Dissertation Information for Barbara Ripp Safford NAME: - Barbara Ripp Safford
DEGREE:
- Ph.D.
DISCIPLINE:
- Library and Information Science
SCHOOL:
- Columbia University (USA) (1983)
ADVISORS: - Kay Ellen Vandergrift
COMMITTEE MEMBERS: - None
MPACT Status: Incomplete - Ambiguous
Title: HIGH FANTASY: AN ARCHETYPAL ANALYSIS OF CHILDREN'S LITERATURE
Abstract: Contemporary fantasy written for children developed from the historical roots of all literature. The critical approach of this study identifies comonalities of archetypal elements used in works of chidren's high fantasy written since World War II. The elements were entered on a chart which was constructed according to parts of the literary theories of Northrop Frye. Five areas for analysis were emphasized: the pattern of the plot, the nature of the hero, dialectic symbolism. cyclic symbolism. and the resolution of plot and quest. The examination of plot 1s based on the structure of the quest. which in high fantasy is a multi-layered structure. One level is the quest for an object and involves a journey; another level is the quest for identity. The hero of high fantasy conducts the object quest while simultaneously seeking his own identity. It is consistently apparent that the hero is displaced from myth to romance. This is marked by his stage in the identity quest and by archetypical characteristics in eight related categories. The dialectic archetypal images develop high fantasy's theme of the struggle between good and evil. The symbols and motifs are taken from nature and can be categorized. The symbols cake it clear that controlled use of nature is the characteristic of good while the misuse of nature brings the chaos which is the mark of evil. The cyclic symbols such as the seasons of the year and the stages of human life further structure the high fantasy plot as does the resolution of the quest.
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