom, she needs background information in order to understand her role in more detail. She does not know the “geography” of her home country, therefore she does not know where to travel, she does not know the “history” and the current situation of the country and she lacks the knowledge of the origin of the Charter Magic. Her lack of knowledge makes her journey difficult, because she does not orientate herself in the complex situation she faces. Lirael still stands at the beginning of her quest for identity and maturity as she needs to learn more not only about herself, but also about her home country and the current situation. She realizes that freedom, in terms of being without supervision, is not simple and without difficulties. When Sabriel gets to know who she is to fight and defeat, her feelings are expressed as follows: “Inside, she felt like screaming, crying. She wanted to go back to Ancelstierre, cross the Wall, leave the Dead and magic behind, go as far south as possible” (230). She has to fight within herself. She feels desperate inside and wants to go “back to Ancelstierre” to her innocent past and “leave” unpleasant experience, uncertain future, difficult task and heavy burden of Abhorsen behind. But she fights these feelings and thoughts and says: “An Abhorsen defeated him once. I can do so again. But first, we must find my father’s body”. (230). She encourages herself, but still refers back to her “finding” her father. Still, the quotations show that Sabriel has a deep sense of responsibility to confront evil, despite her fears, insecurities and lack of resources.. It is her attitude which makes her inspiring heroine for the reader. Our real
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world where evil within society is more complex, harder to deal with, but must be resisted nevertheless. Sabriel’s internal struggle of returning to Ancelstierre repeats and slowly changes throughout the story: I wish I could go home to Ancelstierre and forget the whole thing – but then I’d never see Father again and the Dead would just eat up everything living in this whole forgotten Kingdom. Maybe it won’t work, but at least I’ll be trying something, like the Abhorsen, I’m supposed to be and you’re always telling me I’m not! (243) But the struggle is changing. Her journey for maturity is becoming clearer. Sabriel still considers going home, but realizes that she would rather loose than gain. Her loss would be not seeing her father and giving up the responsibility of protecting people from the Dead. Moreover, she starts to be determined. Her attitude starts to change. As in Bildungsroman, Sabriel explores her opportunities and undergoes certain disappointment in her own abilities. However, she does not give up and wants to “try something”, regardless of the personal cost even if the chances of success seem slim, because to do nothing means certain defeat. She starts to feel like Abhorsen, she is “supposed to be” , but she tries to refuse to be Abhorsen to herself. But in front of others, in this case in front of Mogget, she in fact starts to defend herself in the role of the Abhorsen by acting. Further on she takes the role of the leader. This proves a subversion of gender stereotypes, a female protagonists takes on a traditional male, leading, role. Sabriel’s motivation till now was to find her father. She was leading on her journey from necessity, but gradually her leadership becomes true, when she naturally starts giving instructions “in a tone that did not invite conversation or
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argument” (257). Her orders, instructions are accepted by Touchstone who first “hesitated” and then “complied” without any comments (257). When Sabriel has to fight the enemy, she has to fight “her father’s – her family’s – the Kingdom’s enemy. For her to deal with. Her burden, no matter how heavy and how feeble her shoulders currently felt, she had to bear it.” (300). Sabriel realizes that now, she is alone to deal with the “enemy” and it is her “burden”, the great responsibility for the whole “Kingdom” and she has to do her duty. Paradoxically, this final fight brings her back across the Wall to Ancelstierre. She considered giving up and going back to Ancelstierre many times on her journey, because she was immature and not identified with her new role before her transformation. By making this decision of using the school as the place to fight the enemy, Sabriel takes on also the responsibility for the students, her friends from days of her studies, and teachers. This decision is very difficult for her, because she knows that people will die in the fight. But she needs their help to defeat the enemy, and therefore makes a difficult decision to sacrifice not only herself but also others, not only soldiers but also innocent students. This proves her steps towards maturity, when she makes decision to sacrifice herself, but also others in order to prevent and save two countries and many people. People accept her decision and support her, volunteer themselves to fight in order to secure the safety of their countries. Sabriel has to deal with the consequences of her decisions by herself. The contradiction within herself accompanies her again: “I left this place knowing almost nothing about the Old Kingdom and I’ve come back with not much more, Sabriel thought. I am the most ignorant Abhorsen in centuries and perhaps one of the most sorely tried…” (344). This quotations demonstrates Sabriel’s humility to her office, she is aware of her “ignorance” and she is afraid whether she can succeed in her
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role of the Abhorsen and, despite of being Abhorsen, she knows that she needs to learn more. She takes on her duties and responsibility for the Old Kingdom as well as for Ancelstierre. Constant thinking about her actions proves Sabriel’s maturity. Even later in the sequel Abhorsen she remains critical about herself: “I have never known what to tell anybody. Except that it is better to do something than nothing, even if the cost is great” (Abhorsen 236). This quotation reflects Sabriel’s lifelong maxim that she does not consider herself as leader, as person who is able to give advice, but the necessity of any action, “even if the cost is great” is the most important. Her responsibility for the Old Kingdom would not prevent her from any action, even if the cost would be personal. Responsibility is inseparable part of Sabriel’s inherited role of the Abhorsen along with lifelong self-sacrifice, determination and self-control. In sequel Abhorsen is Sabriel depicted in Ancelstierre also from another point of view: “She understood the people and their ruling classes far better than he did. She led their diplomatic efforts south of the Wall, as she had always done” (11). Because Sabriel has studied in Ancelstierre, she has the knowledge of the social system, “classes” in this non-magical country, and therefore, she is in charge of the negotiation with politicians in “diplomatic” area. This way Sabriel connects the role of the Abhorsen with another additional role of a diplomat. Her roles suggest that even though she does not have the freedom in general sense as being by herself and responsible only for herself. She is able to find another form of freedom together with certainty in her new roles, in which she can utilize her abilities and knowledge and thus contribute to the whole society. This complies with the features of Bildungsroman as Sabriel manages to discover her responsibilities and opportunities that come up on her journey.
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9.3 Gender Roles - Relationship Adolescence is closely linked with discovering person’s sexuality and also connected with maturity. Sabriel begins to be aware of her sexuality in connection with Touchstone. Their first encounter is unusual. Sabriel finds a ship with the figurehead of a young man – “a naked young man, carved in perfect detail” (Sabriel 156). Due to her inexperience and innocence, and because she had “minimal sex education at Wyverley college – none at all till you were fifteen” (71), Sabriel feels embarrassed looking at the naked young man at first. Nonetheless, she examines the figurehead and sees that it is as “if a young man had been transformed from flesh to wood” (156). She cannot resist her interest in a male’s body: “The detail even extended to a circumcised penis, which Sabriel glanced at in an embarrassed way, before looking back at his face” (156). She exploits her first chance to examine all the details of the man’s body as her prior knowledge was only from biology textbooks. Sabriel saves the imprisoned spirit of Touchstone from the Death and wakes him by a breath. She refuses to kiss him as she does not know him and breath is sufficient. This proves the swap of gender roles of man and woman, contrary to majority of the stories where woman is saved by man. They start of their common journey and Touchstone defines his role as follows: “Help is for equals. I’ll serve her. That’s all I’m good for” (176). Touchstone assigns a subordinate role for himself from the beginning due to his failure two hundred years ago. Sabriel claims that she needs a useful friend, not a servant, but soon also feelings and sex start to play their role in Sabriel – Touchstone relationship. Sabriel’s perception of sex is following: “Sex was the last thing on her mind. Just another complication – contraception – messiness – emotions” (240). She has different problems she has to cope with and does not have time think about “sex”, which she sees as “complication”; “emotions” that might distract her from her task. She
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reasons her confusion: “It was just because Touchstone was the first young man she’d met out of school, that was all” (240). The fact that she thinks about Touchstone as man, and makes excuses for herself why she does so, confirms that this man is not indifferent to her and that emotions and feelings are already involved. Touchstone stands for his role and helps Sabriel, the Abhorsen, but also his perception of Sabriel starts to change: “Almost for the first time, he really looked at her” (259). The quotation confirms that Touchstone on their journey viewed Sabriel in the sense of her office, only as the Abhorsen, not as a woman. Their first physical contact surprisingly comes from Touchstone: “Touchstone sloshed forward and quickly kissed her on the cheek” (261). Explaining it as a kiss “on the cheek” for luck. Finally, they reveal their feelings when fighting the realm of the Death and again, it was Sabriel who saved them from letting their spirits disappear in the Death: “She grabbed him by the ears and kissed him savagely, biting his lip, the salty blood filling both their mouths” (291). Escaping the Death, Sabriel even starts to think that Touchstone might be her partner, husband. Later on Touchstone expresses his feelings directly during their conversation: “I love you,” he whispered. “I hope you don’t mind.” Sabriel’s reply carries the sign of sadness and fear for future, but her reply is following: “I don’t mind,” she whispered back, leaning towards him. She frowned, “I think… I think I might love you too,…” (327). Her statement that she “might love” him too can be interpreted in two ways: she might not be certain with her love for him, because he is the first man in her life, but she definitely have feelings for him as shown previously. The other interpretation is that there are so many things going on that she considers her duty to defeat the evil in the upcoming fight a priority, and therefore, does not want to distract herself with emotions and does not want to promise anything, because she may not survive the fight.
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The reader can follow the protagonist Sabriel and Touchstone in the two following sequels Lirael and Abhorsen. Sabriel continues in her office as Abhorsen and lives with Touchstone, restored King of the Old Kingdom. And 14 years later: “There seemed to be a semi-secret line of energy and feeling that ran between Touchstone and Sabriel. They shared something unseen, something that brought laughter and the smile in Sabriel’s eyes” (Lirael 51). This quotation confirms the assumption that Sabriel and Touchstone stayed together. Their relationship is harmonic, they are spiritually connected as they share “something unseen”, i.e. deep love and respect. Touchstone is the person who understands Sabriel and can make her “smile” and relaxed despite of her difficult role of Abhorsen. Sabriel constantly has to fight the Dead and Free Magic Creatures around the whole Kingdom. From this perspective, Touchstone, even though he is the King of the Old Kingdom is not as interesting for anyone as Sabriel, the Abhorsen. The Abhorsen is the office of the highest rank and importance. The post of the King of the Old Kingdom is in some way underestimated and unfairly revealed as something inferior. Touchstone remains in his supportive role to Sabriel and is absolutely devoted to her: “But he couldn’t see Sabriel on the other wing, and he wasn’t going to jump without her” (Abhorsen 240). Touchstone simply would not do anything without Sabriel, he would never leave her. For example, during the assassination attempt in Ancelstierre, Touchstone is not afraid of his life and Sabriel is aware of his devotion: “He looked at Sabriel and she saw the fear in his eyes. But it was fear for her, she knew, not for himself” (134). Sabriel can be, and she is, absolutely certain of Touchstone: “She strode out of the room and did not pause to look back to see if Touchstone was following. Of course, he was” (Abhorsen 238). Their mutual connection is very strong and Touchstone proves his acceptance and equanimity with his role.
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9.4 Parenthood In the following sequel Lirael, the reader finds out that Sabriel and Touchstone have children – daughter Ellimere and son Sameth, who are at school in Ancelstierre, just as Sabriel was: “Sabriel and Touchstone obviously cared about them a great deal, and missed them” (Lirael 55). Sabriel, as mother, is now experiencing the same feelings about her children as did her father about her. Sabriel’s father, during conversation with Sabriel admits that he was not a good father and reasons why: “I have not been an ideal parent, I know,” Abhorsen said quietly. “None of us ever is. When we become the Abhorsen, we lose much else. Responsibility to many people rides roughshod over personal responsibilities; difficulties and enemies crush out softness; our horizons narrow. You are my daughter and I have always loved you. Our parts now, which perforce we must play – are not father and daughter, but one old Abhorsen, making way for the new. But behind this, there is always my love.” (Sabriel 280) Responsibilities of the office of Abhorsen are too broad and too demanding that they prevent any of Abhorsen being a good parent. Father here reveals the negative side of being the Abhorsen. It is honoured and hereditary role, but with such “responsibilities” that do not allow family life and do not allow any Abhorsen to be a proper “parent”, because there is always something more important to deal with. Another example is the last meeting of Sabriel with her father, when she finds him in Death. For Sabriel “this was not her ideal of a heartfelt reunion between father and daughter. He hardly seemed to notice her, except as a repository for numerous revelations and…” (280). Even meeting his daughter for a short and last moment, “father” must put aside his “love” for his “daughter” and must act as the Abhorsen, dealing with the task, preparing the way
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for the new Abhorsen, Sabriel. Father treats Sabriel as his successor and tries to give her as many information, “revelations” as possible to provide her with background knowledge. Sabriel feel neglected as “daughter” and it shows her immaturity as she wants her “father” not “Abhorsen” despite of serious ongoing events. It also shows that Abhorsen is never free of his office. This quotation is telling and can be applied to Sabriel and her feeling and perception of being a mother. Unfortunately, similar situations experience Sabriel’s children. Parents see their children when they come home for holiday. However, their meetings are not very long as Sabriel comments on it: “I expect some new trouble will arise that will take at least one of us away until they have to go back” (Lirael 55). Sabriel and Touchstone as parents are aware that they their duties will never allow them to spend enough time with their children. There is always something more important to do than take care of her children. Sabriel is hardly in the role of mother, and it is Touchstone who substitutes Sabriel and keeps explaining to their children: “as he had explained so many of Sabriel’s necessary absences over the course of Sam’s childhood” (194). The quotation proves that the responsibility and duty of the Abhorsen keep Sabriel, mother, away from her children during their whole “childhood”. Sabriel admits it in her letter to Sam: “The burdens of an Abhorsen are many, and one of the worst is that we are doomed to miss so much of our children’s lives – of your life, Sam” (209). Sabriel expresses that “to miss” childhood of her children is the emotional burden for her, because she is not able to give her children real home. Sabriel is constantly in demand away from home. In a social context, Sabriel is more like a conventional distant father. Whereas Touchstone often supplements Sabriel in the role of mother, they mutually exchange the roles. It can be argued that “mother love is different from other kinds of love” as mentions Nancy Friday in her essay “Mother Love”, just as it is presented in case of Sameth who misses
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his mother on many occasions (365). On the other hand, the demands of Sabriel’s office do not allow her to make a choice; she has to fulfil her duties as Abhorsen. Sabriel in her office of Abhorsen seems invulnerable and invincible to most of the people, whom she protects, and especially to her children. Sameth and Ellimere, in their blind love, are very shocked to hear that their mother is wounded. Ellimere’s expression is following: “From the look on her face, it was plain that she found it hard to imagine Sabriel hurt and not completely in command of herself and everything around her” (Lirael 263). This confirms that Ellimere could not even “imagine” Sabriel in any weakened position, either physically or spiritually, not controlling the situation. Sam has a similar reaction: “…he was struck with the realisation that she was not ageless but would one day grow old” (270). Sam wakes up from his naive imagination that his mother is not “ageless” and that she will die one day. Sabriel’s children also start their own journeys for their identities and maturation.
9.5 Sabriel’s Companion In Sabriel’s process of development and becoming the Abhorsen maintain an important role another companion, Mogget. Sabriel meets her first companion in Abhorsen’s House. It is white cat, calling himself Mogget. In fact, it is not a cat, but a male Free Magic spirit of great power, bound by Abhorsen many centuries ago and since that time it serves in various forms and is obliged to help Abhorsens. “I was once many things, but now I am only several. Primarily, I am a servant of Abhorsen” (Sabriel 94). Mogget often points out that he is “servant” and does not act on its own free will. Mogget communicates with Sabriel and comments on her inexperience, immaturity. He takes on the role of the advisor and talks about her father as if he is dead: “You are Abhorsen and must put the Dead to rest. Your path is chosen” (103).
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Sabriel replies “I can walk a different path”. She keeps her primary purpose of her journey to find her father and save him as she does not believe he might be dead: “I feel it. And I must find out if my feeling is true” (103). At the beginning of their common journey is Mogget freed in order to safe Sabriel and himself, in its original form with regained power he wants to accomplish the killing of Sabriel as revenge. “Millennia of servitude, Abhorsen. Chained by trickery, treachery…captive in repulsive, fixed-flesh shape… but there will be payment, slow payment – not quick, not quick at all!” (145). Mogget desires slow revenge in order to pay for “millennia of servitude”, however, from “trickery, treachery” can be understood that Mogget feel injustice that the “captivity” is unfair. Neverthless, revenge does not take place, Sabriel enslaves Mogget again and they continue on their journey without any comment on this event ever. Sabriel becomes even more cautious about this creature realizing its power and lust for revenge. During their talks Mogget finds out that the precaution of sending Sabriel to school in Ancelstierre lead to the lack of knowledge and Sabriel realizes it too: “…she also wondered what she’d been taught in school,…” (108). The theoretical background from the non-magical country is not useful for Sabriel. This can be viewed as the hidden message for children regarding their learning. Children are being taught some values in school but finally these values can prove to be insufficient when facing reality. The school does not prepare children for their future lives in all aspects and therefore, the need for certain amount of support remains. Accordingly, Mogget takes over the role of guide and supervisor. This suggests that Sabriel still remains under some supervision, i.e. her perception of freedom and independence is superficial. From the gender perspective the role of male, Mogget, remains important and essential.
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Nevertheless, also Mogget’s character undergoes internal transformation throughout the trilogy and makes the most important decision at the right time. He reveals his identity as Yrael, the Eighth Bright Shiner, who was bound by the Seven centuries ago. He combines his forces with the forces of all bloodlines, i.e. even with Abhorsens, in order to defeat the Destroyer.
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10. Lirael Lirael is the second instalment of Nix’s The Abhorsen trilogy and also the name of the main female protagonist. The reader follows Lirael’s journey as defined by Elizabeth Abel, Marianne Hirsch and Elizabeth Longland in The Voyage In: Fictions of Female Development (1983) that “Bildung requires the existence of a social context that will facilitate the unfolding of inner capacities, leading the young person from ignorance and innocence to wisdom and maturity” (6). Lirael offers a model of development and transformation of a low-confident heroine into a powerful and strong character for the reader. The negotiation of the moral questions of good and evil help Lirael on her path to maturity and confidence.
10.1 An Outsider The reader encounters with Lirael, the daughter of the Clayr, at her fourteenth birthday. At this age she is “by the measure of the world outside the Clayr’s Glacier14, a woman” (Lirael 21). Lirael is a normal girl emerging into adulthood. However, the Clayr mark the passage to adulthood not by age, but by the gift of the Sight, i.e. the ability to see into possible future. The Sight is a hereditary birthright of the bloodline of the Clayr. Lirael does not have the Sight, and therefore, she is predetermined to wear the blue tunic, which is the mark of childhood. Lirael does not experience happy and trouble-free childhood. Her social background is vague as she is an orphan. She thinks she was abandoned by her mother, who died away from the Glacier, at the age of five. Moreover, she does not know the identity of her father. Her familiar litany is: “No mother, no father, no Sight” (21). This
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The Clayr’s Glacier was really a small town, albeit a very strange one, since its primary business was to look into the future. Or, as the Clayr had to constantly explain to visitors, the numerous possible futures (Lirael 37)
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represents her despair and her perception of being alone. On the other hand, she still keeps her faith that one day she will have the Sight and she will be able to say: “No mother, no father, but I have the Sight” (21). Not having “mother” and “father” is the fact she cannot change. Later on she learns that her father is also dead. The only thing in her life that can be changed is to obtain the gift of the “Sight” and she strictly follows this only hope. In this case, the “Sight” means the insight into the future. Lirael with the “Sight” would be a regular member of the community. She wants to belong to the community of the Clayr very much, but she obviously does not belong. She experiences the need to identify with the community she lives in; she wants to be one of the Clayr. However, the “social context” she grows up in stresses out Lirael’s distinction from the community. Her difference is clear even from her appearance: “Most of the Clayr had brown skin that quickly tanned to a deep chestnut out on the Glacier slopes, as well as bright blonde hair and light eyes. In contrast Lirael stood out like a pallid weed among healthy flowers. Her white skin burnt instead of tanning, and she had dark eyes and even darker hair” (23). Lirael is bothered by her exceptional look and sees that her difference is viewed unwillingly by the others in the community, as well as by random visitors who do not consider her being a Clayr, because she stands out “like a pallid weed among healthy flowers”, i.e. she is seen as a disturbing element within the community. She feels as if she does not have an identity at all. The only thing she feels is the connection, the feeling of belonging to the Charter. She is a Charter Mage. However, at this age she does not value that, because she only wishes to have the Sight and to be a proper Clayr and she wants to belong. Contrary to her only wish, Lirael experiences the rejection from the Clayr, which is very humiliating for her and proves her fears of not being a proper Clayr: “By the ancient laws, she must not be allowed to See the secret ways” to the Observatory (322).
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According to the “law” not Awoken Clayr is a guest and must be blindfolded, otherwise she may not enter. This experience is very humiliating for Lirael: “This was even worse than when she was fourteen, standing alone in her blue tunic, suffering the public shame of not being a Clayr. Now she was irrevocably marked as an outsider. Not a Clayr at all, of any kind. Only a guest” (323). Community of the Clayr is the only community Lirael knows. Nevertheless, she has to experience being different and also has to bear different treatment her whole life. She feels “shame” many times during various ceremonies, where she has to wear the “blue tunic” which makes it obvious that she does not have the Sight. This time, she is marked only as a “guest” and “not a Clayr at all”. She feels being on the edge of the community and that without the Sight she will never belong. Lirael is missing a positive female model with which she could identify during her childhood and adolescence. She lacks love from her only close relative, aunt Kirith, who does not substitute the role of her mother. Her aunt is never able to express any feelings for Lirael when she needs them the most. Once her aunt tries to explain and express her feelings: “What I mean to say is that I loved your mother – and I love you too”. However, it is too late as Lirael is starting to be independent, leaving the Glacier: “Even a year ago she would have given anything to hear those words, to feel that she belonged. Now it was too late.” (338). Lirael has a task to deal with and she concentrates on it. Because she is to leave the Glacier, she concentrates on her future. Later on, a missing female model proves to be an advantage for Lirael, because she is not constrained by any suffocating female figures and develops independently. It is the first time for Lirael to be outside the Glacier, in the unknown world and she will have to “speak to many strangers” (393). Lirael faces many dangers during her travels as she braves the land of Death, necromancers and the walking dead. She is afraid, but on the other hand, by leaving the Glacier she gains freedom, which is very
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exciting and she experiences new adventures awaiting her. The current of the river takes her way, and “the current of her destiny held her” (394). Her destiny is ahead of her, she is going to explore places she knows only from the books. Lirael’s mission is dangerous, but she has a duty, she realizes her responsibility and accepts this burden. Lirael’s life as an outsider within the community of the Clayr is past now. She sees that she really wanted to “belong”, to be part of the Clayr’s community, but it is over. She now takes a different path, she is leaving the Glacier, her home. She sees her journey as a new start, new possibility, and new future. But her loneliness remains. She was the only one among the Clayr without the Sight, now she leaves this past, but she is to be alone again, because she is the only one able to See into the past. This ability is crucial for the whole country. Lirael is the only person, who can learn from the past what is necessary to do in order to defeat the evil.
10.2 Theme of Death and Suicide Lirael does not have anyone to rely on and her self-confidence is very low. One reason might be as Ellen Cronan Rose mentions in her essay, “Through the Looking Glass: When Women Tell Fairy Tales,” that some female characters “never had a real woman to mother her into valuing herself as a person” (215). Lirael feels dispensable; she does not “value” herself. Until her fourteenth birthday, Lirael’s life is “a series of disillusionments” (The Voyage In 6) and persisting hope that lead her to the idea of death and suicide: “If she killed herself, Lirael reasoned, she wouldn’t have to watch girls increasingly younger than herself gaining the Sight” (Lirael 31). Motif of the main heroine thinking of committing suicide is unusual, but it is the part of Lirael’s “quest for wholeness and identity”. But “[s]uicide wasn’t something the Clayr did. Killing herself would be the final, terrible confirmation that she just didn’t belong” (32). Lirael is sure
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that she is not a proper Clayr and that she does not “belong” and “suicide” seems the best solution for her at her fourteenth birthday. She decides to commit suicide; however, when standing on the edge of the glacier, she does not cross. Being there, she is not sure “that making her own death was such a good idea” (44). She finds out that she is not able to kill herself, even though she is not sure about her future. On one occasion, she unexpectedly has to fight a Free Magic creature she wakes up, and she is ready to self-sacrifice in order to protect the Clayr with the Sight. Coming so close to death she realizes the following: “Now that death seemed likely, she realized how much she wanted to stay alive” (87). The theme of death of teenager occurs again, but this time in a different context. Compared to her original idea of committing a suicide, which she did not manage, this time her death would be self-sacrifice in order to protect the community. The most important is the fact that Lirael realizes that she wants “to stay alive” and she instinctively does everything to save her life. The idea of suicide seems ridiculous from this perspective. This way she makes another important step to her maturity. Further on, the story takes the reader to the eighteenth year of the restoration of the King Touchstone I. Lirael is to celebrate her nineteenth birthday with the Disreputable Dog by exploring forgotten places of the Clayr’s Glacier. Lirael’s attitude towards herself changed throughout the time. She is still not certain about her abilities; however, she is proud of herself, of her gained knowledge and skills as Charter Mage. Nevertheless, her immature feelings about her birthday return: “Her birthday was Lirael’s most hated time of the year, the day she was forced to remember all the bad things in her life.” (213). This is mainly due to the fact that she still does not have the Sight and deep inside her, there are still some suicidal tendencies. Regarding her avoiding of identity of the Clayr without the Sight and of being a child, she does not
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attend the ceremonials and she wears her Librarian’s uniform “a red waistcoat, proud symbol of Lirael’s promotion to Second Assistant Librarian” all the time (213). By wearing the librarian uniform Lirael “escapes” the humiliation showing her being a child and not a woman. Without the uniform she would still be wearing the blue tunic, because she still does not have the Sight.
10.3 A Different Path A different path unexpectedly changes Lirael’s life completely. Lirael still underestimates her abilities of mastering the Charter Magic. Unintentionally, she suddenly finds herself on the path that was predetermined for her many centuries ago. Lirael starts her unexpected journey to fulfil a destiny that could affect all of the Old Kingdom. However, her personal perception is that she is being thrown out: “I don’t have the Sight, I’ve grown too old, and they’re throwing me out—“ (321). Lirael is still possessed with the need of the “Sight” and being an outsider without it. Not having the “Sight” is the reason why she is forced to leave the Glacier, thus, she will be outside the community physically. The quotation proves that her reaction is still immature. She is now powerful, but still acts uncertainly. The Clayr show her the place she must find and the person she must find: “we know that it is you who must find Nicholas. It seems a little thing, I know, a meeting between two people on a lake. But it is the only future we can See now, with all else hidden from us, and it offers our only hope to avert disaster” (333). From the Clayr’s vision Lirael finds out that she is the only person who can find Nicholas and it does not seem very important, just “a meeting between two people on a lake”. But because it is “the only future” that is seen, the meeting is given a mark of a high importance. It is “a meeting” which is the only “hope” for all people in the Old Kingdom to prevent a “disaster”, in fact the end of the life not only in the Old Kingdom.
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Learning about her task, Lirael starts to accept a different perspective of her leaving. She does not feel that she is just being thrown out of the Glacier and that she really has something important to do. Lirael’s journey and importance is emphasized as she is the guarantee this only “future”. Therefore, it lays a responsibility on Lirael. Later in the story, Lirael discovers her predetermined destiny, her path was chosen by her mother’s actions. Lirael very often reflects back to her mother. She is convinced that she was abandoned and this idea persecutes her throughout her life: “I wonder if my mother knew what my childhood would be” (Abhorsen 204). However, in this last sequel of the trilogy, Lirael learns more about her mother, who left message for her with Mogget: “Tell Lirael that… that my going will be… will have been… no choice of mine. I have linked her life and mine to the Abhorsen, and put the feet of both mother and daughter on a path that will limit our own choosing. Tell her also that I love her, and will always love her, and that leaving her will be the death of my heart” (205). The quotation suggests that the path of Lirael’s mother, and therefore also Lirael’s path, was predetermined and was not her choice and by connecting their lives with the Abhorsen, the path chose the walkers, in this case Lirael and her mother. It is essential for Lirael to learn that her mother loved her deeply and that she was not abandoned. This new path leads Lirael on her adventurous journey to a door with “tiny golden stars, golden towers and silver keys” (Lirael 221). All these are symbols of the bloodlines and the door guard the following path. Lirael passes the test of untainted blood and opens the door. The door to her future life that leads her to “Lirael’s path” (232). Lirael and the Dog try to explain the path with Lirael’s name: “there was a catch to the notion that the long-ago Clayr had Seen Lirael” (232). The Clayr in the past had seen Lirael; contrary to the fact the Clayr of the present could not see Lirael’s future at all. This finding arouses many other questions in doubtful Lirael e.g. why there is her
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name, she cannot believe it is really meant for her but for some other Lirael, etc. Her path takes her through the Rift15. Here, at the place where many people have died and were buried she feels the Death for the fist time: “It’s like an ache or an itch. It makes me want to do something. Scratch it. Make it go away” (235). The sense of Death is uncomfortable for Lirael, but does not scare her; rather she “wants to do something” to “make it go away”. This first encounter with the Death confirms her necromancy, though she is not aware of her skills as necromancer yet and considers it as forbidden Free Magic, which she refuses. Her moral choice of the Charter Magic and refusal of the Free Magic is within Lirael’s nature. She follows the Lirael’s path to the room concentrated with very old powerful magic. Here on the table she finds: a small metal case, a set of what looked like metal panpipes16; and The Book of Remembrance and Forgetting. The book is full of magic: “You could never truly finish reading such a book, for the contents changed at need, at the original maker’s whim, or to suit the phases of the moon or the patterns of the weather. Some of the books had contents you couldn’t remember till certain events might come to pass” (246). The Book of Remembrance and Forgetting reveal to her the content of a small metal case: “a Dark Mirror, which might be used only in Death: province of the Abhorsen, not the Clayr, even though the peculiar use of the Dark Mirror could possibly be related to the Clayr’s gift of Sight” (248). She takes the Dark Mirror, panpipes, the Book, but she still does not believe that these objects were waiting for her for a thousand years or more, i.e. that she should have an important role ahead of her.
15 “
The Rift is the burial place of the Clayr, vertical cemetery”. (Lirael 234)
16
“Seven pipes, named after the seven bells used by a necromancer. They are not as powerful as the bells, still powerful enough to assure the safety of a Remembrancer.” (Lirael 340)
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Lirael’s curiosity and newly gained gifts that enable her to see into the past urge her to exploit the first opportunity and enter the Death. Lirael enters the Death with her panpipes and Dark Mirror and powerful sword called Nehima, a sister sword to Binder, that she was given when leaving the Glacier. This sword was considered to be forgotten for a long time and carries an inscription: “The Clayr Saw me, the Wallmakers made me, my enemies Remember me”. Again, all Bloodlines connected their powers in making this powerful sword. Lirael realizes that she was given one of the greatest treasures the Clayr possessed, which ensures the importance of her task. Lirael demonstrates her strong will and desire to live when she resist the compulsion to walk further into Death, at the same time she feels relief that she is instinctively able to feel the way back to Life. In her vision she sees her mother with her father and is disappointed to find out that: “she was the result of a single evening’s coupling, which was either predestined or the result of her mother’s mad imagination” (410 – 411). As adolescent, Lirael imagined some forbidden love of her parents and not “a single evening’s coupling” especially resulting from her mother’s Sight. And even though she sees her father, she still does not know his identity.
10.4 Identity First, Lirael is confused and sticks to the fact that only the Sight is the Clayr’s birthright and that she does not want to be Remembrancer, i.e. person who can journey to Death and back to Life, to find out information from the past that are vital for the future of the Old Kingdom. Therefore Lirael, herself, as Remembrancer suddenly gains power and very important role for the Old Kingdom. As Rudd mentions in his essay “Theorising and theories: How does children’s literature exist?” the “disempowered status” of the main character, in this case of Lirael, is suddenly changed. The outsider in
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the society is empowered by the gifts that are essential for the future of a mankind in the Old Kingdom, not only for the society of the Clayr. From the low-confident Clayr without the Sight became first the Library Assistant and suddenly Remembrancer, an essential person for the future: “the Clayr of long ago Saw enough to prepare this place and the things you hold. To prepare you, in fact” (318). Her importance now lies in the fact that she is able to see the past and learn what needs to be done to save the Old Kingdom and Ancelstierre. However, Lirael’s reaction is immature and she panics from all the attention: “I don’t want anything. All I want to be… to be normal. To have the Sight” (319). She is surprised and afraid of her new role, because with it comes the responsibility. Therefore, she would like to be just “normal” Clayr. Lirael has the potential of great power, but she will have to face great tests: “You will meet many trials on a path that lies unseen, but you will never forget that you are a Daughter of the Clayr. You may not See, but you will Remember. And in the Remembering, you will see hidden past that holds the secrets of the future” (319). She has to understand her new identity of the Remembrancer and identify with the gift to see the past, not the future, when entering the Death and “remember”. These quotations suggest that Lirael’s true journey is to begin, that till now she was just preparing for her role and tasks. “Remembering” is explained to her as the gift of Sight, even though it is the gift to see into the “past”. But as it is indicated, the “past” is to reveal its “secrets” vital for the “future”. “Future” which will affect the whole Kingdom. It is clear that Lirael now has very important role that was predicted long ago. Just before she sets off for her journey with the soapstone carving of the Dog, Lirael considers changing her clothes, i.e. identity of the Clayr completely: [T]o wear something that did not identify her as a Clayr. But when it came time to dress, she once again donned the working clothes of a
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Second Assistant Librarian. That was what she was, she told herself. She had earned the right to the red waistcoat. No one could take that way, even if she wasn’t a proper Clayr. (337) Lirael considers changing her identity of a Clayr. One reason might also be the distrust of the Clayr when she had to be blindfolded to be able to enter the Observatory. She now knows that she will not belong, she will always be the outsider in the Clayr’s community and that she will never be “normal” in context of other Clayr. But it is obvious that she has got used to her “working clothes of a Second Assistant Librarian” as she wears these clothes automatically. Moreover, she has internally identified with herself in the role of the librarian and worked hard to “earn the right to the red waistcoat”. Therefore, even if other Clayr would not consider her “a proper Clayr” she deserves the uniform for her hard and dutiful work. Furthermore, Lirael is to face another change of her identity. Unconsciously, Lirael is fascinated by Death and by the tools of an Abhorsen when she meets Sameth on her journey. She insists on reading The Book of the Dead: “I can’t explain, but I feel that I must read it” (443). This urging shows her curiosity and it is her free choice to read the book. Moreover, she is given a surcoat with the golden stars of the Clayr quartered with the silver keys of the Abhorsen at the Abhorsen House: “I must be half Abhorsen”, hardly to believe herself. “In fact, I think I’m your mother’s half-sister. Your grandfather was my father. I mean, I’m your aunt. Half-aunt” (511). In this quotation she reveals her several new identities: she is Sameth’s aunt, Sabriel’s sister and the Abhorsen-in-Waiting, which were added to her identities of a Second Assistant Librarian, a Daughter of the Clayr and a Remembrancer. Lirael has become an Abhorsen on the outside:
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The image that faced her bore little resemblance to the Second Assistant Librarian of the Clayr. She saw a warlike and grim young woman, dark hair bound back with a silver cord rather than hanging free to disguise her face. She no longer wore her librarian’s waistcoat and instead of library-issue dagger, she had long Nehima at her side. (Abhorsen 39) Lirael sees different woman in the mirror hardly reminding her the times when she was Librarian. Now, she does not see her “dark hair” as a symbol of difference from the Clayr, because she has new identity. With this identity corresponds also her armour, i.e. sword “Nehima” in contrast to small, powerless “library-issue dagger”, and the bellbandoleer. Now in her new clothes and with new powerful weapons she is taking “first step of an Abhorsen” (48), feeling that her responsibility is great, because good and evil powers are at work in the world. Along with her responsibility of protecting the living world from any dead creatures or Free Magic constructs as an Abhorsen-in-Waiting, she gained the hereditary right to enter the Death. This way, her right to enter the Death is confirmed twice, first time by being a Remembrancer and second by becoming and Abhorsen-in-Waiting. By being an Abhorsen and learning to use the bells, her old life is inevitably gone and uncertainty of what her new life will be, what she might expect, comes. On the other hand, new horizons of the new social context open up in front of her, leading her towards new development. She matures as she accepts all her roles and responsibility connected with them. She matures, because she is aware that her life would be dedicated to hunting down and destroying the Dead. She would have to travel all the time and she would not be able to live the life of a Clayr as she always wished. She wanted the Sight because she wanted to belong. And at this point she realizes that she will never have the
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Sight, the only thing she wanted so much for her entire life. Her path is chosen and completely different from her expectations, days of living in the Glacier, in the Great Library of the Clayr: “vanished with everything else that had defined her previous existence and identity” (Lirael 518). But still, even in her new role and in her new identity, she experiences hopeless feelings similar to when she was hoping to wake up with the Sight. Facing the evil, she wishes to lay down wake up to a new, better day. However, throughout the time and after gaining some experience, Lirael unconsciously starts to take the leading role, she gives orders without waiting for an answer, just as Mogget comments on it: “Bossy, isn’t she?” remarked Mogget to Sam, who was following more slowly. “Reminds me of your mother” (Abhorsen 127). Here Mogget makes direct connection from Lirael to Sabriel and points out the similarity of their behaviour, i.e. behaviour typical for all Abhorsens.
10.5 Maturity Lirael’s attempt to commit suicide brings unexpected opportunity to Lirael’s life connected with gradual maturity. She is offered a proper work, so that she would not have time to think about the lack of the Sight, which is so vital to her. Thus, the society “facilitates the unfolding of inner capacities” (The Voyage In 6). Lirael becomes the Third Assistant Librarian in The Great Library of the Clayr, part of the community of librarians. But still, Lirael remains within her own world, she prefers to be left alone and not to talk with anyone much. However, Lirael utilizes her opportunity to maximum and starts to explore magic; she starts to “unfold her inner capacities”: Lirael had been driven by curiosity at first, and by the sense of satisfaction she gained from working out magic that was supposed to be
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beyond her. But somewhere along the way, Lirael realised that she enjoyed learning Charter Magic for its own sake. And when she was learning marks and putting them together into spells, she completely forgot about her troubles and forgot about not having the Sight. (75) This quotation proves that Lirael has found purpose for her life, which seemed hopeless before. “Curiosity” is typical for any person entering the adulthood and “satisfaction” from “learning” and exceeding one’s abilities forces Lirael to want to know and learn more. The advantage of her exploration of magic is that she becomes trouble-free and does not think about the “Sight” and her suicidal tendencies in such an extent. She uses her newly gained knowledge of magic to explore the Library. Moreover, she constantly breaks the rules in order to learn more. Jennifer Burek Pierce presents in the following quotation from the paper “What’s Harry Potter Doing in the Library? Depictions of Young Adult Information Seeking Behavior in Contemporary Fantasy Fiction“ that: “Lirael opts to seek information to address challenges, rather than turning the problems over to someone who might readily possess the information and the resources involved in finding solutions. As such, she exhibits the characteristics of a self-determined inquisitor“. Thus, Lirael’s solitude and the possibility to work in the Library offer her many options that she fully utilizes e.g. information seeking, finding solutions by herself. And therefore, she unconsciously makes another step to her maturity by becoming a “self-determined inquisitor”, who is able to practically use her gained knowledge. Lirael’s development towards maturity is continuous and clear. First, she takes on the responsibilities for fighting the Free Magic creature in the Great Library. She
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starts to feel that it is her duty to find the Stilken17 and defeat it. She takes another step towards her maturity by assuming the responsibility for all the Clayr, her sense of protecting and preventing anyone to be harmed is awakened, despite of the fact that she still does not feel to be a proper member of the community. Further on in the story, she manages to accept her culminating responsibility along with her new identity, even though she is afraid: “[o]f Death and Hedge and probably a thousand other things. But I’d rather be afraid and do something than just sit and wait for terrible things to happen” (Lirael 518). Similarly to Sabriel, she starts to act. She realizes she must be active to prevent the Old Kingdom from “terrible things”. This suggests that it is the characteristic feature of the Abhorsen to do something, use the power they have to prevent the people and the Old Kingdom. They both accept their active role and responsibility, willing to self-sacrifice if needed to protect others. Lirael on her journey to find Nick has to cope with her own weaknesses, i.e. she has to improve her communication with others, she has to lead the conversation and make decisions. As this is very difficult for her, she decides the following: “I’ll have to pretend, thought Lirael, I’ll have to act like an Abhorsen. Maybe if I act well enough, I’ll come to believe it myself” (Abhorsen 28). Her uncertainty results from her low confidence, now in the role of an Abhorsen. Lirael tries to convince herself through “pretending” the decisiveness of a proper Abhorsen she now is. Contrary to that, she is convinced that she: “has to set an example” (31) being the Abhorsen-in-Waiting and also Sameth’s aunt, responsible for him and the Old Kingdom. Similarly to Sabriel, who often wishes to find her father and hand over the
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The Stilken is an elemental of Free Magic and so it cannot be harmed by earthly materials, such as common steel. Its substance is inimical to life. A Stilken cannot be destroyed, except by Free Magic, at the hands of a sorcerer more powerful than itself. (Lirael 106 – 107)
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responsibilities of an Abhorsen to him, Lirael often wishes to be back in the Great Library of the Clayr, even though she knows that it is impossible, because her responsibilities of an Abhorsen are different and inevitable. “Doubts began to assail her even more strongly and Lirael began to fear for her companions, ..” (178). This shows her progress in achieving the maturity, as she is doubtful about her actions and thinks about them a lot, and also unselfishness, because she is not afraid of herself, but she “fears for her companions”, friends. At this stage her only friend, the Disreputable Dog, decides to reveal the truth about the danger Lirael has to face. Thus she learns about the Destroyer, Orannis. The Dog defends herself in front of Lirael and her rage that she should have known before. The Disreputable Dog argues that she could not tell her earlier, because Lirael was not mature enough: “You did not know who you are. Now you do and you are ready to know fully what we face.” (188). All the events now appeared to be in consequences. Her role of the Remembrancer and of the Abhorsen is the most important, she has to use the Dark Mirror and look back into the past: “Back to the Beginning, to see how the Seven defeated the Destroyer” (197). Lirael enters the Death together with the Dog. They reach the Ninth Gate and resist the gate’s call as it is not their time to die. Lirael opens the Dark Mirror and concentrates on what she wants to see. “By Right of Blood,” she said, her voice growing stronger and more confident with each word, “by Right of Heritage, by Right of the Charter, and by Right of the Seven who wove it, I would see through the veil of time, to the Beginning. I would witness the Binding and Breaking of Orannis and learn what was and what must become. So let it be!” (345). The quotation proves the power of Lirael’s office as the Remembrancer, she enters the Death and by the Rights of the bloodlines, the Seven, who created the Charter, Heritage she gets to the past and finds
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out the necessity of her self-sacrifice to defeat Orannis. She is aware of the weight of her responsibility, and she is determined to try to save the Old Kingdom, Ancelstierre, and all living beings. “Lirael had known and accepted the certainty of her own death in this venture, and thought it a fair price for the defeat of Orannis and the saving of all she loved and knew” (388). Lirael’s determination of her self-sacrifice completes her quest for identity and maturity. At the end Lirael is saved by her friend the Disreputable Dog, who bites off her hand when she strikes with her sword the Destroyer to complete the breaking and give up her life. The ending of Lirael’s story is open as the Dog explains that Prince Sameth will make Lirael new hand of shining gold and clever magic: “Lirael Goldenhand, she’ll be for ever after. Remembrancer and Abhorsen, and much else besides” (394). This proves that Lirael will continue in successful future and her importance will grow.
10.6 Sexuality Exploring one’s sexuality is inseparable part of development, maturity and identity. Stevi Jackson mentions in Women’s Studies: Essential Readings (1993) that “women develop a relationship to their own bodies which is self-objectifying. Learning that our bodies are the objects of others’ gaze (and appraisal) means that we develop self-consciousness about how we look from childhood” (225). Lirael did not develop a relationship to her own body due to her troubled childhood and striking different appearance contrary to other women in the community. Being so much enclosed in her own quiet world, Lirael is completely unaware of her sexuality and herself as a woman: “Lirael herself rarely thought about the fact that at nineteen she had never been kissed. She knew all about sex in theory, from the compulsory lessons in the Hall of Youth and books in the library. But she was too shy to approach any of the visitors, even the ones
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she saw regularly…” (Lirael 216). Lirael does not seem bothered by her inexperience in the area of sex. She knows “all about sex in theory” and it seems sufficient to her. However, on the other side, she admits that she is “too shy to approach” visitors, her silence starts to be a barrier that does not allow her to communicate. Especially, Lirael never thinks of herself as an “object” of sexual interest to others, Lirael does not know that there are men who: “looked on her with increasing interest over the years. But she made it clear that she wanted to keep herself to herself” (215 - 216). Again, Lirael’s choice of not communicating with anyone influences others and their, in this case men, perception of her as woman. Men understand that she is not willing to communicate and she wants to be only to “herself”, therefore, they do not try to address her. But still: “the young men simply watched her, and the more romantic of them dreamed of the day when she would suddenly come over and invite them upstairs” (216). “Romantic” dreams and unrequited love are part of adolescence, but were not part of Lirael’s growing up. This again results from Lirael’s constant underestimating of herself: “Lirael thought a real Clayr would always be more interesting and attractive than herself” (216). Because of her different appearance, she has to fight within herself very much, because she just wants to be a Clayr with the Sight and she is not able to accept herself being different than other Clayr, all these differences assure her that she cannot be “interesting and attractive” for young men as other Clayr. Also Sameth, her second companion, looks at Lirael as woman: “She really was attractive, though something about her face unsettled him” (474). Lirael seems very familiar to Sameth. But Lirael wants just a friend: “without the complication of romantic interest” (475). Lirael, same as Sabriel, sees love or any “romantic interest” again as “complication” on her journey. She does not want to be disturbed from her
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task, and this signalizes her maturity. Also contrary to Sabriel, she wants to discourage Sam, and therefore lies to him that she is much older and that makes her unattractive. Lirael’s interest in men is awoken later on, when she meets Nicholas and saves him: “That thought led to the idle speculation of what he might look like if he were well. He could be quite handsome, Lirael thought, and then instantly banished the notion” (Abhorsen 167). Only when meeting Nicholas, Lirael starts to think of herself as woman who might be interested in men.
10.7 Lirael’s Companion – Disreputable Dog Lirael sees her inability to see into future and different appearance as handicap, she feels lonely in the community, but on the other hand she tries to avoid any communication with anyone. Consequently, she remains alone as it is her preference: “The sound of her own voice surprised her, not because of the huskiness that still remained from her damaged throat, but because it sounded strange and unfamiliar. She realised then that she hadn’t spoken for two days” (110). Lirael is such individualist and gets used to not talking to anyone so much, that her own “voice” is “strange and unfamiliar”, she does not identify with it. She is not mature yet to speak in her own voice as she is able not to talk for few days and others accept it. Nevertheless, she desires to experience comfortable talking to someone about herself, about her life. Pierce suggests that Lirael is “preoccupied by feelings of disconnection and inferiority, she develops and pursues intellectual interests, such as creating a companion in the Disreputable Dog and defeating powerful monsters.” After finding a dog statuette, she decides to make her companion, her friend she needs out of the statuette. She uses Charter Magic “more ancient and more powerful than anything she had ever seen” (113). This proves her ability to go beyond her own limits with ease and with
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realisation of how powerful her magic is, but without intentional use. This way she creates her companion, the dog: “I am the Disreputable Dog. Or Disreputable Bitch, if you want to get technical. When are we going for a walk?” (115). Mysterious creature made of mixture of Free Magic and Charter Magic, which seems to be exactly like a real dog, albeit a speaking one with much more abilities. The Disreputable Dog is for Lirael easier to talk to than people. The Disreputable Dog becomes her only friend, companion and also advisor, giving her lessons: “You let it out. You must deal with the consequences” (123). The Disreputable Dog is straightforward and through her Lirael learns that any action she performs is followed by the “consequences”, i.e. Lirael learns that she is responsible for her actions and must deal with the possible consequences. This helps her towards her maturity. At first, Lirael had been often troubled by the fact that she does not know what the Dog is apart from the fact that the Dog is mixture of the Charter and Free Magic. But her attitude changes because: “Whatever the Dog was, she was Lirael’s one true friend and had proved her loyalty a hundred times and more in the past four and a half years” (220). This quotation proves the Lirael needs a “true friend” and that friendship and “loyalty” are very important values for her. Therefore, she does not care what the Disreputable Dog is, because the Dog remains her faithful companion, the only one she is willing to communicate with and is able to speak about herself, the only one who never leaves her and never betrays her. The actions of a “true friend” are more important than the origin. Again, this proves that even being different, an outsider, person still can have a friend, who might be as well different as the rest of the society. However, the being different is not important, the bond of the friendship is important. The Dog’s relationship with Lirael can be also interpreted in way that the Dog replaces Lirael’s mother by being her close confidant and advisor.
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There is a certain similarity in the Disreputable Dog, a female dog companion of Lirael, and Mogget, a male cat companion of Sabriel. They both are magical creatures with powerful abilities. However, the Disreputable Dog is created by Lirael and becomes voluntarily her faithful companion and true friend, whereas Mogget is bound and forced to serve the generations of the Abhorsens, i.e. also to Sabriel. Mogget hates the Abhorsens and his only wish is to kill Abhorsen. Contrary to that, the Disreputable Dog acts only on her own free will. The Disreputable Dog is very supportive and provides a lot of courage to Lirael: “There’s so much to see and smell here! Whole levels of the Library that no one has been into for a hundred, a thousand years! Locked rooms full of ancient secrets. Treasure! Knowledge! Fun! Do you want to be just a Third Assistant Librarian all your life?” (143). The Disreputable Dog also helps Lirael with “unfolding of inner capacities”, tries to show Lirael that there are many options for her, adventures waiting for them to explore through which can Lirael gain further “knowledge” and enjoy it at the same time. The Disreputable Dog also wants Lirael to realise that she is to have further goals than being “just a Third Assistant Librarian”, and that she is the one who is to make her life. Lirael reminds the Dog that she just wants to be a proper Clayr with the Sight. Lirael’s standpoint suggests that she still sticks to her original desire of the Sight, which is at the same time her malediction, which troubles her a lot. Lirael’s quest is unconscious and unintentional, encouraged by the Disreputable Dog to seek her own hidden destiny. It is only at the end of the trilogy when Lirael learns the true identity of the Disreputable Dog. When binding Orannis, the Dog reveals herself as Kibeth, one of the Seven. “Lirael could not imagine Kibeth as her friend” (Abhorsen 377). From the quotation is understood that Lirael still does not consider herself an equal to the Dog,
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even though she is aware of her importance. It is difficult for her to believe that one of the Seven was her only friend, companion and family for so long. The Dog saves Lirael’s life and leaves Lirael alone. However, the Dog does not die, and she wanders along the border between Life and Death. When leaving Lirael, she tells her: “You have found your family, your heritage; and you have earned a high place in the world. I love you too, but my time with you has passed. Goodbye, Lirael” (392). The quotation summarizes Lirael’s journey and her progress. Lirael started as a person with very low self-confidence and with suicidal tendencies. Various adventures and especially her friend the Disreputable Dog, led Lirael’s way in other direction. Lirael found “new family”, her “heritage” of the offices as Remembrancer and Abhorsen-in-Waiting, thus gaining high status in the world and importance.
10.8 Family Lirael realizes that she belongs, but somewhere else: “This whole House – and its servants – welcomes you, Lirael. So will the Abhorsen, and the King,…”(Lirael 515). Unexpectedly, with her newly discovered identity, she also discovers a new home and a new family. Lirael has to cope with the fact that she has a family now and discusses it with the Disreputable Dog: “Funny to think he’s my nephew,” whispered Lirael to the Dog. “It feels very strange. An actual family, not just a great clan of cousins, like the Clayr. To be an aunt, as well as having one. To have a sister too…” “Is it good as well as strange?” asked the Dog. “I haven’t had a chance to think about it,” replied Lirael, after a moment of thoughtful silence. “It’s sort of good and sort of sad. Good, because I am… I am an Abhorsen, blood and bone, so I have found where I belong.
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Sad, because all my life before was about not belonging, not being properly one of the Clayr. I spent so many years wanting to be something I wasn’t. Now I think if I could have become a Clayr, would it have been enough for me? Or would I simply be unable to imagine being anything else?” (Abhorsen 203 – 204) In this quotation Lirael summarizes her past life as a member of the Clayr and also considers her opportunities, i.e. new family and new identities. All the events are happing so fast, but Lirael is relieved that she has found her bloodline, therefore finally knows that she is “an Abhorsen”. She reviews her previous life with the Clayr and regrets living in lie: “not belonging” and “not being properly one of the Clayr”, member of the community. She regrets that she wanted to be someone she could have never been. Finally, with her knowledge and findings about herself, she gets to the conclusion that being a Clayr probably would not be sufficient for her. Or she might have lived as a proper Clayr without wanting anything more from her life, which is what she always wanted, when living in the Glacier. Through this, she realizes that she was given many opportunities that can enrich her life. Lirael meets with her new family, Sabriel, Touchstone, Ellimere when binding the Destroyer, Orannis. Though very respected, both Sabriel and Touchstone, and others of bloodlines immediately obey the orders given by Lirael and do their tasks. Sabriel and Lirael see each other for the first time and they have only short moment to speak. “So you are the sister I never knew I had,” said Sabriel. “I would wish that we had met earlier, and on a more auspicious occasion. We had many revelations thrust upon us, more than my tired mind can take in. I fear”(375). Sabriel accepts Lirael as her sister without any hesitation and expresses that this “revelation” together with learning more about Lirael’s other office as Remembrancer, is too much for her. But Sabriel realizes
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the importance of Lirael’s knowledge and that everything depends upon her, she will do what she is told. Lirael on the other is nervous about instructing “legendary Sabriel”, but she knows what must be done and others obey.
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11. Conclusion In my diploma thesis I have analyzed the path of two female characters, Sabriel and Lirael, from The Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix. Their paths are similar and also very distinct in several ways as I have showed in my thesis. Even though each of the protagonists grows up in a different environment, they experience the quest for identity and maturity, gaining essential roles and important positions for the countries, the Old Kingdom and Ancelstierre. The thesis proves that the children’s literature has been developing and going through a continuous change. The books for children serve for entertainment, but they still include some morality and thus they remain educative in this aspect. Fantasy literature crosses the boarders of the real world and enables the main protagonists to achieve exceptional goals. The trilogy demonstrates the change of gender stereotypes in today’s society as the author empowers his female characters, the heroines of the stories, and does not doubt their importance within the society. The female protagonists have to overcome their inner uncertainties and their lack of knowledge of the worlds they enter in order to be successful in their roles. As it is typical for fantasy literature, it is easy for them to distinguish between good and evil. In this thesis I have pointed out gender roles as depicted by Nix. Traditional gender roles are exchanged. Female protagonists hold higher status in Nix’s alternative world than male protagonists. It can be argued that this is important for the young readers to have the option to identify with the female characters who challenge their existing lives, face the demanding tasks, and overcome both external and internal obstacles on their journey. They accept their responsibility for their actions as well as for others, for the good of the society. On the other hand, they are deprived of being good mothers. And again, gender roles are exchanged in the parenthood, a father
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substitutes the role of a mother. This also corresponds with the situation and role exchange in today’s society. The novels follow the pattern of Bildungsroman. Sabriel starts her journey with expectations and continuously experiences disillusion due to her inexperience and lack of knowledge. Nevertheless, Sabriel identifies with her new role of the Abhorsen and succeeds in it. On the contrary, Lirael starts unfolding her inner capacities and overcomes initial disillusion. And as Sabriel, she succeeds in her new roles. Thus the author introduced “new Bildungsroman”, novel with the reversed pattern of Bildungsroman. Female protagonists are not left alone on their journey. They are accompanied by their animal guides who either voluntarily or involuntarily support and also supervise the heroines throughout their journey. It can be stated that the main protagonists rely on the knowledge and advice of their companions. As it has already been mentioned, male protagonists also accompany Sabriel and Lirael on their journeys and their presence helps them to perceive their female sexuality. Sabriel and Lirael explore their new identities on their journeys and contribute more to the society in their roles than is expected. Sabriel contributes through her diplomatic missions and Lirael through her ability to learn from the past. They both gain maturity through learning and experience. Even though they are bound by the burden of the responsibility and they would sacrifice themselves for the common good, they are free within their roles, because they know what is expected from them and they selflessly want to protect the common good. Nix in The Abhorsen Trilogy breaks traditional gender stereotypes as well as the pattern of Bildungsroman. The series is concluded with traditional happy ending and
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hope for brighter future. However, it is also mentioned that the damage done by the evil will require long-term remedies.
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Resumé Diplomová práce se zabývá procesem dospívání a odhalování schopností ženských hrdinek. Práce analyzuje hledání identity a dospělosti ženských hlavních postav ve fantasy trilogii Sabriel, Lirael a Abhorsen spisovatele Gartha Nixe. Poskytuje náhled na neustálý vývoj ženských hrdinek a jejich postupnou přeměnu z hlediska genderu a demonstruje obrácené mužské a ženské role. Úvodní kapitoly se zaměřují na teoretické pozadí dětské literatury, její historii a definici, fantasy literaturu a na gender v dětské literatuře. V následujících kapitolách jsou popsány ženské hrdinky, které reprezentují Sabriel a Lirael. Pro analýzu jejich hledání identity a dospělosti je použit koncept Bildungsromanu (vývojový román). Analýza odkrývá příležitosti hlavních hrdinek, které se objevují během jejich dospívání. Příběh Lirael se netypicky dotýká tématu sebevraždy hlavní ženské hrdinky, a to hned na začátku příběhu, čímž je narušena obvyklá skladba Bildungsromanu. I na toto téma je nazíráno jako na součást dospívání a tím umožňuje prokázat, že neočekávané možnosti a příležitosti mohou změnit cestu dospívání. Zobrazením svých hlavních hrdinek, které přebírají vedoucí role i s veškerou zodpovědností, Nix rozbíjí genderové stereotypy. Naopak mužští protagonisté akceptují role podpůrné. Navíc, autor vykresluje obrácené genderové role i v rodičovství.
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Summary The diploma thesis deals with the process of growing up and exploring the capacities of the female heroes. The thesis analyzes the quests for identity and maturity of female protagonists from the fantasy trilogy Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen by Garth Nix. It provides the insight into continuous development of female heroes, their gradual transformation from the point of gender and demonstrates reversed gender roles. The introductory chapters provide the theoretical background with a focus on children’s literature, its history and definition, fantasy literature and a view on gender in children’s literature. The female characters, represented by Sabriel and Lirael, are portrayed and examined in the following chapters. Their quests for identity and maturity are depicted from the point of a Bildungsroman, where the protagonists discover the opportunities that occur while growing up. Atypically, the novel Lirael brings up the theme of a suicide of the main female character at the beginning of the novel, which breaks the usual pattern of a Bildungsroman. Nevertheless, this theme makes a part of growing up and enables to prove that unexpected possibilities and opportunities can modify reaching adulthood. Both female heroes break gender stereotypes and undertake leading roles with all the responsibilities. In contrast, the male characters accept the supportive roles. Moreover, the author depicts the reversed gender roles via parenthood.
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Works Cited Primary Sources: Nix, Garth. Abhorsen. London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2005. Print ---. Lirael. London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2004. Print ---. Sabriel. London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2003. Print Secondary Sources: Abel, Elizabeth, Marianne Hirsch, and Elizabeth Langland. The Voyage in: fictions of female development. Hanover, NH: Published for Dartmouth College by University Press of New England, 1983. Print. “A December 2002 interview with Garth Nix, before the release of Abhorsen”. Young Adult Books Central. N.p. December, 2002. Web. 2 October, 2010 Baker, Deidre F. “What We Found on Our Journey through Fantasy Land”. Children’s Literature in Education. Volume 37, Number 3. 29 June 2006. Web. 31 May 2010 Bobulová, Ivana. “A Brief History of Children’s Literature - Conception of Childhood”. Children’s and Juvenile Literature (Written in English). Ed. Ivana Bobulová Nitra: Pedagogická fakulta UKF, 2003. 19 – 27. Print Bubíková, Šárka. Literary childhoods: growing up in British and American literature. Červený Kostelec: Pavel Mervart, 2008. Print. Carpenter, Humphrey, and Mari Prichard. The Oxford companion to children's literature. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1984. Print.
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Clark, Beverly Lyon, and Margaret R. Higonnet. Girls, boys, books, toys: gender in children's literature and culture. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999. Print. Green, Roger Lancelyn. "The Golden Age of Children’s Books." Children's literature: the development of criticism. Ed. Peter Hunt. London: Routledge, 1990. 36 - 56. Print. Hamilton, Edith. Mythology: timeless tales of gods and heroes. New York, Meridian Book, 1989. Print. Hunt, Peter. Children's literature: the development of criticism. London: Routledge, 1990. Print. Hunt, Peter. "Introduction: the Expanding World of Children’s Literature Studies." Understanding children's literature: key essays from the second edition of The International companion encyclopedia of children's literature. Ed. Peter Hunt. 2nd ed. London: Routledge, 2005. 1 - 14. Print. Friday, Nancy. “Mother Love”. The Gender Reader. Ed. Evelyn Ashton-Jones and Gary A. Olson. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. 1991. 364 – 367. Print Jackson, Rosemary. Fantasy: the literature of subversion. London: Routledge, 2003. Print. Jackson, Stevi. Women's studies: essential readings. New York: New York University Press, 1993. Print. Lesnik-Oberstein, Karin. "Defining Children's Literature and Childhood." International Companion Encyclopedia of Children's Literature. Ed. Peter Hunt. London: Routledge, 1996. 17 - 31. Print. Manlove, C. N. Modern fantasy: five studies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1975. Print.
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Paul, Lissa. “Feminism Revisited.” Understanding children's literature: key essays from the second edition of The International companion encyclopedia of children's literature. Ed. Peter Hunt. 2nd ed. London: Routledge, 2005. 114 - 127. Print. Pierce, Jennifer Burek. "What’s Harry Potter Doing in the Library? Depictions of Young Adult Information Seeking Behavior in Contemporary Fantasy Fiction." Iowa Research Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2011. . Pike, Joseph. “Author Interview: Garth Nix”. Jubilee Books Magazine. September 2002. Web. 8 Feb. 2011. Pokrivčáková, Silvia. “Children’s Literature and Its Study”. Children’s and Juvenile Literature (Written in English). Ed. Ivana Bobulová. Nitra: Pedagogická fakulta UKF, 2003. 9 – 13. Print Pratt, Annis. Archetypal patterns in women's fiction. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1981. Print. Rose, Ellen Cronan. “Through the Looking Glass: When Women Tell Fairy Tales”. The Voyage In: Fictions of Female Development. Ed. Elizabeth Abel et al. Hanover: University Press of New England. 1983. 209 - 227. Print. Rudd, David. "Theorising and theories: how does children’s literature exist?" Understanding children's literature: key essays from the second edition of The International companion encyclopedia of children's literature. Ed. Peter Hunt. 2nd ed. London: Routledge, 2005. 15 - 29. Print. Simons, Judy. “Gender roles in children’s fiction” The Cambridge companion to children's literature. Ed. Grenby, M. O. and Andrea Immel. 1. publ. ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009. 143 - 158. Print.
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Sinclair, Frances. Riveting reads plus fantasy fiction. Wanborough, Swindon, UK: School Library Association, 2008. Print. Sullivan, C. W. “High Fantasy”. International Companion Encyclopedia of Children’s Literature. Ed. Peter Hunt. London: Routledge, 1996. 300 – 310. Print Townsend, John Rowe. Written for Children: An Outline of English-language children’s literature. London: The Bodley Head, 1995. Print Whalley, Joyce Irene. "The Development of Illustrated Texts and Picture Books" International Companion Encyclopedia of Children's Literature. Ed. Peter Hunt. London: Routledge, 1996. 217 - 227. Print. Dictionaries and Encyclopedias Encyclopedia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/ Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Oxford University Press, 2010. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page>
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Attachments
Attachment no. 1 – Covers of Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen with Charter Marks. Retrieved from http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/
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Attachment no. 2 – Hadrian’s Wall facing East towards Crag Lough. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadrian%27s_wall
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Attachment no. 3 – Picture of Sabriel with the leather bandoleer and the sword retrieved from http://sumthinblue.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/sabriel.jpg
