Zemljomorje Ursule Legvin u kontekstu podžanra visoke (epske) fantastike
Докторанд
Stamenković, Sava V.Ментор
Milutinović, DejanЧланови комисије
Živković, MilicaŽivković, Dušan
Метаподаци
Приказ свих података о дисертацијиСажетак
Earthsea, a series which comprises five fantasy novels, eight short
stories and a description of the eponymous fictional universe, was
published between 1964 and 2014. Over the span of fifty years, the
idiolect and the perspective of the author, the American novelist Ursula
K. Le Guin (1929-2018), had underwent considerable change, and with
it evolved the fictional world depicted in her work. We examine
Earthsea in the context of the subgenre of high/epic fantasy. How does
this work conform to the “patterns” of traditional high fantasy, as
determined by J. R. R. Tolkien in his Middle-Earth Saga and what are
the new elements by means of which the author contributes to the
evolution of the subgenre?
Chapter one gives an overview of the recently deceased author’s
corpus. Chapter two deals with the theoretical features of high (epic)
fantasy subgenre – the creation of a specific fictional universe, the role
of magic, the conflict between good and evil, and the heroes’ journey... –
preceded by general theoretical considerations of genre.
A detailed analysis of the distinctive elements of the Earthsea’s
universe will be tackled in chapter three focusing primarily on the
differences between the first and the second trilogy, generally said to
make up the book series. Many critics regard the first trilogy as
Tolkienian, whereas the second trilogy is commonly perceived as
modern. However, this research identifies a consistent trend of
deviations from Tolkien’s model of high fantasy, evident in the
internalization of good and evil (both reside within man and not
outside), a larger number of female characters, unconventional heroes
and heroines, revised treatments of magic and an alternative world
view – less western and more far-eastern oriented (primarily Taoistic
perspective). The second trilogy introduces the themes that go beyond
the conventional characteristics of the subgenre – rape, status of
women, environmental protection and multiculturalism. The journey of
two main male and three female protagonists will receive critical
attention in chapter four, while chapters five and six deal with “the
woman question” and ecocriticism in terms of approaching the
Earthsea series as an eco-narrative. The concluding chapter concerns
the anime adaptation by the Japanese author Goro Miyazaki, revealing
his personal interpretative reading of Earthsea.