CHILDREN’S LITERATURE II

MODULE ONE: LECTURE TWO

SCIENCE FICTION

Science fiction is often grouped with fantasy even though it expresses scientific concepts in our world

versus magical concepts in an imaginary world. Science fiction explores scientific concepts that are real

today or pseudo-scientific concepts that could be real at some indeterminate point in the future based on

the technology we have in the world today. It then attempts to illustrate for readers the potential good

or evil of that technology and the different ways it may be used. Many science- fiction authors have

dreamed up inventions decades before they could become a reality. For example, when Jules Verne wrote

20,000 Leagues under the Sea, submarines did not exist. And Isaac Asimov came up with a story about

children learning at home through online courses on their computers decades before computers had been

invented for mass use. Science fiction has been called “the literature of ideas” and often explores the

potential consequences of scientific, social, and technological innovations. It is often used to criticize

present day society.

A Very Brief History

Science fiction can be traced back to ancient times, when authors first began blurring the lines between

myth and reality. Some science fiction theorists say that the very first work of science fiction literature

that we have is “A True Story” by the writer, Lucian of Samosata (125-180 AD). Lucian’s works were full

of comedy and satire and were very popular in ancient antiquity. “A True Story” was written as a satire

against authors who told “tall tales” (Lucian was very suspicious of mythology or religion of any kind.) He

also wrote the earliest known version of “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.” “A True Story” contains many

themes and characteristics of modern science fiction such as travel to other worlds, extraterrestrial life

forms, interplanetary warfare and artificial life.

The Scientific Revolution & The Age of Enlightenment

The scientific revolution is thought to cover the period between the Copernican Revolution in 1543 and

Isaac Newton’s Principia in 1687. One notable science fiction story of this time, considered by notables

such as Isaac Asimov and Carl Sagan to be the first serious work of science fiction, was “Sominium,” written

by Johannes Kepler in Latin in 1608. “Sominium” (The Dream) is a story about an Icelandic boy and his

witch mother who learn about an island named Levania (our moon) from a daemon and decide to travel

there.

The Age of Enlightenment also known as the Age of Reason was an intellectual and philosophical

movement in Europe, typically dated between the 17th and 19th centuries. It came directly after the

Renaissance. The Enlightenment emphasized the importance of reason and of the senses as the primary

sources of knowledge. There was a strong emphasis on the scientific method and an increased

questioning and rejection of religious orthodoxy. A few notable works that were written within these two

eras would be: Francis Bacon’s “The New Atlantis” (1626); Lady Margaret Cavendish’s “The Blazing World”

(1666); and Jonathan Swift’s “Gulliver’s Travels” (1726).

Modern Science Fiction Literature

Modern Science Fiction Literature

Our modern era has ushered in some very difficult times. In the last couple of hundred years the world

has been exposed to the ravages of war on a greater scale than ever before because of evolving

technologies. Oppressive regimes have arisen in many countries, bringing with them persecution of

countless innocents. Human beings have become increasingly isolated and alienated, and mental illnesses

abound. Works of science fiction deal with many of these problems and the explosion of the novel as a

popular literary form in the 19th century provided many opportunities for talented science fiction writers

to share their stories with the world. Notable works of this period include Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”

(1821); Julio Verne’s “Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea” (1869-1870); Aldous Huxley’s “Brave

New World” (1932); George Orwell’s “1984” (1949); Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451” (1953); and Ursula

Le Guin’s “The Left Hand of Darkness” (1969).

One of the giants of science fiction: during this time was H.G. Wells. Some of his famous works include

”The Time Machine” (1895); “The Island of Dr. Moreau” (1896); “The Invisible Man” (1897); and “The War

of the Worlds” (1898). In his works he includes happenings such as alien invasion, biological engineering,

invisibility, and time travel. Interestingly, his predictions about the future included airplanes, military

tanks, nuclear weapons, satellite TV, space travel, and the world wide web. He was clearly ahead of his

time.

Popular contemporary themes in science fiction literature include environmental issues, the expanding

information universe, biotechnology, nanotechnology and post-apocalyptic societies. Exciting new novels

and movies based on science fiction themes are being created all the time. These are clearly reader and

audience favorites.

Popular Children’s Science Fiction Novels from the Last 150 Years

• The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1943)

• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle (1962)

• A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L’Engle (1973)

• The White Mountains by John Christopher (1967)

• Mrs. Frisby & the Rats of NIMH by Robert O’Brien (1971)

• Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (1985)

• The Giver by Lois Lowry (1993)

Dystopian Worlds

A utopia is an imaginary perfect society, and a dystopia is exactly the opposite. A dystopia is an imagined

society with great suffering and injustice, typically one that is totalitarian or post-apocalyptic. Ironically

many dystopias in literature and film come about with the intention of setting up a utopia. Dystopias

occur because human beings do not want to be compelled to be “free” or “virtuous” or “happy” on anyone

else’s terms but their own.

Dystopias tend to be “cautionary tales.” They are stories about worlds that are experiencing

dehumanization, alienation, social inequality, war, dictatorships and control through technology and

violence. These are worlds in which ‘Big Brother” is always watching, always ready to crack down on

anyone who goes against the norms that have been set up by those in power. Dystopias show a

pessimistic view of the ruling class, and typically portray a government that is brutal and uncaring. Many

of these places are ruled by a fascist regime or dictator and often there are protagonists or groups on the

outskirts who lead a “resistance” against the regime in order to enact changes within their society.

There is a great deal of injustice in these dystopias. Typically, there is a great difference between the

privileges of the ruling class and the dreary existence of the working class. There is also typically

inequitable political or personal power of one gender over others. Often religion is ether eradicated and

forbidden, or the world is ruled by an oppressive religion which has control over all aspects of people’s

lives. The idea of family is also erased. Often children are reproduced artificially so that they may more

completely belong to the state. Dystopian worlds are filled with violence. The violence may take the form

of an oppressive government or military or police force. Sometimes there are also roving bands of violent

youths, out of control urban crime, or blood sports. All of these are facilitated by the omnipresence of

technology which serves to control and enslave, to alienate and dehumanize others so that the bonds of

kinship and brotherhood are completely dissolved and everyone lives in fear.

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE II

MODULE TWO: LECTURE ONE

FANTASY

Fantasy literature is literature set in an imaginary universe usually with made-up locations, events, or

people. Magic, the supernatural, and magical creatures are common in many of these imaginary worlds.

Fantasy literature is popular with both children and adults. Fantasy is distinguished from science fiction

and horror by the absence of scientific or macabre things, but these genres may overlap. Fantasy fiction

is escapist in nature, allowing children to give free reign to their imagination. Often fantasy fiction

borrows from very old stories such as myths and legends and gives them a modern twist to create a new

and original tale that may be set in the present or in the past. According to Joseph Campbell, a famous

American mythologist, the heroes in these tales are often called to experience some form of quest where

they need to not only reach a difficult goal, but also develop and learn about themselves. Fantasy stories

may be highly satisfying to children on a psychological level, as children can imagine themselves as heroes

and heroines of their own quests

A Very Brief History

Stories involving magic and monsters existed long before there was any printed literature. Classical

mythology is filled with fantastical stories and characters. For example, we have Homer’s, ‘The Odyssey,”

which is required reading for almost every high school student in America. Young teens are excited to

follow along with Odysseus on his many adventures as he defeats monsters and beasts of various sorts,

tames witches, and achieves honor and glory for himself. The contribution of the Greco-Roman world to

fantasy is vast and it includes motifs such as: the hero’s journey, magic, rings of power, magic wands,

wondrous herbs, supernatural monsters and creatures – especially dragons, magicians, and witches. India

also boasts a long tradition of fantasy literature, dating back to the 3rd century B.C.

Medieval Times & The Renaissance

Chivalric Romance, such as the stories of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round table, were quite

popular in aristocratic circles of the Medieval period (1000 – 1500 AD). These were fantastic stories about

marvel-filled adventures, often populated with knights, damsels in distress, dragons and other romantic

tropes, where the heroes and heroines were considered the representation of the ideals of the age, while

the villains represented what was considered base. Many medieval romances recount the marvelous

adventures of a chivalrous, heroic knight, often of super-human ability, who, abiding by a strict code of

honor, fights and defeats monsters and wins the love of a lady.

During the Renaissance romance was very popular. “Le Morte d’Arthur” (1485) by Sir Thomas Malory was

written in prose. Giambattista Basille wrote and published “The Pentamerone,” (1634) a collection of

literary stories – the first collection known as “fairy-tales.” Giovanni Francesco Straparola published “The

Facetious Nights of Straparola” (1550 – 1555). The latter of these two works include the oldest recorded

form of many well-known European fairy tales. In a work of alchemy in the 16th century, Paracelsus (1493-

1541) identified four types of beings with the four elements of alchemy: gnomes – earth; undines – water;

sylphs – air; salamanders – fire.

Paracelsus’ Four Elements – Beings

The Age of Enlightenment

The Enlightenment period was generally hostile to fantasy, though important literary fairy tales by Charles

Perault (1628-1703) and Madame d’Aulnoy (150 – 1705) were published. Madame d’Aulnoy labed her

stories, “contes de fee” which is where we get our term, “fairy-tales” from.

Romanticism

Romanticism was a movement of the late 18th and early 19th century, a dramatic reaction to rationalism,

challenging the priority of reason and promoting the importance of imagination and spirituality. One of

the first literary results of this fascination was the gothic novel, a literary genre that began in Britain with

“The Castle of Otranto” (1764) by Horace Walpole. Another famous work was “Vathnek” (1786) by

William Thomas Beckford. The Brothers Grimm were inspired by German Romanticism. Once again there

was a strong interest in medievalism and in literary fairy tales.

The Victorian Era

Fantasy was quite popular during the Victorian Era (early 1800s to early 1900s). Some famous works such

as Mary Shelley’s” Frankenstein” (1823) and “Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” (1865) were published

during this time. Hans Christian Anderson also wrote many well-loved fairy tales during this period.

The history of modern fantasy literature begins with George MacDonald’s works, “The Princess & The

Goblin” (1868) and “Phantasies” (1868), widely considered to be the first fantasy novel ever written for

adults. Another major fantasy author, William Morris wrote “The Well at World’s End” (1896). Morris’

works were the first to be set in an entirely invented world – a fantasy world. Several children’s fantasies

such as “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” (1900), and ‘Peter Pan” (1906) were also written during this time.

Modern Fantasy Literature

In 1923, the first English language fantasy fiction magazine “Weird Tales” was created. Many other

magazines followed. The pulp magazine format was at the height of its popularity at this time and was

instrumental in bringing fantasy fiction to a wide audience in both the U.S. and Britain. From the 1930s

to the 1950s, J.R.R. Tolkien played a large role in the popularization and accessibility of the fantasy genre

with his “Lord of the Rings” cycle of books. J.K. Rowling did the same for the dissemination of fantasy

literature in the 21st century with her “Harry Potter” novels.

Popular Children’s Fantasy Fiction Novels from the Last 150 Years

• The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (1937)

• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (1950)

• The Lord of the Rings Cycle by J.R.R. Tolkien (1954-1955)

• Charlie & the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (1964)

• Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling (1997)

• Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (1997)

• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (2008)

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE II

MODULE TWO: LECTURE TWO

FANTASY AS HOPE

Often fantasy literature is, in fact about hope. One of the functions of fantasy literature is to imagine a

better world than the one we live in now. Once upon a time, a great deal of the world had religion to fill

this need, but in many cases, religion has become alien to the secular and skeptical western societies of

the 20th and 21st centuries. Many people consider themselves too “enlightened” to believe in God – yet

they want to believe in Magic. This is because human beings have a psychological need for hope and to a

certain extent, for the supernatural. Fantasy literature is more prevalent in times of extreme and

prolonged social upheaval, because during these times human beings are particularly dissatisfied with the

world. Thus, archetypes such as the hero, the quest, and the transformation continue to beckon and fill

our imagination. People need something to believe in – if only temporarily, while the novel or the movie

comes to an end – hence the great allure of fantasy for both children and adults.

A Few Common Narrative Themes:

• Good vs Evil

• Quest for power or knowledge

• The Individual vs Society

• Betrayal

• An Epic Journey

Fantasy stories may speak to the actual human condition, but they do so with fantastical elements such

as magic, prophecies of a chosen one or impending doom, ancient mythologies from around the globe, or

contact with new worlds, races or creatures.

Fantasy Literature Characters

We can see a whole cast of mythical, religious or magical creatures represented in fantasy tales. Many of

these are the stuff of our dreams and/or our nightmares. The psychoanalyst, Carl Jung, would have said

that all these are creatures of the “collective unconscious,” that we have inherited these figments of the

imagination because we are human beings. In a sense, we didn’t even have to create them – they were

there from the beginning of human consciousness.

Catharsis

Catharsis is a Greek word for “cleaning.” It is also an idea originally expounded by the philosopher –

Aristotle. It refers to the purification and purgation of emotions through art on the audience. It is seen

as an emotional discharge through which one can achieve a state of moral or spiritual renewal, or through

which once can achieve a state of liberation from anxiety and stress. In therapy catharsis serves to

expunge deep emotions often associated with events in the individual’s past which had originally been

repressed or ignored and had never been adequately addressed or experienced.

Violence & Children’s Literature

Many scholars argue that violence, if used appropriately, has its place in some children’s books, that the

inclusion of violence in quality literature can create positive influences in children’s lives. Violence has

appeared for centuries in didactic stories in which the wicked are punished, often with physical violence,

and the virtuous are rewarded. In fact, according to research when children create stories, themes of

aggression are predominant because aggression is a fundamental part of human nature. Many argue that

in a world filled with violence, this violence needs to be included in children’s literature since children’s

stories should accurately portray the world to some extent. Child psychologists warn that we cannot

protect children from life by imprisoning them in a bubble, where no germs of evil can ever reach them.

In fact, they stress that this type of overprotection is damaging to children. Children need to develop

strength and resilience to deal with a world that can sometimes be cold and cruel, and postponing their

confrontation with “evil” will not serve them well. Fairy tales can serve as very early eye-openers as

children learn, initially in a safe space, that everyone is not good, and that everyone does not have their

best interests at heart. Violence in children’s stories can help children cope with conflicts in their own

lives and they can also serve as catharsis to help children feel more empowered, like they can make real

decisions and take definitive action in their lives – even if they have to take some risks. In the end they

will be stronger for this.