tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28698159.post8674082373698513870..comments2023-02-16T08:14:51.776-08:00Comments on Christopher's Reading Journal: Christopherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07470675890802128072noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28698159.post-72217759295401960292007-12-27T11:52:00.000-08:002007-12-27T11:52:00.000-08:00Yes, I thought of Pan's Labyrinth right away, too....Yes, I thought of Pan's Labyrinth right away, too. Lots of similarities: war; step-parent; new baby/half-sibling in peril; creepy fairy-realm figure who offers help but may be (ultimately is) a trickster; etc...<BR/>This book, however, has a more detailed and developed alternate reality, and the protagonist enters fully into that realm before returning to mundane reality; whereas the "hero's journey" in Pan's Labyrinth is more episodic and liminal, and the course is reversed so that the protagonist's home -- and her final destination -- is the (to us) alternate reality.<BR/>This important difference accounts for the film's much more ambiguous (tragic?) ending. Because we, the readers/viewers, are tied to the everyday world, we can never be certain that the hero really does return to her princess's throne, whether that truly was her destiny or just a fantasy.Christopherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07470675890802128072noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28698159.post-38466348438240299952007-12-27T10:38:00.000-08:002007-12-27T10:38:00.000-08:00Hey Christopher - I'm wondering if you thought at ...Hey Christopher - I'm wondering if you thought at all about the relationship between this book and the movie Pan's Labyrinth? I think I experienced both at the same time and really enjoyed the parallels - 'real world' is dark and barely tolerable; fantasy world is also dark but somehow more understandable to the young protagonists. Yes, definitely a best book!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com