De-demonising universality : transcultural dragons and the universal agent in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and David Eddings' The Belgariad

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation provides a reading of the fantasy novel series Harry Potter by J.K. Rowlingand The Belgariad by David Eddings. In particular this dissertation endeavours to recuperatea literary critical methodology rooted in Myth Criticism. Further, it seeks to demonstrate thecontinued relevance and necessity of this form of criticism in our postmodern era and torefute some of the commonplaces of postmodern critical theory, specifically thepoststructuralist scepticism towards the idea of universal truth and individual agency. UsingJungian theory, myth critics ranging from Laurence Coupe to Joseph Campbell andincorporating various postmodern theorists, like the contemporary Marxist theorist TerryEagleton, and fantasy critics like Brian Attebery and Ursula LeGuin, this dissertation aims togive a well-rounded analysis of the merits of looking at fantasy as a legitimate field of literarystudy. Moreover, this dissertation seeks to illustrate the fact that fantasy is capable ofinforming readers' interaction with the 'real' world and that this genre allows for insight intoidentity formation in present day reality. The chief structure used to explore these claims is ananalysis of the Hero's Journey.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University