This course explores texts written for children through the elementary level. Emphasis is placed on scope, artistic merit, and selection.
Below is an example of some of the work I did for this class:
Reading Review: Coraline
“Coraline put her hand on the doorknob and turned it; and, finally, she opened the door.”
Neil Gaiman’s Coraline is a children’s fantasy book with a classic premise: a child stuck in an ordinary world finds a gateway to a new dimension and is confronted with more than she or he bargained for. My personal response to Coraline was mixed; I liked this book, but I didn’t love it. I usually don’t care for anything creepy or scary, however I appreciate Gaiman’s style of writing; I like how he doesn’t waste words. He is able to craft a story with a lot of detail and imagery without using language that is flowery or overly descriptive.
One of the biggest conflicting responses I had to this book pertained to the story. On one hand I liked the story a lot; it was well crafted, it was unique, it was surprising, etc. It started with a classic premise, but it surprised me at every new page. However on the other hand it wasn’t my personal taste, simply because I don’t care for scary stories. I also had reservations about recommending the book for children because it is so creepy. I imagined myself as a young person reading the story and I know I would not have liked it; I would have been too scared.
Coraline meets the typical criteria for the genre including character archetypes and stages of the hero’s journey while maintaining a unique voice and style. This story starts the same way many other stories in this genre do, in a very ordinary world. When the reader is first introduced to Coraline she finds her world boring, she feels she has nothing new or exciting to do and her parents and other adults around her don’t pay much attention to her. Her parents are always working and the other adults in her life can’t even pronounce her name correctly. This context helps the reader understand why Coraline is so interested in the door and in exploring the world she discovers on the other side.
After the Coraline first returns from the “other world” she finds that her parents are missing; this event becomes her call to adventure. “They aren’t coming back are they?” said Coraline. “Not on their own steam.” The cat blinked at her. Coraline took it as a yes. “Then I suppose there is only one thing left to do.” (Gaiman, 52) Coraline begins by trying to contact the police to help her, and when they don’t take her seriously she is left to solve the problem herself, despite her fear of the other world. She understands that only she has the power to save her parents and she must be courageous and face her “other mother”.
Through this process Coraline demonstrates one characteristic of a classic hero character: bravery. Coraline is a classic hero character, she is the protagonist who must “separate from the ordinary world and sacrifice [herself] for the service of the journey at hand – to answer the challenge, complete the quest and restore the Ordinary World’s balance.” (Divine Paradox). When Coraline makes the decision to rescue her parents she tells the cat a story about her and her father walking through a gully. A swarm of wasps descended on them and in the rush to leave, her father dropped his glasses. Later that afternoon he returned to the gully to retrieve them, despite the fact that he and Coraline had been stung many times. “It wasn’t brave because he was scared; it was the only thing he could do. But going back to get his glasses when he knew the wasps were there, when he was really scared. That was brave” (Gaiman, 57) Coraline displays courage not because she isn’t scared, but because she is scared and she still faces her fears head-on.
The cat meets many of the qualifications of a classic mentor character. He “provides motivation, insights and training to help the hero.” (Divine Paradox) He provides Coraline with much needed information and guidance but never direct help, always allowing Coraline to solve problems herself. After Coraline returns from the ordinary would to save her parents she seeks advice from the cat. “Do you have any advice?” asked Coraline. The cat looked as if it were about to say something else sarcastic. Then it flicked its whiskers and said “Challenge her. There’s no guarantee she’ll play fair, but her kind of thing loves games and challenges.” “What kind of thing is that?” asked Coraline. But the cat made no answer, simply stretched luxuriantly and walked away. Then it stopped, and turned, and said “I’d go inside if I were you. Get some sleep. You have a long day ahead of you.”(Gaiman, 63-64) The cat provides Coraline with valuable insights into the mind of the “other mother” and first gives her the idea to challenge her, but he still maintains a casual and almost indifferent attitude.
In addition to the characters, writing and plot, I particularly appreciated the style of Coraline. Style is used effectively when “The author’s word choice and arrangement, and sentence construction come together in a unique way that makes the characters, setting and plot come alive.” (Johnson, 4) Gaiman is able to create unique voice and creepy mood for the book while sustaining all the other important elements of the story- setting, character, plot, and theme. His writing style is simple, but still eerie and intriguing. The passage describing Coraline’s “other father” after he has been punished by the “other mother” is a fitting example of how the writing style is not wordy or overly descriptive, but the author still paints a detailed picture. “In the dim light it took her several seconds to recognize it for what it was: the thing was pale and swollen like a grub, with sticklike arms and feet. It had almost no features on its face, which had puffed and swollen like risen bread dough.” (Gaiman, 108) The description is only two sentences long, but it provides the reader with both a detailed picture of what the “other father” looks like, and maintains the creepy feel of the book. The words grub and swollen in particular both describe the physical appearance of the “other father” and have sickening or chilling connotations.
My overall evaluation of Coraline is that it is high quality children’s literature. The plot and style are unique and interesting, it contains classic archetypes and steps in the hero’s journey, and it contains a great lesson. The combination of all of those elements makes this book makes it perfect for those it is intended for: children. Not only is it high quality, I think children would like it; Coraline is a relatable character and her adventure is compelling.
When I first read the book I had reservations about how scary it was. I wondered if it was too frightening for me to recommend for children, however scariness is subjective. What may frighten me may not faze others. Coraline doesn’t contain any gratuitous violence or gore and all the creepy details are essential to the story. Most importantly the scariness has an important purpose; it provides a context for what I think is the best aspect of the book: the story of bravery. If it were not so scary Coraline would not be such an admirable character. “Because… when you’re scared but you still do it anyway, that’s brave.” (Gaiman, 57)
Sources
Johnson, Denise. The Joys of Children’s Literature. 2nd ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2012. 3. Print
Gaiman, Neil. Coraline. Revised Ed. New York, NY: Harper, 2012. Print.
. “Ageless Wisdom & The Hero’s Journey in Story and Myth.” Divine Paradox. N.p.. Web. 13 Feb 2013. <http://www.divineparadox.com/arts/archetypes_on_the_path.htm>.
Educational Portfolio 