#Differences
By Tyler Pradaxay
Joseph Cambell’s Monomyth
has taken the general patterns that we see in almost every fantasy reading and
very neatly lays out a map of how these stories progress. Overall the graphic divides
fantasy stories into three sections; Separation, Initiation and Return. The
hero will first be called to action, then separated from his/her normal world,
go on a journey of sorts and finally return. Along the way the hero will meet with
several aspects of the Monomyth such as a road of trials or supernatural aid. This
is the Monomyth in a nutshell and if you want to see the whole graphic in
detail you can follow this link http://lobstersstuffedwithtacos.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/campbells_monomyth_rsoap__006.jpg.
One
of the more noticeable aspect of the cycle is crossing the threshold from the
hero’s normal life to the world of the journey. Examples of this include Dorothy
being sent to Oz, the Digidestined going to the virtual world in Digimon, the wardrobe
in the Chronicles of Narnia, the Harry Potter books and The Hobbit. The list of
stories that follow aspects of the Monomyth goes on and on.
However,
a split in the in the genre exists that continue to agitate readers. Within
fantasy there exists two categories, High and Low fantasy which can defined by
how the world of the story is created. The Monomyth cycle previously mentioned
may be applied to both types of fantasy but when it comes to the execution of crossing
the threshold, the two categories are as similar as spork and a keyboard.
The
main difference that exists between High Fantasy and Low Fantasy is in the
creation of their respective worlds. In High Fantasy the world in which the
story takes place is entirely different than what would be our world. For
example the world of The Hobbit is
not the same as the world that we live in. The created world is already
different in High Fantasy as opposed to Low Fantasy. In Low Fantasy the fictional
world where the action takes place exists in the same universe as our own
world. Either a realization is made that reveals the presence of fantasy aspects
or the hero is transported to a different world apart from his or her own. This
can be seen in stories such as the Chronicles of Narnia where they walk through
the wardrobe into a different world.
In
my lit circle for class we read and analyzed J.R.R Tolkien’s The Hobbit and afterward read Neil
Gaiman’s Neverwhere. Using our
definition of High Fantasy, we can see how Tolkien’s novel can be considered High
Fantasy. Bilbo never leaves his world in order to go on his journey but rather
travels around it thus initiating his crossover into the “realm” of his
adventure. He is transferring worlds in such a way that he is leaving his old
life style behind for a completely new one but he is still physically in the
same realm. The stories of this category generally follow this sort of entrance
into the “new world” splitting them from those of Low Fantasy.
This method of the Monomyth’s
“crossing the threshold” much different when compared to the execution of the
aspect seen in Low Fantasy writings. In Neverwhere
Richard Mayhew falls into the “Below London” which exists as a sort of parallel
universe. Not only does he mentally shift worlds as he learns his role as a
hero but he also physically goes through the door from Above London to Below
London. He physically shifts worlds as opposed to just roaming around in the
same world.
The difference between
how the worlds are created affects how they are able to follow the Monomyth
cycle. This difference should be large enough to create a split within fantasy
genre.
Tyler, I'm glad that you narrowed your focus on this pretty large question as you did. Campbell's monomyth cycle does apply to almost everything, as you say, but noting how the most eye moment -- the initiating departure -- differs between the high and low fantasy genres is important. Of course, this begs the question of what one should make of fantasies where there is an act of crossing literally from one world to another, especially when many definitions of high fantasy presume that the given world has already been replaced with an alternative world! Given that, your argument reads almost opposite to what I'd expect. What you need to stress is that Bilbo's world is high fantasy because his entire world is the realm of fantasy; he has merely dwelt in a smaller portion of it in his life prior to adventure.
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