Max Damerell: Princess Mononoke (Anime Film) - Looking at Napier and Cavallaro (2006) discuss how anime is culturally “located” – in the East or West, or somewhere else?

“A number of Japanese commentators have chosen to describe anime with the word “mukokuseki” meaning “stateless” or essentially without a national identity. Anime is indeed “exotic” to the West in that it is made in Japan, but the world of anime itself occupies its own space that is not necessarily coincident with that of Japan” (Napier, 2005).

To answer the question above I am going to take Napier’s point of view, that anime has it’s own place, has it’s own setting and exists in a fluid and mostly unspecified timeframe. The characters are not held to conventional roles, nor do they have a strongly Western or Eastern appearance. The setting of ‘Princess Mononoke’, a film by Hayao Miyazaki, is deep forests with dark valleys inhabited by a variety of animals and birds. The backdrop could be Asia or Europe; with some imagination it could even be a New Zealand landscape.

Culturally, anime films present a Japanese way of life, but there is a conceptual mix of magic and political struggle, and the traditional battle between good and evil that is present in fairy tales and folk tales from around the world. ‘Princess Mononoke’s’ storyline has a young Emishi warrior caught between forest gods, and humans who want to consume and benefit and take, without considering the impact on the environment. There are curses to be overcome and supernatural forces at play. These are culturally universal themes: protecting the innocent, protecting the environment.

“The social, psychological, political and economic preoccupations addressed by Miyazaki’s films hold cross – cultural and even universal relevance” (Cavallaro, 2006). The Emishi warrior/prince of the ‘Princess Mononoke’ story discovers the fortress-like Irontown where prostitutes and lepers make weapons used to defend against forest gods. The gods are ferocious in their battle to protect their resources. The social systems, and cultural references shown, cut across both Eastern and Western culture. We see industrialization, and the exploitation of minorities. The issues of sexuality and disability are dealt with, as are gender roles. The characters are not bound by conventional behaviors and while there is hatred and corruption there is a sense of liberation too. Miyazaki said of his film: “People lived, loved, hated, worked and then died. Life was not full of ambiguities” (Miyazaki, 2014).

Anime has found its place in the twenty-first century by allowing cross-cultural references. It has arisen out of the social upheaval after two world wars.  Anime action is typically historical action-fantasy, where sadness and anger are overcome through bravery and a sense of respect for elders and ancestors. In ‘Princess Mononoke’, the land and her protective spirits are at first oppressed and then released. Miyazaki conveyed “the bondage of a curse in order to shown the joy of liberation” (Miyazaki, 2014). They are themes, which cross cultural boundaries and show that anime exists, and is culturally located, in an intriguing and ambivalent place in the imagination of the viewer. Take the scene, which is most consistently used to illustrate ‘Princess Mononoke’. A very young woman, holding a knife, stares out at the viewer. Her face and clothing are bloodstained, and her eyes challenge us to come closer. It is a threatening and savage image and entirely misleading. The young woman is San; she has just tried to save the wolf god’s life by sucking a bullet out of his body. There is no stereotypical ethnic/gender behavior here. She is feminine, fearless and strong. Ashitaka, the Emishi prince is brave yet damaged and sensitive. He knows how to love and what to fight for.  These characters are neither from the East nor the West. They stand between humans and gods in a place no one cultural group can claim.

            “  … this means that we have a choice as to how we approach and consume the story… presenting highly detailed tapestries of images wherein the prioritizing of certain elements over others does not preclude the viewers’ freedom to … process the visuals on that basis” (Cavallaro, 2006).

References:

•       Cavallaro, D. (2006). Introduction. In The Anime Art of Hayao Miyazaki (pp.5-13). London: McFarland & Company.
•        Miyazaki, H. (Director). (1997). Princess Mononoke [DVD]. New Zealand: Madman Entertainment.
•        Miyazaki, H., Nieda, T., Downer, R., & Mamatas, N. (2014). The Art of Princess Mononoke. San Francisco, CA: Viz Media.
•       Napier, S. (2005). Why anime? In Anime: from Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle (pp.3-14). Hampshire: Palgrave/Macmillan.

Comic Genre: Tintin

Do you think comics are a children's or adult genre/media? How does Farr (1991) justify Tintin's appeal to adults? 

I feel that the Comic genre can be subjectively appreciated by a wide range of viewers/readers that include both adults and children. Although stereotypical schema may suggest otherwise, the simplistic vibrancy of the visual narrative enjoyed by children, can hold great depth of connotative meaning, appreciated by adults. Thus, broadening the viewers/readers. 

The comic, specifically looking at Herge The Adventures of Tintin appeals to children for many reasons. The visual imagery excites a young audience, with colourful cartoons and characters, who both admirable and reflective of the audience. The narrative can be understood in an almost jig-saw structure which provokes further interest. Linguistically, the story is exciting and fast paced, with slapstick humour exaggerated. The heroic protagonist defeating the bad guy.

The characters in the text are relatable and may reflect the reader personally. The character of Tintin personifies a boy scout, reflective of Herge's passions. Snowy the dog, who although only barks seems to be able to communicate with Tintin. Human characterisation in animals is widely seen in children's media and is why I think stereotypical schema may suggest the comic genre is directed towards children. Although this leads me to my next point, this animal to human relationship has been explored in widely popular adult media such as films like Anchorman 1 and 2, where the lead protagonist Ron Burgundy has a faithful canine companion Baxter. They communicate to each other in human conversation and their loving relationship explored through subtitles.

In terms of the Comic genre, the The Adventures of Tintin appeal to adults especially those who relax with escapism; engaging in fantasy life. Yet there is greater interest due to the meticulous fine detail and the thought out approach to constructing the story. Herge created compelling authenticity based on his in depth research of setting, culture, people and place in the story. This created more of a wider following, those looking for light hearted relief about current events. There is a pull to watch things current to your environment and at the time where the world was quite unsettled, Tintin comics would have initially provided a comic relief to a range of adults about things that may not have been considered funny. The satire genre storyline in combination with a visual narration that not only reflected an authentic image of the world, but reflected stereotypes and cliches. This often verged on caricatures, exaggerated impressions for a comic that were sometimes for a grotesque effect.

As Herge created such a broad appeal in such a historical phase in the world where the events Tintin explored maintain well known. The text is self generating in the way it is written so that the adventures can be re-written and re-enjoyed. The reader may pick up on visual, linguistic or narrative clues that was previously overlooked. Therefore creating a timelessness for the media. Herge The Adventures of Tintin can be passed down through generations, read at story times, creating an limitless appeal.




Reference List: 
1) Hergé. (2005; 1935). The Adventures of Tintin: The Blue Lotus. London: Methuen.

2) Farr, Michael. (1991). Introduction. In Tintin: the complete companion (pp.8-9). London: John Murray.

3) Farr, Michael. (1991). The Blue Lotus. In Tintin: the complete companion (pp.50-59). London: John Murray.

4) Said, E. (1977) Orientalism. In Ashcroft, B. Griffiths, G. & Tiffin, H. (Ed.), The Post- colonial Studies Reader (pp. 87-91). London: Routledge.

5)Varnum, R. & Gibbons, C. (Eds.). (2001). Introduction. In The Language of Comics: word and image (pp.ix-xix). Jackson: University Press of Mississippi.

 How is science fiction different from fantasy?

In my opinion Science fiction explores what is possible (even if it’s improbable), while fantasy explores the impossible. For according to LeGuin (2005b) Credibility is what keeps the readers attached and absorbed in any fictional work. This means that their might be a chance that fiction has the ability to happen in reality while fantasy is built from the mind or the imaginations of a person.

 Science fiction is really sociological studies of the future, things that the writer believes are going to happen by putting two and two together . . . Science fiction is a logical or mathematical projection of the future. Science fiction is sometimes based on true events and settings, science fiction works usually sets on what's on ahead of us or sets in the distance future. Rarely this sort of storyline catches the interest of the readers to continue on reading and finding on what happens next.  

While science fiction draws on and extrapolates from what we know about reality and science, fantasy invents what does not (and likely could not) exist in our reality for example according to Attebery (1980) claims that fantasy is any narrative which includes as a significant part of its make-up violation of what the author clearly believes to be natural law. There are various ways a story can proclaim its fantastic nature. He relates fantasy with some other stories written by other authors including: Tolkien The Lord of the Rings, Lewis’ Narnia and Perelandra books, The Wind in the Willows, the Alice books, The Princess and the Goblin and all of George MacDonald other magical stories. These are all similar fantasy stories where impossible beings came to life such as goblins, mermaids and supernatural creatures that goes beyond our imaginations. Fantasy is a tool for the writers to either sell their books to earn more benefits and under any circumstances make us believe that this could possible come true. This is similar to a child's imagination. 

References:

LeGuin, U. K. (2005b). Plausibility Revisited. Retrieved from http://www.ursulakleguin.com/PlausibilityRevisited.html

 

Attebery, B. (1980). The fantasy tradition in American literature: From Irving to Le Guin. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

 

        

Fantasy Genre: A Wizard of EarthSea

How has fantasy as a genre been defined? Find at least five formative definitions in Attebery (1980). What are some archetypes (e.g. common character types)of fantasy fiction? 

According to Attebery (1980) Fantasy as a genre can be most recognised by forming a collection of similar works and interpreting the similarities between the texts. Then to decide which characteristics define the genre, and which characteristics act independently in the text.

The primary feature, without which a work simply cannot be fantasy, is 'an overt violation of what is generally accepted as possibility'.
Fantasy then, presupposes a view of exterior reality which it goes on to contradict. 

Fantasy, though, needs consistency. Reader and writer are committed to maintaining the illusion for the entire course of the fiction. 

Fantasy invokes wonder by making the impossible seem familiar and the familiar seem new and strange.

In 1964 Ursula Le Guin began writing a series of short stories called Earthsea. The Wizard of Earthsea, was published in 1968 an is a fantasy novella. A novella is essentially a long short story or a short novel. In 2004 a TV Miniseries was directed by Robert Lieberman that was based on the fantasy novella. Le Guin continues to expand the Earthsea series, last year publishing The Daughter of Odren, a stand alone novella set in the world of Earthsea. The fantasy world of Earthsea is continuously developing and elaborated further that creates a timelessness and cult following for Le Guin's work and the fantasy genre.

The defining characteristics of the fantasy genre that apparent in The Wizard of Earth Sea, are related to narrative, characterisation and context.

Narrative:
There are various ways a story can proclaim its fantastic nature. It can involve beings whose existence we know to be impossible, like dragons...It can revolve around magical objects: rings, hats...and other attributes inanimate objects do not, in our experience, possess. It can proceed through events...and fantasy treats these impossibilities without hesitation, without doubt, without any attempt to reconcile them with our intellectual understanding of the workings of the world or to make us believe that such things could under any circumstances come true.  

Narrative structure is important as it evokes believability, and is essentially how the text is read. Within The Wizard of Earthsea, although the title suggest following just one character, there are multiple storylines. Initially seemingly disjointed, each set of characters that interact within their own storyline have a set of complications and events they have to overcome. It is only once the characters of each storyline intersect and interact, that the story then seems cohesive and the entire plot can be unravelled.
The storyline of Sparrowhawk shows his journey from his home village, to wizard's school and then what follows afterwards. The structure of witnessing a character develop from a boy to a man is not uncommon in an genres. However, the introduction of a Wizard school was a very new idea at the time, and may have been an influence to later fantasy writing such as the Harry Potter series by J. K Rowling.

Characters:
As to engaging attention, fantasy does so in many of the ways any fiction does: by generating suspense, by presenting characters whose fates we are interested in, by appealing to our sense, by calling forth human longings and fears.. In addition, take advantage of our curiosity. 

The main protagonist, Ged is introduced in his home village on the island of Gont. Here, the people who reside here live a simple life. Self sufficient and overall content with their way of life, the young Ged is malcontent with the quiet simple life and is seeking adventure and thrill. Ged wants to make something more out of his life and is eager to change, develop and grow. These characteristics can be relatable to viewers and readers, creating an empathic relationship with Ged.
When invaders attack Ged's village, he uses his hidden talents and abilities, along with the spells he has learnt from his Aunt, and defends his village. It is after initial complication that sets off a series of events, Ged meets Ogion a wizard who gives him his 'true name' Sparrowhawk. With the introduction of a 'true name' we are introduced to a reoccurring concept that eventually becomes the crux of his adventures. It is with this changing of name that suggests changes are happening, developments and this creates suspense, what happens to him next? The viewer/reader is interested in Sparrowhawk's fate.

Marion, Ged's Aunt, the village witch can be seen as a classic mother figure for Ged. We learn that Ged's mother has passed away and so the absence of a mother figure suggests women will be introduced to Ged through out his journey. Marion is an elderly frail women, caring and sweet
and although is unaware of her past, how she got to the island, her past holds important keys to Ged's future, which is later found out.

Ogion, Sparrowhawk's mentor can be seen as a kind of father figure. Although Ged's father is still alive, the life he leads doesn't meet with the expectations Ged holds for himself. This puts a strain on their relationship as Ged makes the decision whether to follow his ambitions or follow in his own father's footsteps as a blacksmith. After leaving the village, Ogion is now the main father figure, the protector and the one who holds all the knowledge.

Tenar, the main female character is introduced within an alternate storyline to Sparrowhawk. Raised by the church, Tenar is seen as the epitome of peace, all things innocent and pure. The complications that arise in her own storyline make the viewer/reader empathetic and sympathetic towards her. The intrigue on how Sparrowhawk and Tenar will meet, takes advantage of our curiosity and already the viewer/readers create the connection between the two characters. It seems their fates are intertwined and the introduction of a romance creates further intrigue.

Context:
Whatever the material, extravagant or seemingly commonplace, a narrative is a fantasy if it presents the persuasive establishment and development of an impossibility, an arbitrary construct of the mind with all under the control of logic and rhetoric.' 
The literal context in which the narrative unfolds, is within the magical world of Earthsea. Set in an archipelago environment, the land is separated by the rough tumultuous seas that suggest adventure and journey. Each isle homes witches, wizards and humans and the disconnected landscape is reflective of the relationships between the people who live there. Most archipelago environments are formed from volcanic activity, an idea in itself that evokes development and a sense of magic.
When we first meet Ged, the lifestyle he leads seems rather mundane and can be reflective of the reader/viewers world. The village is self sufficient and the people live simply, creating a calm, still environment before the action unfolds.

Within a social context, there is a natural hierarchy among the humans of Earthsea which through out the story is deconstructed and understood, then built back up again and eventually brought down. Within the storyline that follows Tygath, a strong, powerful male leader seeking totalitarian control over Earthsea, along with everlasting life. His personal ambitions aren't generally agreed with which places him in a villain role. The dictatorship structure is made realistic by a number of characters under his control. Tygath has minions, or muscle men who do his dirty work for him. Kossil, a submissive women controlled by him and her need to make him happy. Ultimately Tygath kills her, which is a lesson in itself to women audience, don't let men hold power over you.

E.M. Foster speaks of the reader of fantasy as being asked to 'pay something extra' to accept not only the conventions of fiction but the implausibilities within those conventions.  
Fantasy is a game of sorts, and it demands that one play whole-heatedly, accepting for the moment all rules and turns of the game. The reward for this extra payment is an occasional sense of unexpected beauty and strangeness, a quality which C.N. Manlove, among others, calls 'wonder'. 

Lastly, there is a magical spiritual context that defines the text as a Fantasy. Through out the narrative there are snippets of a dream sequence where Sparrowhawk and Tenar meet. This suggests some sort of prophecy Sparrowhawk is destined to achieve, and creates further importance, connection and curiosity towards Tenar. A prophecy is an idea that may not seem believable to all viewers/readers and it is only within the fantasy genre can this idea be made to believe, through narrative, characterisation and contextual elements.


Reference:
Attebery, B. (1980) The Fantasy Tradition in American Literature: From Irving to Le Guin. 

Eleanor Nguyen - Fantasy/Earthsea

How is science fiction different from fantasy, according to LeGuin?

Credibility is what keeps the reader’s attached and absorbed in any fictional work. According to LeGuin (2005b), fiction is validated by plausibility, meaning fiction has the ability to happen in reality. If there are improbable events or elements in the fiction work, they are usually plausibly explained in order to keep the reader's consent for the work.

Science fiction correlates with realistic fiction, which uses actuality as a ground to insert fictional characters and events in. Because science fiction bases its fictional elements on true events and setting, science fiction works are usually set in the future, while pretending it’s the readers’ present or past. Rarely are they set in the present unless for satirical purposes, since readers would try to apply the events and characters into reality and the contradictions of fact would result in the story failing to convince the readers due to its lack of plausibility.

Fantasy, as LeGuin (2005b) stated, boldly takes on fictionality. Realistic details are still used to ground the story e.g. how Ged (LeGuin, 1968) has a realistic family - but only at a minimal level just to keep the readers from having to process too many improbable details. In other words, to keep the reader’s attention on significantly fictional works such as those from fantasy genre, coherence is the key (LeGuin, 2005a).

The differences between science fiction and fantasy can be seen through this example from A Wizard Of Earthsea by LeGuin (1968). In the story, the form and existence of the island of Gont is described in a geographically possible manner: “a single mountain that lifts its peak a mile above the storm-racked Northeast Sea”. This helps the reader to imagine the setting of the story more easily, as they can use factual geography information to create a vision of the fictional island of Gont in their mind while reading. In other word, the island has the possibility to exist due to its geographical realistic description, therefore it bears the trait of realistic fiction. However, the island of Gont is “a land famous for wizards” (LeGuin, 1968). Wizards are clearly imagined characters, which means they do not have the probability to exist in real life. This categorizes A Wizard of Earthsea into fantasy genre.

Reference

LeGuin, U. K. (2005a). Plausibility in Fantasy. Retrieved from http://www.ursulakleguin.com/PlausibilityinFantasy.html

LeGuin, U. K. (2005b). Plausibility Revisited. Retrieved from http://www.ursulakleguin.com/PlausibilityRevisited.html

LeGuin, U. K. (1968). A Wizard of Earthsea. In The Earthsea Quartet. Retrieved from https://autonline.aut.ac.nz/bbcswebdav/pid-3448988-dt-content-rid-3451455_4/institution/Papers/166104/Publish/Reader_Weeks%203%20and%204.pdf

Fantasy Earth Sea

How does Attebery (1980) define fantasy?


Attebery (1980) claims that fantasy is any narrative which includes as a significant part of its make-up violation of what the author clearly believes to be natural law. There are various ways a story can proclaim its fantastic nature. 

He relates fantasy with some other stories written by other authors including: Tolkien The Lord of the Rings, Lewis’ Narnia and Perelandra books, The Wind in the Willows, the Alice books, The Princess and the Goblin and all of George Macdonald’s other magical stories, some of Saki’s tales, Titus Groane and its successors, E. Nesbit’s magic adventures, E. R. Eddison’s private epics, and Lord Dunsany’s wonder stories. (Attebery, 1980)

However, Attebery (1980) cited Irwin (1976), where Irwin pointed out that the primary feature that makes a work unable to be fantasy is “an overt violation of what is generally accepted as possibility”.

Attebery (1980) also pointed out that fantasy treats all the impossibilities (two people painlessly exchanging heads, a tree reaching out to grab passers-by) without hesitation, without doubt, without any attempt to reconcile them with our intellectual understanding of the workings of the world or to make us believe that such things could under any circumstances come true.

Fantasy needs consistency. Reader and writer are committed to maintain the illusion for the entire course of the fiction. And Tolkien refers this as “secondary belief” (Attebery, 1980)

Reference list:

Attebery, B. (1980). The fantasy tradition in American literature: From Irving to Le Guin. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

Irwin, W. R. (1976). The Game of Impossible: A Rhetoric of Fantasy. Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press.

How is science fiction different from fantasy according to Le Guinn?

How is science fiction different from fantasy according to Le Guinn?

The differences between science fiction and fantasy is that science fiction is mostly predicted ideas about the future while fantasy is about using your imagination to picture something that does not exist. An example of science fiction is environmental change where people knew how the environment was like in the past and what they can predict will happen in the future. “Most science fiction pretends that the future is the present or the past” Le Guinn (2005). She mentions that most science fiction focuses on the real stuff so they can attract more readers. “Realism and science fiction both employ plausibility to win the readers consent to the fiction” Le Guinn (2005).  With science fiction they often think it is modern mythology meaning a collection of myths belonging to a cultural tradition or a particular religious. Plausibility legalises fiction meaning with fantasy it can be believable and some accepts the way fantasy is written.

Comparing science fiction to fantasy by reading this article you can clearly understand the differences between these two ideas. Le Guinn is trying to explain the main differences between science fiction and fantasy is that science fiction can be applied to real life while fantasy includes imagination. Watching Earth Sea both of these two terms can be applied into the movie. As the character acts in the real world connecting into science fiction and on the other hand it also goes to wizard school connecting into fantasy. From my point of view I strongly believe young teens nowadays are more into fantasy rather than science fiction. With so many kids and young teens into Harry Potter, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings fantasy is so popular. However from a Christianity perspective fantasy can be a no go zone for some religious people as some authors and directors can go overboard with their storyline. Science fiction maybe a good target for mature audience and viewers however I can be wrong. However I do agree with Le Guinn as fantasy is a good way to exercise our brains as time science fiction can be boring for some however applying both ideas will not be that a bad idea.

Le Guinn, U. K. (2005) Wha Hoppen and What Didn’t