Week 6: What is the ‘shojo’ and how does it often function in anime?

The ‘shojo’ according to Cavallaro (2006) is a term that literally means “little female” and “is used to designate girls aged 12 or 13” (p. 11). This type of character is common among anime and appeals largely to Japanese males because they offer a dramatic shift and excitement which is not available to them in their demanding work life.

 

Its function in anime is one that depicts the transitional age between childhood and adulthood, youth and maturity, sexlessness and eroticism, powerlessness and power, inexperience and understanding, masculinity and femininity. The ‘shojo’ stories are usually light-hearted and “bathed in an atmosphere of magic and wonder” (p.11). This is a stark contrast to the protagonists of Miyazaki who fit the shojo bill in terms of their physical appearance but are more self-sufficient, brave, curious and proactive (for example San in Mononoke).

 

Refernces:

Cavallaro, D. (2006). Introduction. In The Anime Art of Hayao Miyazaki (pp.5-13). London: McFarland & Company.

Week 6: Anime and Manga, the Japanese Way

On completion of the viewing of Princess Mononoke, by Miyazaki, my initial impression on this animated movie were that it was fantasy bordering on the ridiculous, incredulous and quite frankly boring.  My apologies.  I just wasn't getting that out of this world feeling.  I felt the scenes were disjointed, I kept losing the thread and nothing seemed to flow.  The storyline seemed muddy, and it seemed to zig zag  from one event to another with no storyline curve as I know it.  I found it hard to connect with the characters.  The way they were drawn or designed just didn't hit a note with me.  The wolf characters seemed indistinguishable from one another, the depiction of the Deer God I felt was not convincing enough for the importance of the spiritual role he played, and Yakul seemed to have a lead role at the start of the movie as Ashitaka's firm friend, but turns out to be a convenient form of transport to get Ashitaka around the forest.  It just wasn't complying with my knowledge of consistency (Attebery, 1980) and didn't match the framework of a storyline as I know it, nor my knowledge of how a storyline should sit in Vogler's three Act structure.

"Japanese comics (manga) and their spin-offs in the domain of Japanese animation (anime) do not abide by the criteria of the typically Western narrative structure with its three-act format leading from the delineation of characters and situations through a series of conflicts and complications to a denouement." (Cavallaro, 2006).

Upon reading the material associated with the field of manga and anime, I can see the movie in a new light and realize that my naivety and expectation of the story of Mononoke over-rode my knowledge of the topic of anime.   The concept of anime can be classed as almost unique to Japan, although that could be disputed by Lent (2000) who quotes pioneer animators such as "James Wang of Taiwan, Payut Ngaokrachang of Thailand, Tezuka of Japan and Shin Don Hun of Korea" as being the Disney creators of their respective countries.

The role of the genre of anime is to be taken seriously.  In Miyazaki's instance, there is not only an intention to entertain his audience with the storyline of the animated movie, but also to send an overriding eco-message to his audience.   "Miyazaki's movies do not indulge in mere nostalgia for they frankly intimate that nature's forceful independence is unlikely ever to be restored" and there is a distinct hope attached to them for humans to "achieve non-aggressive cohabitation and even cordial cooperation with the natural environment." (Cavallaro, 2006).

Cavallaro (2006) cites that "manga tend to unfold over several years and therefore experience often substantial reorientations.  Animated series and features based upon them target audiences intimately acquainted with their narrative content."  This helps to explain my confusion as, as a Western viewer, the concept of a storyline that doesn't really wind up with a nice neat bow (denouement) is completely foreign to me.





References:

Attebury, B. (1980). Locating fantasy. In the fantasy tradition in American literature: from Irving to Le Guinn.  (pp. 2-9). Bloomington: Indiana U P.

Cavallero, D. (2006). Introduction. The anime art of Hayao Miyazaki (pp. 5-13). London: McFarland & Company

Lent, J.A. (2000). Animation in Asia: appropriation, reinterpretation, and adoption or adaptation. Retrieved 21 June, 2006, from AnimeRsearch.com

Week Six: According to Lent (2000), what place does animation occupy in Asian societies? How different is this across Asia (ie comparing China and Japan)?

The culture that anime is associated with at the moment is a “popular” culture throughout Japan. However this may change due to the artistic form that anime has taken on especially in Japan (Lent, 2000). Anime in Japan has become an increasingly major icon in the global cultural economy and one scholar has gone as far as saying that Anime and Japans “chief cultural export”. Anime has extended to be recognised on an international level and Asian countries such as Taiwan and Korea have had an increase in the amount of people watching anime (Lent 2000). Due to the franchises that have been established through popular anime series, merchandise is now sold and creates more profit for anime series. This also creates brand image around the anime movie or series, this recognition has helped to launch the genres success internationally. Time magazine also published an article on Pokémon and anime in general in Time magazine, which added to international recognition and shows the increase of recognition that anime as a genre is gaining.

However animated films are far more popular in Japan than they are in western societies and in 1997 Princess Mononoke became the highest grossing film of all time in Japan, and still holds this title today (Lent 2000). Anime in Japan is know as being a mainstream pop culture and is accepted by the younger generation of Japanese viewers as a cultural staple. The anime culture targets not only children but also all age groups. For example Pokémon targets younger children while young adults can enjoy films such as Akira and Princess Mononoke.

Anime products are popular in countries such as Korea, Taiwan and South East Asia, in particular the animated series ‘Doraemon’ became popular in Thailand in the early 1990’s and became a franchise across Asia, which included video games, toys and life sized models. Although anime does appeal to different cultures on an international scale it is still the most popular in Japan. I find this interesting as I only ever enjoyed watching Pokémon when I was younger and wouldn’t choose to watch anime now that I am older. However in Japan many different age groups watch anime and anime is made for different target audiences. Pokemon and Doreamon were targeted towards younger viewers and Japan also offers films and programmes for young adults and older viewers. This is interesting as it is rare to find anime for young adults and older audiences in New Zealand.

Reference:

Lent, J. A. (2000). Animation in Asia: appropriation, reinterpretation, and adoption or adaptation. Retrieved 21 June, 2006, from AnimeResearch.com

Week 4: How is science fiction different from fantasy?

In Le Guin's article Plausibility Revisited; wha Hoppen and what didn't, it talks about plausibility and how it validates fiction by creating for itself an accurate and honest observation of the world outside of the book. Le Guin describes that the "correspondence of the real world and fictional world defines characteristic of realism, which it’s not a defining character of fiction". In stating this Le Guin suggests that plausibility and the intuition of reality gives readers a pretense of a factual report. In doing so the genre of science fiction branches out as part of realism. Science-fiction is able to pretend that the future is part of the present or past as it lies in the unknown so it is able to be a basis of the science fiction genre. 

This is much different compared to fantasy where its fictionality is far more direct than realism and science. This is because fantasy draws on a secondary creation without an agreement to pretend that the story happened or would happen. It takes readers into unknown territory where the world outside of the book is more imaginative and requires readers to be immersed in a fantasy journey, where the characters are fictional as well as the surroundings. For example in A wizard of Earthsea is a story that portrays the idea of magic in a village occupied by ordinary people. The theme of magic is constantly represented through Ged and his hunger to use the power of magic for both good and evil. He does so when he attends the ‘magic school’ on Roke where he exercises his magic in order to prove a point. In doing so he unleashes a shadow monster which becomes a danger to not only Ged’s life but to those he surrounds himself with. He constantly finds himself fighting against the shadow, a representation of the shadow within himself, that of guilt. Le Guin does this through magic to show that the realities of life are also able to be portrayed through fictional characters and settings and does not need to rely on the idea of realism to portray life lessons within the story. She allows readers to identify the allegory within the story of wizard of earthsea, and we in turn are able to see that fantasy can play a major role in interpreting the realities of life through a number of fictional characters and settings.

In contrast realism inserts invented characters into the real world surrounded by real people and real situations. I think that Le Guin is trying to draw comparisons in that science fiction is able to draw reflections to the world outside and is able to draw links between the readers and reality. On the other hand fantasy draws in readers into another world where they are not able to comprehend its surroundings nor is it able to give an idea of what might happen. This is because fantasy uses our most divine and human capacity, which is the imagination.

References

Le Guin, U. K. (2005). Plausibility revisited: Wha hoppen and what didn’t. Retrieved August 23, 2012, from http://www.ursulakleguin.com/PlausibilityRevisited.html

Le Guin, U. K. (2012). A wizard of Earthsea Retrieved August 24, 2012, from  http://www.shmoop.com/wizard-of-earthsea/summary.html

 

Shojo Archetype in Anime.

What is the ‘shojo’ and how does it often function in anime? 

The ‘Shojo,’ refers to a “little female,” and is a Japanese character archetype. These characters are usually pre-teen, but the age gap varies, and is generally agreed upon to be a girl who has not yet reached the age of 20, and thus maturity; school-aged females. It is common for these characters to appear pre-pubescent, regardless of age, innocent, flat-chested, and still a child in the body of a young woman (if the character is indeed a teenager). Shojo narratives are common in manga and anime, from my experience, and perhaps somewhat limited viewing, but almost every text of this genre I can think of contains a shojo character of some kind, whether it be a minor character or the main protagonist.

Functionally the shojo works to represent a coming of age and rites of passage; the transition from innocence to understanding and adulthood. San in Mononoke is a shojo character in her physical appearance, and stature, though she bares the fierce nature of a grown woman such as Lady Eboshi, and of the wolves who raised her. She represents a different kind of innocence, and nativity to the human civilization and it’s relationship with the forest, just as Lady Eboshi embodies the ignorance of man.




References:

Cavallaro, D. (2006). Introduction. In The Anime Art of Hayao Miyazaki (pp.5-13).
London: McFarland & Company.

week 2- How does Farr (1991) justify Tintin's appeal to adults?

Tintin's appeal to adults in Farr's article of Tinti, an imaginary hero in a real world, is reflected by the different events that occur throughout the Tintin series. Farr justifies the appeal that Tintin has as being "self-generating", In that it is a continuous tradition from childhood to adult. The Tintin adventures deals with events of pastimes, which somewhat is reflected to the appeal for adults in that they are able to experience a pastime that they may have not had knowledge about or were limited to the information about that particular event, such as the Pearl harbour and the first landing on the moon. It provides a light-hearted appreciation for an event that was significant to a country either positively or negatively. Farr also describes the idea if loyalty, and this is seen through many of Tintin's adventures in which he stays loyal to his promises as well as to those that rely on him. In addition Tintin appeals to the adult audience as it draws a lot of "political satire" like the invasion of China by the Japanese, the smuggling as well as the issue of war. Farr (1991) article describe s that the tintin series brings about the realization that there is always something new to be learnt when it is read repeatedly. It gives the notion that once you read you will continue to re-develop ideas not only about the characters but with the issues that surround them and the problems that they face.

I hope I have answered it correctly feel free to leave your comments.

Week Six-

According to Lent (2000), what place does animation occupy in Asian societies? How different is this across Asia?

Lent believes that the animation industry has placed a major role in the Asian media industry. The original influence of animation came from Western societies and was adapted into Asian countries. Asian anime was originally thought of in China. Early animation in Asia had a western influence, for example the smiling monkey was a replica of the American character Mickey Mouse. Even though there was a lot of influence from the U.S in the early days the Chinese wanted to add their own cultural influence. Wan Laiming (Chinese animator) said:

"In a Chinese film, one ought to have a story purely based on real Chinese traditions and stories, consistent with our sensibility and sense of humour..Also, our films must not only bring pleasure, but be educational.."

It becomes clear that very early on in the stage of animation China wanted to make sure they brought their own cultural influences and experiences towards animation. Most Chinese animation stressed morals (The Panda's Shop), promoted campaigns or exposed enimes for example the gang of four (One night in an art gallery) 1978.

Asian countries dominate the anime industry and in the late 1990s Asian animation studios entered co-production agreements with partners from America, Canada and Europe. The most famous and well known partnership was Walt Disney International, which allowed them the release of 'Princess Monouke'. This allowed Disney to bring anime into mainstream animation through out the world. However anime was not shown in all countries, it was banned in Korea and Taiwan for decades because of the fear of Japanese cultural imperialism.

The anime industry is still most dominate in China. The Chinese demonstrate a very conservative view and have full control and place restrictions on what is and isn't made. They believe anime should demonstrate morals and be educational. In comparison Japan has very little restrictions and has an open market. Both countries operate differently politically and economically, which includes different ideas on the way anime is made and the content that is shown.

Week 6: What is the shōjo, and how does is often function in anime?

Anime is a term used to describe Japanese-styled animation. From my own knowledge, it’s mainly a medium nowadays used to animate manga (Japanese comics); of course, it is still used to tell original stories not taken from manga. Anime contains different categories to cater to the various demographics of the Japanese market. A small portion of international audiences are also catered to, but only after first release in Japan. Speaking of demographics, shōjo anime is targeted towards young girls between the ages 12 and 20.

To explain shōjo, I’d have to explain the kanji (Japanese-adopted Chinese characters) behind the word that it uses. It uses the kanji for “little” and “woman”. Cavallaro (2006) states that shōjo is translated to “little female”; which describes girls aged 12 to 13 years old. Majority of shōjo anime use female protagonists/leads to appeal to the younger female audience. These female protagonists are given certain qualities that viewers can relate to, and are stuck in particular situations that play on viewers’ desires; “… the worlds depicted in [shōjo] stories are serenely dreamy and bathed in an atmosphere of magic and wonder …” (Cavallaro, 2006, p.11). From my experience, a particular trend that I have seen in most shōjo anime is that the protagonist is quite passive, with the love interest being the dominant character in the relationship.

I admit, I was pretty excited we were covering anime this week, as it is something that I have absolute interest in. This week’s primary text was a screening of Princess Mononoke, directed by the legendary Hayao Miyazaki. Although I wasn’t able to attend the screening, I did catch the movie during this past weekend. I watched the Japanese dub with English subtitles (due to certain technical difficulties in finding the English dub online). English dub or Japanese dub certainly makes no difference to me, apart from the pronunciation of names. Before I even watched the movie, I really thought the lead of the film was this ‘Princess Mononoke’; little did I know that it was actually a male lead called Ashitaka. Although the lead was a male, I felt that San (the female protagonist known as Princess Mononoke) played as much of an important role in the movie, too.

Lackner (2009) states that a typical shōjo heroine’s physical features and mannerisms are mostly exaggerated; from round-shaped eyes to ‘gender-appropriate’ gestures. San lacks that conventional Shōjo attitude and look. Miayazaki’s drawing style is quite subtle in my opinion. San’s physical features; such as legs, hips, and chest; are not over-exaggerated. Lackner (2009) reports that shōjo heroines are depicted as “strong, within certain boundaries, and exhibit physical traits drawn to denote attractiveness and beauty” (p.128). In that sense, most of the conventional shōjo characters I’ve come across are very beautiful and quite strong-willed, but not physically. What makes San different though is that she isn’t the passive type that I’ve witnessed in a range of Shōjo anime, and she is quite physically strong. Her potential love interest, Ashitaka, isn’t exactly the dominant type in their relationship/alliance. The cutest moment between the two is when San appears before a weakened Ashitaka and the first thing he says to her is "you're beautiful". San is taken aback by this compliment (so was I), and from that moment, we see her first non-threatening reaction/emotion with a fellow human. The second time would be when Ashitaka gives San his dagger. San's "shōjo" instincts pop up at those moments, but only lasts for a little while. Their relationship from that point on is just an alliance between humans and animals/spirits. By the end of the movie, San and Ashitaka both agree to live apart but remain in contact with eachother; San goes back to the forest, and the latter stays in Irontown to help rebuild it. This part of the movie breaks the cliché endings that shōjo anime usually have; the girl and the boy both live happily ever after.

The antagonist in the film is a female character named Eboshi. A role that is usually given to males, Eboshi is depicted as an evil character, but she still has that caring nature about her; she is still a woman after all. She is another female character who, like San, is very strong; not only that, but she runs a WHOLE town called Irontown. San and Eboshi are as strong-willed as each other. San’s goal in the movie is protect the forest from destruction, and the latter’s only goal is just to survive. Both characters have a strong resolve. They've shown the will to sacrifice themselves in order to fulfill their goals. In my opinion, Eboshi isn’t exactly the ‘evil’ villain that most viewers claim her to be. She's quite a complex character. How I perceived her character was that everything she had done up until the end of the movie was all for the sake of survival in troubled times during the war. She’s like a double-edged sword. She has this caring nature, but she can also be just as cold. In her town, she is seen as a hero; she saved the women from working in brothels and gave them jobs and authority over the men in town. To San, she is the ultimate enemy who could care less about the animals and the environment that she is damaging.

So in terms of shōjo depiction in this particular anime, the physical appearance is the closest thing that both San and Eboshi have; however, Eboshi is not the typical shōjo age that San comes under, so I’d categorise her under Josei (older female demographic, and what I'd call the 'realistic' version of shōjo). Their backgrounds/upbringings, physical strength, determination, roles, and what they represent are things that lead them astray from the conventional shōjo path. It’s what also makes ‘Princess Mononoke’ that much more special and different. Indeed, all the other Miyazaki films with female leads stray from mainstream shōjo; Cavallaro (2006) reports that Miyazaki's shōjo heroines were modelled off the qualities his mother possessed.



Reference:

Cavallaro, D. (2006). Early years. In The Anime Art of Hayao Miyazaki. (pp. 29-39). London: McFarland & Company.

Cavallaro, D. (2006). Introduction. In The Anime Art of Hayao Miyazaki. (pp. 5-13). London: McFarland & Company.

Lackner, E. L. (2009). Anime and manga. In Reid, R. A. (Ed.), Women in Science Fiction and Fantasy (pp. 123-134). Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press.

Miyazaki, H. (Director). (2006). Princess Mononoke. Tokyo: Studio Ghibli Productions.

Week 4: How is Science Fiction different from Fantasy, according to Le Guin?

Science Fiction and Fantasy are two genres that are quite similar, but different. They both deal with fictitious characters and plots, but they approach these in different ways. 

LeGuin (2005) talks about the differences between ‘Fiction’ and ‘Realistic Fiction’; stating that the former “never happened” and the latter is under the pretence that it, in fact, did happen. According to LeGuin (2005), science fiction contains an essence of realism; it uses facts and past events as its context. In contrast to that statement, fantasy plays on the imagination, and does not exactly have any realism in it. Laetz and Johnston (2008) state that “… fantasy represents the very heights of imaginative expression” (p.163). I would say that (sometimes) the closest to realism; and as reported by LeGuin (2005); are the conventional personalities that the characters have. Other than that, the race of the characters is not entirely conventional at all. You may have a human, an animal, or something that is completely out of an ordinary race.

A frequent keyword that occurs in LeGuin’s article is “plausibility”. Leguin (2005) states that ‘plausibility’ confirms the true nature of the genre ‘Fiction’. We (the readers and/or viewers) are under the impression that it could be real, but are deceived by its fictitious content. Both Science Fiction and Fantasy contain plausibility, but are crafted differently. LeGuin (2005) goes on to mention that Science Fiction utilises plausibility to connect with its readers, while plausibility in Fantasy consists of the “coherence of the story [and] its consistent self-reference”. In relation to the “consistent self-reference” that LeGuin mentions, Laetz and Johnston (2008) state that “whatever features define a genre must be prominent in a work in order for it to belong to the relevant genre” (p.162). So, the consistency in mentioning particular terms or features related to the genre, keeps the plausibility within that genre. Now, I may be wrong in this, but it is my partial understanding of it.



Reference:

LeGuin, U. 2005. Plausibility revisited: Wha hoppen and what didn't. Retrieved August 18, 2012 from http://www.ursulakleguin.com/PlausibilityRevisited.html

Laetz, B. & Johnston, J. (2008). What is fantasy? Philosophy and Literature, 32(1), 161-172. doi: 10.1353/phl.0.0013

Week 4: Attebery Defines Fantasy

Attebery (1980) cites that fantasy “presupposes a view of exterior reality which it goes on to contradict”.  The reader’s own world should be completely and utterly contradicted, turned upside down and challenged. 

Fantasy makes no attempt to reconcile its storyline, characters and themes “with our intellectual understanding or the workings of the world or to make us believe that such things could under any circumstances come true” (Attebery, 1980).   By using fantastical characters, themes and events, a fantasy writer almost categorically declares that the storyline will be an incredible fabrication.  Therefore the reader’s mind is immediately set up for an unfathomable reality and he can enjoy the pleasurable escape to another world far removed from his own.

Attebery (1980) cites that fantasy “can involve beings whose existence we know to be impossible” and revolve around “attributes inanimate objects do not, in our experience, possess”.  An example of this could be Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea, a story of wizardry, dragons, a living shadow, and magical events set in a fabricated land.  To the reader, these may seem difficult to consolidate with our Earth, however this is the genre of fantasy, where extraordinary characters collide on the storyline with incredible events.

 “Fantasy needs consistency.  Reader and writer are committed to maintaining the illusion for the entire course of the fiction” (Attebery, 1980).  That is to say, the storyline must have real meaning to the reader and follow a credible course where each event relates to each other, so that the reader does not lose the thread and become detached from the storyline.  The author must grip the reader in a state of wonderment at the world he is wrapped up in. 

Attebery (1980) cites Bettelheim (1977) on Grimm fairytales (fairytales are a sub-genre of fantasy) “each fairy tale is a magic mirror which reflects some aspects of our inner world”. That is to say, the reader needs to be able to draw some social aspect from the real world in order to follow and comprehend the complexity of and reasoning behind the storyline in its entirety.  

For example, it is only upon completion of A Wizard of Earthsea that Ged’s journey of wizardry and magical quest to find and confront the shadow turns out to be his own personal journey through adolescence to manhood, and by facing the shadow Ged has become a man.  As each chapter unfolds from the printed primary text, the reader is left aching to find out more about his quest.  In conclusion, the reader realizes that Ged’s quest has been all about his journey through adolescence to manhood and is retrospectively enlightened by the subtext of the completed story.   Ged was “weeping like a boy” and his friend Vetch watching on sees that Ged “had neither lost nor won but, naming the shadow of his death with his own name, had made himself whole: a man: who, knowing his whole true self, cannot be used or possessed by any power other than himself”.  (Le Guin , 1993)

The fantasy carries the theme (in Le Guin's case, the journey of adolescence to manhood). 

The key to fantasy is the quest that becomes the journey’s end.

References:

Attebery, B. (1980). The Fantasy Tradition in American Literature: From Irving to Le Guin. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1980, 1-10

Le Guin, U. (1993). The Earthsea Quartet. London, England: Penguin Books Ltd.

Bettelheim, B. (1977). The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales (p309).  New York: Vintage Books 

Fantasy Archetypes.

What are some archetypes (e.g. common character types) of fantasy fiction?

The Fantasy genre, for the most part, cites all the archetypes suggested by Vogler – The Hero, The Shadow, The Herald, The Mentor, The Shapeshifter, The Trickster, and The Threshold Guardian.

In most fantasy stories, one could find each of the character archetypes, some being represented in individual characters, multiple in one character, or one archetype in multiple characters, though the former is the most common.

To show this, I will look at 3 of the most popular contempory texts of the general fantasy genre: J.K . Rowling’s Harry Potter, J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, and George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice series (A Game of Thrones).

In the first text, Harry Potter, obviously, the “Hero” or protagonist character is played by Harry, he is the main character of the story, whom the reader’s relate to and root for throughout. “[They] embody our most aspirational values and put higher duty and the welfare of others before their own, even to extreme forms of self-sacrifice.” This is true of Harry, he is selfless to the point of recklessness, noble and brave – perhaps unrealistically so, but that’s what makes a great hero in the eyes of the audience.

The “Shadow” Character is portrayed by Lord Voldemort, who is basically the complete opposite of Harry, despite the inner turmoil Harry faces upon realizing there are similiarities between himself and Tom Riddle. All Harry’s major moves and turning points are fuelled by Voldemort – it is essential to the story of the hero that there is a Shadow character, whether it be a physical threat, or an internal emotional one.

The “Herald” is the character which brings the news which incites the first turning point of the story, the incident of change which then triggers the events which unfold thereafter. In the Potter series, the initial Herald is the character of Rubeus Hagrid, who coins the line “yer a wizard ‘Arry” in the first book. Throughout the story, Hagrid also gives the trio news and points them in the right direction, think his classic line “I shouldn’t’ve told yer that, I really shouldn’t’ve told yer that.” For example he tells them about Fluffy and the trap door, as well as his other actions being crucial to the plot’s advance.

The “Mentor” character, obviously is Dumbledore, nobody could doubt that, to the point I really don’t think I need say more.

There are multiple “Threshold Guardians” throughout the story – things that stand in the way of the Hero facing a challenge or the Shadow – The first example would be of Fluffy and the trapdoor as I previously mentioned.

The “Shapeshifter” is “represents uncertainty and change, reminding us that not all is as it seems. They may be a character who keeps changing sides or whose allegiance is uncertain.” – and I would say there are 3 major Shapeshifters in the story. The first being Remus Lupin, because he is a warewolf, literally a Shapeshifting enity, secondly, Siris Black, because he is an animagus (though there are other animagi in the story such as Prof. Mcgonagall) and also because he is firstly portrayed as a killer and as evil, but turns out to be Harry’s kind Godfather. And lastly, the major Shapeshifting character, whom is not a physical shifter, would be Severus Snape. Because he is never quite what he appears, and the audience is never quite sure until his demise where is alliance truly lies, though it ends up being with Harry all along.

The “Trickster” provides comic relief, and entertainment throughout to lighten the darker passages or themes of a story. There are several Trickster characters, the most predominant being Ron Weasely, as well as more obviously and less often presented, perhaps because they are just too ridiculous to be constantly involved, are Ron’s older brothers Fred and George.

For Lord of the Rings, the Hero character is played by Frodo, The Shadow by the Ring and Sauron. The Mentor is Gandalf, as well as the Herald. The Tricksters are Merry and Pipin of course, and the Shapeshifter is Gollum/Smeagol, and while there are many Threshold Guardians, I would say the Balrog would be one of the more main ones (“You shall not pass!” monster.)

In Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice, things become a little harder, due the shifting point of view, etc. Each character is the Hero of their own story, even if they are the Shadow of another’s. For Example, Cercei Lanister (as well as basically her whole family) is the Shadow of say, Catlyn Stark’s story (and Rob’s. And the rest of the characters competing for the Iron Throne.)

Again, it’s hard to place a Herald, but one could say that the ravens are the Herald(s) because they are used in the same way courier pigeons have been in the past, and most news which is brought from external sources outside of the POV character’s environment come from the ravens baring letters/notes.

Each character has his or her own mentor, though more often than not it isn’t obvious. An example would be Arya’s teacher-student relationship in book 1 with Syrio Forel, her dancing master, and Sansa’s with her Septa, and later her idealistic view of Cercei to an extent for while. Jon with his father, and later at the Wall with Joer Mormont. Bran with maester Luwin and his father. The adult characters are much harder to interoperate, but each is changed by a relationship with another character – Tyrion and Bron, as well as Shae; Dany and Drogo; Eddard and Robert, as well as Petyr and Varys; Davos and Stannis; Brianne and Catelyn; Cercei and Jamie, etc, etc.

There are many Tricksters throughout, but the major character would be Tyrion and his wit. There are multiple Shapeshifters too, such as Petyr/”Littlefinger” who’s alliance lies never where it quite appears to.

Each character has their Threshold Guardians, like Dany’s being the Dothraki sea she must cross to get home.

While not all Archetypes are always present or immediately apparent, they play a huge role in the fantasy genre, as illustrated above.



References:

Martin, George R.R. (1996). A Game of Thrones.
Bantam Books: New York.

Rowling, J.K. (1997). Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone.
Bloomsbury: London.

Tolken, J.R.R. (1954). The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
Unwin Paperbacks: London.

Vogler’s Archetypes (n.d).
http://changingminds.org/disciplines/storytelling/characters/vogler_archetypes.htm

Week Two: Tintin and Comics

Hey guys, sorry I haven't posted till now, I haven't had a reliable internet connection :\ So here's my stuff for weeks 1 and 2.

Do you think comics are a children's or adult genre/media?

I strongly feel this depends on both the content and the individual. For example, some comics are clearly aimed at a younger audience, perhaps between ages 7-10+, others hold a content which may not be considered suitable for younger audiences, or may have symbolism or vocabulary not easily understood by younger audiences. Just as one could say that not all cartoons are aimed at a particular age bracket. Some can be enjoyed by both young children, teenagers, and adults, I'm sure. Take for example the many and varied Marvel and DC comic series, enjoyed the world over by all ages. I also think it depends on the individual, their personal taste, education, interests, etc. For example, last year I studied 3D animation, and in doing so, I saw many animated children's films, and I was surrounded by people who could enjoy them too. We did not only watch them to study the art, but also because we could enjoy the movies, despite the fact they were for younger people. In this situation, environment plays a key role, because a person can be influenced by their environment, for example I felt the need to watch these pieces because they were related to what I was studying and surrounded by, and I was also being told they were good films, and there was no stigma around this, where there probably would be outside of the situation. So I think a person could be influenced by this too. If they are criticized for reading comics because they are "for kids" then depending on the individual this could change their opinion or whatever. If they were studying to become an illustrator for example in an unrelated field, they may pick up comic book reading as first a study, then out of shear enjoyment. I truly think it varies, but I certainly don't feel they are either for children or adults, and can be enjoyed regardless of any other contributing factors.



How does Farr (1991) justify Tintin's appeal to adults?

In the two following quotes, I will summarise my ideas of ways in which these extracts could or can appeal to "adults" in terms of Tintin, and also Hergé himself as the author, because of course the article is about Hergé and Tintin as an extension of Hergé, and I see Tintin and his exploits as a vehicle for Hergé to communicate his values and ideologies through. While not all of these were pleasant, for example his racism which was highly acceptable and common in the day, he has universally recognisable likeable qualities which therefore rub off onto the Tintin character and his adventures.

“highly gifted illustrator with a vivid, child-like imagination and a deep curiosity in the world around him. He may have aspired to be a dashing foreign correspondent when he started at Le XXe Siecle, a Belgian catholic daily, as a general dog’s body. But very soon his talent as an illustrator became apparent, he was put to work drawing for different parts of the newspaper…”

• Appeals to the nostalgia in the adult in mentioning his retained child-like imagination – something that often is lost as we get older, so produces an admiration as well as a sub-conscious envy. Hergé retained something that is generally lost on most others. This makes him quite unique – another quality we all wish to have. This same nostalgia, depending on the reader, could be pushed on to Tintin comics, and memories of reading them as a child, enthralled and the, now lost, childhood imagination whirring.

• Similarities between Tintin and Hergé, in their curiousity and child-like qualities, thus the reader, if they are firmilar with Tintin comics, will subconsciously identify Hergé as being Tintin. Hergé's likable qualities become Tintin's likable qualities, and Tintin is seen as being a character with only likable qualities, so while no negativity is brought to light, Hergé is too.

• Also appeals to reality, while subjective, it is still universal. Everyone has dreams, but reality often prevents their ambitions from being realised. Hergé is portrayed as wanting to be a renowned reporter, but could only get a job as a “general dogs body,” a cog in the works, etc. adults can identify with this, as feelings of obsoleteness in a large work place are common. However, Hergé got what is fantasised about too often, he was discovered for something he was naturally brilliant at, and was given further opportunities as a result. He excelled, and was recognised for his natural talent. Again, another feature we wish to identify with.

“rather than becoming a reporter himself, circumstances led Hergé to create one that was to become better known than any. Instead of being dispatched to chronicle world events and upheavals, he sent Tintin Hergé, meanwhile remed an extraordinarily well informed armchair traveller until much later in life, when Tintin having completed most of his travels, he himself embarked on a series of trips abroad.”

• Created something that was more successful than any other of it’s class could be (reporter) – reflects on creation, talent, success of own children? Being the best, if not better.

• The universal want to travel, to explore and see the world, - Hergé did this from the comfort of home (“armchair traveller”)

• He then does have the ability to travel to far reaches of the world, assumably due to his success, an enviable accomplishment, which hinges on the mentioned universal yearning to explore our world.

According to the second Farr extract (p.50-59), how did Hergé research China for The Blue Lotus?

Initially, Hergé portrayed the Chinese as cruel, ponytail-sporting, beady-eyed, inhuman creatures in his Tintin adventure Tintin in the Land of the Soviets which was published in 1930. His twisted image of the race was born from the common stereotype of the day spawn from the Boxer Uprising, and through things such as newspaper cuttings, which were subject to this also.

It was only through a chance meeting that Hergé realised that the Chinese were not all he had made them out to be. Belgium missionaries had made their way into China, and some of those they had reached had decided to immigrate to Belgium to further their studies. A local Brussels priest, Father Gosset, wrote to Hergé four years after the publishing of Land of the Soviets and asked him not to judge too quickly, and to perhaps further his research through actually meeting a Chinese person.

It was his perfectionism and curiosity that led Hergé to his meeting of Chang Chong-Chen soon after, and the two became fast friends. Chang was a student of the local university, an artist like Hergé, studying sculpture, and the two also happened to be the same age. Chang told him of what China was really like, and Hergé was fascinated. He eagerly absorbed all that Chang had to teach him of China, from it's landscape and architecture, rich culture and history, and it's beautiful art. Hergé soon learned that everything he had been told of the foreign land and it's people prior to his new friendship was wrong, and that they were definitely not all cruel torturers.

A true love and yearning to learn all he could of this country was sparked within Hergé by Chang, a fascination and a friendship which would last a lifetime. Hergé felt a need to correct his wrongs, and also those of the popular opinion. He set out to document all he could of the true China, avidly sketching people and land, and even used Chinese script in the Blue Lotus.

And so Tintin and the Blue Lotus was published, in 1936, only two years after meeting Chang. It took on true political events of the day, between the Japanese and Chinese, such as the Mukden Incident of 1931, and the following Japanese invasion. And so it is, that Hergé pushed his stereotypes onto the Japanese, rather than the Chinese, and that every Chinese character Tintin encounters from there on out, is kind, Europeanised, and free of any previous stereotype, and all Japanese encountered are cruel, inhuman, brewing poisons, and conniving.

Does Varnum (2001) define the difference between a cartoon, comics, and graphic novel?

Varnum and Gibbons, do not define a clear, rigid line between these medium. They speak of the relationship that can be cited in these genres, which cannot be found in the same manner in any other contemporary genre. They lump together comics, graphic novels, comic strips, single panels, and wordless comics and "various other kinds of visual texts" into a single literary family, whilst admitting that none of the members necessarily "share one feature in common with all the others, but any two share common features."

One example of abstract family relation this is the wordless comics of the 1930's which they mention. Due to the lack of captioning, the drawing is symbolic and richly suggestive, using textual signs to communicate certain messages which would otherwise be communicated with written text. Wordless comics still use "picture reading" in the same way a comic strip, single panel, comic book or graphic novel would, in the same way which in these genres the illustrations substitute some of the written exposition or text in comparison to an imageless novel or book.

Another example of this genre's relation to other family members, is the example given is of the classic Warner Brothers' cartoon, Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, in which "images are more persuasive than words" just as they are in wordless comics, or arguably in any of the other family members. While it is true that music is used in these cartoons, perhaps in the place of dialogue in ways, and this sets it apart from wordless comics, the concentration is undoubtedly on the image and the highly expressive characters which convey emotions, of anger, excitement, joy, amusement, frustration, pain, playfulness, and so on, which viewers can still connect with and identify based on personal experience, making all dialogue that could be inserted obsolete. The dialogue is written in the body language, expressions and actions of the characters, just as it is in wordless comics.

Through this, and many other possible examples which could be given, we can see what Varnum and Gibbons mean when they say that all the members of the "comic" family are just as similar as they are different, and all involve deep and sophisticated picture reading to some extent.

According to Varnum, what distinguishes comics from other media?

Varnum and Gibbons say that comics blend imagery, symbolism, and written text in a manner which can not be found in any other contemporary genres or medium. They discuss that there is a particular "dialect between word and image," that comics involve not only literary reading but also "picture reading" to some extent. They theorise that a great deal of the story and reading in comics is actually in the images, and that these images contain much of the "ideas and values" of the stories, and communicate, and expos much of what is not or does not need to be written.

They cite that the genre is becoming more important, due to our highly visual lifestyle in terms of entertainment in the past century. Perhaps due to the invention of the television, and we are now surrounded by this unity of imagery and sound through new media on a daily basis. The concentration on written text since the invention of the printing press is now shifting. Comics combine both these media in a way which novels don't, and television and movies do not either to the same extent. Comics also use still images, which new media generally doesn't, and the images are illustrations, meaning they can be used in ways that photography or photoessays perhaps couldn't, because it can be an artistic interpretation, represent symbolism or values which may limited by or not be possible to display in a live-action staging, bend the laws of physics, and is not limited by anything except the artist or reader's imagination.

How and why are comics becoming more accepted as an art form? Can/should they be regarded as a literary genre?

I'm not really sure about the first half of this question, because I don't see why they wouldn't be considered an art form or why they wouldn't have been in the past. Perhaps because their style is often very simple and flat (but not always) and highly stylised. I think now they would be more commonly accepted as an art form than say in the 30's or even the 60's, because they were in western society quite thin and flimsy and marketed to children, whereas now we have comics for all ages, as well the larger, longer version, the graphic novel. I think now that the target market has expanded and diversified that they can be appreciated in a different way by more people, and that because of this their true artistic nature is revealed, and their ability to bridge the visual artwork with the narrative art can be observed more frequently.

Personally, I don't see any reason why "comics" wouldn't or shouldn't be accepted as a literary genre, as they are literature, and I'm not really sure how that could be argued, assuming that we are talking about comics like Tintin which contain written literature.

I could see how the argument could take place in relation to "wordless" comics, because they do not contain words obviously, and for that reason rely solely on imagery and art, and thus could be regarded as art or a portfolio or an artistic essay, but the fact that the images are related, in sequence and are a narrative qualify them as a story. A prime and contemporary example of this would have to be the picture book by Shaun Tan entitled The Arrival, a truly beautiful wordless picture book, which tells the tale of a land invaded, and a man's journey to a strange new land. It is presented in typical comic book layout, carefully structure sequential frames, in sepia tone, without any text.

Okay so yes, it is a truly magnificent piece as far as art goes, but is it literature? Truth be told, it is both, and connects with the audience in ways that a piece of stand-alone artwork could not, or a piece of text. It contains all the features of literature, narrative and story, as well as sub-story, symbolism and motifs, point of view, character, plot, setting, and theme. It just communicates in a different way, and I don't think that makes it any less of a story, I was amazed when I read it how a picture-book without any words at all could convey such a deep message. I don't think that anybody who reads it would argue it isn't a piece of literature as much as a piece of art. So yes, I think regardless of what the form of comic, even if it contains not words at all, it should be considered literature, in the very same way a novel with no images at all should be considered a piece of art.

References:

Farr, M. (1991) Tintin: The Complete Companion.

London: John Murray

Varnum, R. & Gibbons, C. (2001) The Language of Comics: word and image.

Jackson: University Press of Mississippi.