|
|
Family in Modern Fantasy: A Blessing or a Curse?
TÝMALOVÁ, Monika
This thesis aims to provide a comparative analysis of selected works of Anglo-American fantasy literature: Neil Gaiman's Coraline, Neverwhere and The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Amanda Stevens's The Restorer and The Kingdom and Melissa Albert's The Hazel Wood. In the theoretical part, the thesis briefly introduces fantasy and urban fantasy genres and their relation to family stories, along with authors and their respective works. Then the theoretical part focuses on the topic of Bildungsroman, dealing with the liminal phase of a journey from childhood to adulthood. In this context, the thesis alludes to the importance of Bruno Bettelheim's psychoanalytical approach in studying fairytales to understand children's fantasy further. It highlights the significant function of a trial, described via the structuralist study. The analysis itself draws on the following thematic areas: dream and disillusion, threat and hidden danger, will to survive, temptation and destruction, fear of nothingness, the role of mother and father, the power of words, helplessness and help, the temporality of beauty, recovery and rebirth. Based on the analysis results, the work tries to describe the function of the family in individual stories, how relationships between children and adult characters influence the development of the main heroes and heroines and whether the family represents a blessing or a curse.
|
guest ::
