|
|
Journeys and Standstills: The Role of Inns in Fantasy Literature
Melichová, Magda ; Bílek, Petr (advisor) ; Činátlová, Blanka (referee)
(in English) The thesis aimed to explore the topos of inn in relation to the topos of journey in fantasy literature. The first step was to define the term fantasy literature with regard to the set of texts selected for the analysis; namely their connection to mythology and fairy tales, genres working with hero's initiation journey. Integral part of the thesis was to consider theoretical works focused on the image of pubs in literature, as well as a short description of the form and function of this topos in other genres. The subject of the analysis were inns from six fictional worlds representing a cross-section of the genre from the half of the 20th century until present time, while the selected examples fall mostly into the sub-genre of epic fantasy. The analysis showed that the inns have four primary functions: hero's intimate space, place of meeting and cognition, place of transformation and place of stories. Each of these functions is connected to a specific part of the initiation journey and represents its beginning, or one of its tests. All these functions are also connected to certain issues related to hero's psychological journey, namely the issue of trust, identity and will. The inns which serve as hero's intimate space have a special position; they reflect his or her state of mind and...
|
guest ::
