The epilogue of a fantasy

After looking over Rhetorics of Fantasy, I really like Mendlesohn’s approach to how she reads and understand fantasy stories.  She is also very clear that what she had said was simply her opinion and should not have been taken the wrong way.  “This book was never intended to argue that the fantastic should be written in the ways I have outlined, but instead to say, ‘this is what I see, what else is possible?’” (Mendlesohn 273).  She is clear to announce that her opinion is just her opinion and she is open to listening to what other people have to say about fantasy.

            “What happens if we consider fantasy from the way in which the fantastic enters the text?—have come issues of reader position and reader response; of character and story; issues of monosemy and polysemy; rather surprising (for me) conclusions about the apparent rigidity of ideological apparatus that surround the forms I identify; and an awareness that, while each form of fantasy plays the grammatical notes that Clute has identified, each shifts its emphasis to construct a set of variations of the fantastic” (Mendlesohn 273).  Mendlesohn identifies issues of monosemy and polysemy in most of her readings.  She separates stories which she can only find one meaning for the story compared to those which are unclear to her or she can find multiple meanings for the stories.

            “Perhaps the only thing at that center is the idea of belief, that however metaphoric a text may be, the fantastical must also contain a metonymic meaning, must be itself as much as it may be an enhancement” (Mendlesohn 273).  In this statement I believe Mendlesohn means she expects all fantasy stories to have multiple meanings in order to be considered a fantasy.  As I read throughout her book, she has many beliefs in what a fantasy should be and what fantasy should not be.  She explains how the fantasy stories need to have clear meanings as well as multiple meanings, otherwise in her opinion it is not a fantasy.

            “If the schema I have outlined has any value at all, it will be in the questions it throws up about how authors use these structures and in the challenges it offers to writers of fantasy” (Mendlesohn 273).  In this statement, Mendlesohn is explaining what she meant by all of her theories that she has stated previously.  Mendlesohn points out what the point of her opinions are and makes it clear to the reader.  She wants the reader to know that they should be questioning fantasy by means of how the compare to the structures she has mentioned.

            Throughout this reading I had gained a lot of knowledge about what a fantasy story should be and what it should not be based on the opinions of Farah Mendlesohn.  For the most part I agreed with all of the opinions presented in Rhetorics of Fantasy.  My favorite of Mendlesohns statements was her belief that fantasy stories must be clear and have multiple meanings involved. 

Mendlesohns end to a fantasy

The most interesting reading on this assignment in my opinion is Rhetorics of fantasy: Chapter 4, “The Irregulars: Subverting the Taxonomy.”  I found this assigned reading most interesting because it describes what Mendlesohn thinks the book is trying to say, but how they do not say it properly.  Mendlesohn proves how all of these writers of the fantasy stories start off with one story, but fail to prove the story and wander off and do not make anything clear in the end. 

            “The arrival, and the departure, of the owner is framed as both disruption and conclusion because his presence clarifies nothing” (Mendlesohn 249).  This is Mendlesohn’s description of Wanderers and Islanders.  Mendlesohn describes the movie as the owner plays no major role and has no meaning, he is just there. 

            “In Cockayne’s work, there are many unfinished stories; the tales are not contained within the pages” (Mendlesohn 251).  Mendlesohn continues to discover these strange storylines that she believes make no sense and do not convey what they were originally trying to.  When she mentions that the tales are not contained within the pages meaning that the author was not able to get to the point or convey what the purpose was within the story.  I find her analysis of these unfinished fantasy stories interesting.  Mendlesohn reads these stories in a different manner than most of us and finds the flaws in them. 

            “In “The Seagull Drovers,” that story is reconfigured into one of agency and opportunity, so that, for the second time we are forced to reconsider the story as a whole, to turn it around in our mind’s eye” (Mendlesohn 252).  Farah explains the story as polysemic, where its meanings shift according to perspective which structures its liminality.  Farah is disappointed in this ending as well which in her eyes: “remains to be discussed.”  By this I believe that Mendlesohn means that the story has no clear ending, and should not have ended.  She believes the story had more to explain in order to reach its full effect and understanding.\

            “The location of the fantasyworld or otherworld shifts continuously within this novel.  At its start, the ‘real’ world is clearly that of the cemetery; it is described as if it is the frameworld, the place that exists” (Mendlesohn 265).  Mendlesohn claims this to be too predictable, it is laid out on a grid.  I like her way of thinking here because she has noticed the structure of the story and was able to predict what will happen next.

            “Paying attention, rather than location, is the key to being in a world, being aware of it to the degree that one can metaphorically give directions, but not so aware as to be continuously acknowledging it” (Mendlesohn 267).  Mendlesohn is describing how Michael has learned not only to pay attention to Laura, but to live in this other world.  Mendlesohn sees Michaels desire to work things out as the protagonist in the portal fantasy.  Michael has been able to become native in his world.

            I have found this reading interesting because it shows a side of fantasy stories that I had never seen before.  Mendlesohn has come across these stories and saw their flaws in which they did not have a point in some scenarios and also some of them ended, in her opinion, too soon or in the wrong way.    

The Lord of the Rings and Metaphors

     With it's magic, fantastical beings and clear delineations of good and evil, The Lord of the Rings presents a compelling fantasy.  This is a story based in the fictional land of "Middle Earth."  The trilogy of The Lord of the Rings is a fantasy that includes a tale of elves, wizards, dwarves, hobbits, and men.  Sound believable yet?          

     The Ring that everyone is chasing represents war, greed, power, and fear.  The Lord of the Rings is also a tale about struggles for a better humanity and lifestyle.  This representation of trials, disappointments, and victories metaphors our own hopes and powers as people.  It is a battle between good and evil, some want to use the ring to empower their own evil whereas the others want the ring to promote peace.  

     “The intrusion fantasy uses the form of the club story—the unquestioned tale—to construct consensus reality, then renders the walls of the world—story translucent” (Mendlesohn 116).  In terms of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, this fantasy brings a tale based on fiction and makes it reality.  This reality is the war between good and evil and the struggle for power.  They bring all forms of fictional characters together in order to use each of their individual powers to benefit them as a group to reach their overall goal in defeating evil.  The theory represents the tale of the team overcoming the corrupt leaders of middle earth. 

Groundhog Day again and again

     Groundhog Day is a movie where Bill Murray plays a weatherman Phil who has the job of covering the Groundhog Day festival in Pennsylvania.  Phil is forced to stay an extra night in PA due to a snowstorm and when he wakes up, it is the same day again, Groundhog Day.  This process keeps repeating and only Phil can tell that it is repeating. 
     In the beginning of his experience, Phil is trying to use these repeated days to try to make Rita fall in love with him.  Phil is using what he has already learned about this repeated day to his own benefit in how to approach certain things.  This is a selfish act on the part of Phil and he gradually begins to realize that he has a greater purpose in life and begins to utilize these insights to grow as a better person and positively interact with people around him. 

     Groundhog Day can be looked at as a metaphor for the lessons we seek from lifetime to lifetime. We learn and grow in each one as we continue to evolve.  "The trajectory of the intrusion fantasy is straightforward: the world is ruptured by the intrusion, which disrupts normality and has to be negotiated with or defeated, sent back whence it came, or controlled" (Mendlesohn 115).  In this situation, Phil has defeated the fantasy of a repeated Groundhog Day.  He has done this by making Rita fall in love with him after learning about her.  He can finally move on after "defeating" Groundhog Day.

Batman in the eyes of Whittock

  Batman is a film based on the identity crisis of billionaire Bruce Wayne.  Wayne is a very rich person who is a businessman by day and a superhero by night.  “Metaphor is usually defined as the presentation of one idea in terms of another, belonging to a different category, so that either our understanding of the first idea is transformed, or so that from the fusion of the two ideas a new one is created” (Whittock 5).  Whittock would say that Batman represents a dark side of good.  Batman is dressed up in a dark uniform and usually appears at night.  Not many "good" characters represent this type of superhero.  

  Batman lost his parents at a young age and has vowed since to protect common people from all evil.  This belief represents heroism and overcoming fears.  Batman has used his terrible childhood memories in order to produce good for other people, in hopes of nobody else going through what he went through.  "The minimum claim that is sometimes made here is that metaphors contribute vividness and memorability to rational discourse" (Whittock 17).  The metaphor of Batman is that this regular person, Bruce Wayne, is also a superhero seeking revenge on evil.  His memorable event of his parents death brings his actions in defeating all evil.  The Joker is the arch nemesis of Batman in "The Dark Knight."  The Joker finds humor in all of his evil doings including killing and Batman is the only one who can defeat him.  The Joker finds fun in all of his crimes because it is humorous to him.  The Joker may represent a bully of some form, finding fun in seeing others in pain and being in control of them.
  I believe this movie reflects a lot of good and evil.  Good and Evil have always existed and this is their battle.  Batman wants to take down all super villains who create evil whereas these super villains want to continue producing evil and mayhem and must eliminate Batman in order to do so.
  

  

 

  

Top 10 Fantasy Movies

1.) Lord of The Rings:  The Return of the King
2.) The Never Ending Story
3.) The Matrix
4.) Pirates of the Caribbean
5.) The Wizard of Oz
6.) Star Wars
7.) Toy Story
8.) The Princess Bride
9.) Big Fish
10.) Monsters, inc.

  The most powerful scenes in Lord of the Rings that represent a major theme in this movie include the quest to middle earth to destroy the ring.  There are many battles throughout the movie as Frodo and the fellowship embark on their journey to find and destroy the ring.  The most powerful scene is when The Ring is finally destroyed by means of dropping it into the lava.  This represents the major theme of the destruction of evil. 

  The most powerful scenes in The Neverending Story that represent a major theme in this movie include the quest to find yourself.  The main character Bastian is neglected by his family, friends, and school bullies.  He finds a book that allows him to escape and overcome these fears.  As Bastian sits in the school attic all day and all night, his journey begins.  He escapes his tough life of being neglected and bullied in order to find a dream.

  The Matrix has many scenes in it that represent a major theme in the plot.  When Neo decides to take the red pill and stay in "wonderland."  After Neo takes this pill, he is introduced to the "real" world where everything he had once believed is fiction.  This represents the major theme of the movie considering it was Neos escape from being controlled by "the machines" in order to fight against them.

  Pirates of the Caribbean displays scenes that represent a major theme in the plot.  In order for the pirates to defeat their curse of living forever as the undead, the pirates must restore the once plundered treasure.  There are many fighting scenes where the pirates are against other undead pirates trying to recover the lost treasure.  The undead pirates they are fighting against want to continue their way so they defend this treasure.

  A scene in The Wizard of Oz that represents a major theme in the plot is at the end when the oh so powerful Wizard is discovered as just a regular man.  Dorothy and her crew go on a long adventure in order to find The Wizard to get what they came for.  This includes a brain for the scarecrow, a heart for the tin man, and courage for the cowardly lion.  The Wizard turns out to be a ordinary man hiding in a booth using all kinds of electronics in order to seem oh so powerful.  The characters are created to be like humans, which have a complex they want to overcome.

  Star Wars is a trilogy with scenes of overcoming "The Dark Side" which represents a higher authority trying to capture control over all.  A powerful scene which represents the defeat of the dark side is when Skywalker defeats his father darth vader in a light saber battle.  At this point Luke had already known Vader was his father, but still wanted to defeat the evil that his father represented.

  Scenes in Toy Story that represent a major theme of the movie are when they discover they are toys and don't really have the power that they thought they did.  Buzz Lightyear is very upset once he finds out he is just a toy.  He eventually accepts that he is a toy although he can still pursue his dream.  This theme shows children that nothing should be able to stand in front of them from pursuing their dreams.

  The Princess Bride is a book read to an ill boy by his grandfather.  The theme of the movie is a story of fantasy where the grandfather edits the book to his liking as the movie goes along.  Everyone in the movie has a goal to reach, including my favorite, Indigo Montoya.  His quest is to avenge his fathers death by means of finding and killing the man who killed his father.

  Big Fish is another fantasy film with a theme of this movie is don't be afraid to live your life, no matter what anyone else thinks about how or what you're doing.  Big Fish can also represent having trust and not taking family for granted.  The father of a boy has always been known to tell "fish tales" to the boy which he never believed to be true.  He eventually discovers that every story his father ever told him was true, which in return gave him faith.

  Pan's Labyrinth is a myth with plenty of fantasy that makes a statement about how children protect themself in times of extreme hardship.  The movie also displays it's belief that someone should not be criticized for their own beliefs.