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‘“OUT–out–OUT!’”:
Obstructivelibrariesandlibrariansin
children’sandyoungadultliterature
by
JudithWay
2
TABLEOFCONTENTS
Chapterone.Introduction 4
Theoreticalframework 10
Literaturereview 14
Chaptertwo.Dustylabyrinths:obstructivelibraries 19
ThelibraryasPanopticon 21
Themysteriousandenchantedlibrary 26
Imposinglibraries 28
Obstaclesinthelibrary 32
Dangerouslibraries 36
Resistingtheobstructivelibrary 37
Chapterthree.‘"Isaid,whatdoyouwant?"’: 40
obstructivelibrarians
The‘librarypoliceman’ 41
‘Witchy’librarians 48
Emotionallyunintelligentlibrarians 49
‘Helpful’librarians 53
Warriorlibrarians 56
Mitigatingobstructivelibrarians 56
Chapterfour.Conclusion 60
References 62
3
ILLUSTRATIONS
Figure1.Bentham’sPanopticonorganisation(1843,p.172),illustrated8byWilliamReveleyandusedbyFoucault(1979).
Figure2.AnexteriorviewoftheHogwartsSchoolimplyingaPanoptic10layout(Revenson,2015,n.p.).
Figure3.ThecoverofTheboywhowasraisedbylibrarians,illustrated21byBradSneed.
Figure4.Thechildren'ssectioninTheboywhowasraisedbylibrarians,22illustratedbyBradSneed.
Figure5.Thelibrarians’deskinTheboywhowasraisedbylibrarians,22illustratedbyBradSneed.
Figure6.TheexterioroftheLivingstoneLibraryinTheboywhowas27raisedbylibrarians,illustratedbyBradSneed.
Figure7.Theextentofthechildren’ssectioninThelegendofSpud29Murphy,illustratedbyTonyRoss.
Figure8.Thefull-colourcoverofThelegendofSpudMurphy, 40illustratedbyTonyRoss.
Figure9.SpudMurphyinThelegendofSpudMurphy,illustrated40byTonyRoss.
Figure10.Will’sfearinThelegendofSpudMurphy,illustratedby41TonyRoss.
Figure11.Spud’spoweroverWillinThelegendofSpudMurphy42illustratedbyTonyRoss.
Figure12.Melvinisphysicallyandintellectuallyoverpoweredin48Theboywhowasraisedbylibrarians,illustratedbyBradSneed.
Figure13.ThecontinuousmovementofthelibrariansinTheboywho49wasraisedbylibrarians,illustratedbyBradSneed.
4
Chapterone.Introduction
‘Yewerenotmadetolivelikeuntobrutes,Butforpursuitofvirtueandofknowledge.’Dante,TheinfernoXXVI.
Dante’sTheinfernoXXVIacknowledgesthatsearchingforinformationisboth
worthwhileanddangerous,andthisappliestoyoungpeopleaswellasadults.
Librariesinchildren’sandyoungadult(YA)literaturecanbehazardousplaces,
whereviolentandcontrollinglibrarianszealouslyguardtheircollection,while
perilssuchasPanopticsurveillance,overwhelminglylargemysticallibrariesand
maraudingbeastsattempttodenyaccesstochildprotagonists.Inthisthesis,Icoin
theterms“obstructive”librariesandlibrarianstoindicatehowlibraryarchitecture
andlayoutandlibrarians’personalitytypescreatedifficultiesforpatronsin
locatinginformation.Iargue,however,thatobstructivelibrariesareactually
beneficialforprotagonistsinliteratureforyoungpeople.Inreality,publiclibraries
andlibrariansattempttocaterforavastarrayofpatronsofvaryingages,socio-
economicgroups,racesandliteraryabilities,(Willis1999,pp.1-2)however,they
arenotalwayssuccessfulbecauseoftenthefocusisonhowlibrariansthink
librariesshouldbearranged,ratherthanarrangingthemforpatrons’easeofuse.
Unlesscommunityneedsassessmentsareregularlyundertaken,librariescanonly
‘guess’whatpatronsneed(MacKellar2016,pp.37-38).However,inliterature,
suchobstructionassistsprotagonistsinthehero’s1journey(Campbell2008).
UsingCarlJung’sworkonthecollectiveunconsciousandarchetypes(2008,pp.12-
14)andSigmundFreud’stheoriesoftheOedipuscomplex(2008,p.2,p.7),Joseph
Campbellidentifiesafundamentalstructurecommontomostmythicalandfantasy
storieswherethearchetypalheroproceedsthroughaseriesoftasksand
challengesbeforetheysucceedintheirquest(2008,pp.23-29).Inchildren’sand
YAliterature,librariesandlibrariansoftenprovideanumberofinitialchallenging
encounters.Byacquiringtheskillstoevadeandbypassthehegemonic
1Inthisthesis,thetermheroreferstoanygender,andtheuseofthetitleherocanbebothliteralandfigurative.
5
architecture,layoutandorganisationofobstructivelibraries,asaresult,the
heroesdevelopagencyandpower,enablingthemtobetterpreparefortheirquest.
Youngpeopledevelopingagency–theconceptofacapacitytoact,alongwiththe
willingnesstodoso(Spencer&Doull2015,p.907)–iscommoninliteraturefor
childrenandyoungadults(Cart2010,pp.23-4).Developingagencyinchild-and
youngadult-hoodisvitalfortheadvancementof‘…motivation,learning,self-
regulationandaccomplishment…’(Pajares&Urdan2006,p.ix),whichareallvital
lifeskillsandgainingknowledgeisoneaspectofdevelopingagency(Mills2010,p.
300).Impliedreaders,too,learnaboutacquiringanddevelopingagencyfromtexts
inwhatMargaretMeekdesignatesas‘untaughtlessons’(1988,p.7),bywhichshe
meanslearningthatonlyoccurswhenoneisreading.
Thisthesiswilladdressthewayinwhichlibrariansandlibrariesforyoungpeople
areportrayedinaselectionoftextsforchildrenandyoungadults.Itwill
investigatehowfictionallibrariescontrolaccesstoknowledge,andthus,power;
howlibrariespromoteorstifleintellectualgrowth;howissuesofaccessing
informationfromlibrariespromoteself-determinationintheselectedtexts;and
thestrategiescharactersemploytoevadethecontrolofthelibraryandthe
librarian.Ihavechosenbooksfromacontemporaryrangeofgenresand
geographicallocationsinwhichlibrariesandlibrariansarecentralelementsofthe
youngprotagonists’journey.ThepicturebookTheboywhowasraisedbylibrarians
(Morris&Sneed2007,andhereafterentitledBoy),thesevenbooksintheHarry
Potterseries(Rowling1997-2007,HP2),anditscompaniontitleQuidditchthrough
theages(2001,Quidditch),thechapterbookThelegendofSpudMurphy(Colfer
2004,SpudMurphy),andtheYAnovelLirael:daughteroftheClayr(Nix2001,
Lirael)havebeenselectedasrepresentativeofhowlibrariesandlibrariansare
depictedinliteratureforyoungpeople.Thesetextsprovideausefulcomparison
whendetermininghowlibrariesserveyoungpeopleandhowanorderedand
2IndividualtitlesintheHarryPotterserieswillbeshortenedasfollows;HarryPotterandthephilosopher’sstone-PSHarryPotterandthechamberofsecrets-CoSHarryPotterandtheprisonerofAzkaban–PoAHarryPotterandthegobletoffire-GoFHarryPotterandtheOrderofthePhoenix-OoP,HarryPotterandtheHalf-bloodPrince-HBPHarryPotterandthedeathlyhallows-DH
6
controlledlibraryaffordsvaryingoutcomesforlibraryuserscomparedtoan
obstructivelibrarythatappearschaoticandinaccessible.ThetextsIhaveselected
includeonetitlefromeachagerangeofchildandYAreaders3,(plustheHPseries,
whichencompassesbothchildandYAages)andencompassseveraltypesof
literatureforyoungpeople.Thetitlesthathavebeenadoptedforthisstudyare
fromaspectrumoffantasy,humorousandrealistfiction.Thisselectionoftextsis
representativeofchildren’sandYAliteratureonthetopicandwillhelpshedlight
onthevalueofobstructivelibrariesandlibrarians.
ThechosentitlesincludeBoy(2007),whereinteractionsbetweenyoungMelvin
andthreelibrariansarefeatured,thelibrariansembodyingstereotypicallibrarian
features,whileheavilyregulatingMelvin’slibrary.SpudMurphy(2004),whichis
toldfromthepointofviewofnine-year-oldWill.WillandhisolderbrotherMarty
aresenttothelocalpubliclibrary,wheretheyencounterthelibrarian,‘Spud
Murphy’,astereotypical‘bunandglasses’typelibrarianwhocontrolstheboys’
accesstothelibrarycollection.However,theboysemployproblem-solvingskills
toevadesuchcontrol.ThefantasynovelLirael(2001)followsthejourneyofthe
eponymousorphanhero.LiraelistheonlyfemaleteenageroftheClayrnotto
developthe‘Sight’,theaccomplishmentof‘Seeing’intothefuture.Liraelfinds
solaceinherjobasThirdAssistantLibrarianattheGreatLibraryofClayr,where
hercuriosityandasenseofadventureresultintheexplorationoftheobstructive
andforbiddenareasofthelibrary.HarryPotter(1997-2007)isthe‘chosenone’,
onahero’sjourneytodefeatevilLordVoldemort.Gaininginformationand
knowledgeiskeytoHarry’ssuccess.TheHPseriesisinfluentialduetoitsglobal
audiencereachandplaceinpopularculture;overfourhundredandfiftymillion
copieshavebeensold(Rowling2016,p.291),makingitthehighest-sellingbook
seriesinhistory(Calio,Frohlich,&Hess2014,n.p.).
3Readingagescanbedefinedas:preschooltoprimaryagecoversagesfourtoeight,pre-teenandtweencatersforagesninetotwelve,whileYAbooksareproducedforagestwelveandupwards(TheChildren’sBookReview,2017).
7
TheHarryPotterseries,LiraelandThelegendofSpudMurphy,canbedescribedas
bildungsroman4,anddemonstratethat,perhapsironically,obstructivelibraries
andlibrariansoftenfacilitatethedevelopmentofprotagonists’self-determination,
agency,andmoralandintellectualgrowth.Alibrarythatisostensiblydifficultto
extractinformationfrom,andlibrarianswhoactasguardianstoknowledge,canbe
advantageoustocharactersinbildungsroman.Librariesthatarepoorlyorganised,
excessivelylarge,difficulttonavigate,dangerousandwhichareguardedby
librarianswhoperformtheroleofgatekeeperappeartopreventresearch.
However,theproblem-solvingskillsdevelopedinrelationtotherequirementof
seekingalternativesourcesofinformationplayavitalroleinpreparing
protagonistsfortheirquests,particularlyinfantasyfiction.Suchself-development
likewiseendowscharacterswithintellectualgrowththatwouldhavebeen
inconceivablewithouttheimpedimentofobstructivelibrariesandlibrarians.
Furthermore,althoughseemingcounter-intuitive,librariesthatarewell-organised
and‘helpful’librariansrestrictyoungpeople’sgrowth,asseeninBoy(2007).
Scaffolding,thenotionofhelpingyoungpeopletothink,andfindingsolutionsto
theirproblems,createsdependence(Burkins&Yaris2016,p.3),while
independenceisfosteredthroughproblem-solvingandlearning.Thisthesisadds
toscholarlyresearchthroughitscontributiontotheunderstandingoftheroleof
librariesandlibrariansinliteratureforyoungpeople.Italsoaddstothe
conversationsandresearchregardingdevelopingchild-andyoungadult-hood
agencyinfictionalsettings,andthepowerofliteratureforyoungpeopletoboth
challengeandreinforcethestatusquo.
Thestereotypeofthelibrarianiswidelydisseminatedasa‘spinster’(Grimes1994,
p.3,Lutz2005,Balling,Henrichsen&Skouvig2008,p.56,Shaffer,&Casey2013,p.
39)or‘littleoldladywiththebun,theshawl,thewirespecs’(Manley1984,p.
650),who‘ischaracterizedaspicky,hardworking,standoffish,bookish,and,by
mostaccounts,pitiable’(Grimes1994,p.3).Her‘primeconcernsare
meticulousnessandorganisingbooksinasphereofefficiency’(Balling,Henrichsen
&Skouvig2008,p.56),sheis‘myopicandrepressed,brandishingorperhaps
4AGermantermdescribingabookthatfollowsthemoralgrowthanddevelopmentoftheprotagonist(Trites2010,pp.10-15).
8
coweringbehindadatestamp’(Cowell1980,p.167)andherfavouritewordis
‘Shh!’(Stevens1988,p.828).However,librariesappearas‘cathedralsofthemind’
(Moran2012,n.p.),‘sanctuaries’(Basbanes2012,vii),venueswhich‘enshrine[d]’
books(BrooklynPublicLibrary2017)andactastherepositoriesof‘cumulated
humanknowledge’(Davis2012,p.x);venerableplaceswhereinformationgleaned
mayhavethepowertochangelives(White2012).Yet,theyarealsodepictedas
‘physicallyandhistoricallyimposing’(Freier2014,p.5),and‘areunderstood
throughmetaphorsofcontrol,tombs,labyrinths,morgues,dust,ghosts,silence
andhumiliation’(Radford&Radford2001,p.325).
Theselectedtextsarenotisolatedintheirdepictionsofstereotypicallibrariesand
librarians,butareindicativeofbroaderchildren’sandyoungadultliteraturethat
demonstratesthepoweroftheinstitutionovertheyoungperson.Titlessuchas
EscapefromMrLemoncello’slibrary(Grabenstein2013),theAlcatrazseries
(Sanderson2007-2010),Thestrangelibrary(Murakami2008),Thefantasticflying
booksofMrMorrisLessmore(Joyce2012),Batsatthelibrary(Lies2008),Evil
librarian(Knudsen2014),theseriesofgraphicnovelsLibrarywars,(Arikawaand
Yumi2007-2015),Theforbiddenlibrary(Wexler2014)andTheGrimmlegacy
(Shulman2011)allfeatureeitherobstructivelibrariesand/orlibrarians.Although
thesebooksassistedinthedefinitionofmytopic,theyareoutsidethescopeofthis
research.Myfocusisconcernedwithprotagonists’accesstoknowledgebeing
challengedbytherestrictionsofthelibrarywhilethediscardedtitlesfeature:
librariesthatpromoteonlylower-orderthinkingskills,warfare-typeconflict
betweenlibrariansandotherswithnoreferencetoinformationneeds,batsand
librariansasfocalisers,andsubscriptionandprivatelibrariesthatarestaffedby
youngpeople,butwhicharenotforyoungpeople.
TheHPseries,LiraelandSpudMurphyareunitedintheirseeminglyparadoxical
approachtoobstructivelibrariesasbeingusefultotheself-developmentof
protagonists.Itisimportanttonote,however,thatthepassiveideology,where
minorcharacters,andbyextension,others,areunabletoaccessinformationdueto
thelibrary’sobstructivenature,deniesthemtheabilitytoestablishagencyand
power.Further,theconceptoftheherohavingsomeelementsofagencyand
9
powerbeforetheyencounterofficiouslibrariesandlibrariansisarguablyone
reasonwhytheyareabletochallengetheauthorityoftheseinstitutionsandother
characterscannot.However,itisevidentthatobstructivelibrariesandlibrarians
doposechallengestotheprotagoniststhatenablethemtodevelopproblem-
solvingskillsandfurthertheiragencyandpowertoapointwheretheyareableto
undertakethehero’sjourney(Campbell2008)andsuccessfullyengageintheir
respectiveliteralandfigurativebattles.Yet,thepassiveideologyinthesebooks
revealsthatthemajorityofyoungpeoplewillnotbeabletoaccesstheinformation
theyneedtogrowandlearninthesetypesoflibrariesastheymaynotpossessthe
self-determinedqualitiesofthearchetypalhero.Althoughtherearenumerous
positiveaspectstothedenialofaccesstoinformation,itisneverthelessa
problematictrope.
Thetopicsoflibrariesandlibrariansinchildren’sandYAliteraturehavebeen
addressedbytheacademy.Here,thefocusinhabitsthedomainsofstereotypical
representationsoflibrariesandlibrarians,librariesthataredifficulttonavigate
andthedevelopmentofdiagnosticskillsbycharacterswhodiscoverthattheir
libraryislessthanaccessible.JenniferBurekPierce(2004)identifiesthebeneficial
effect,particularlyonchildrenandyoungadults,ofdevelopingproblem-solving
skillsandapplyingthemtoreal-worldsituationswhereaccesstoinformationand
knowledgeisvital.BurekPearce(2004)andFreier(2014,p.8)bothrecognisethe
benefitsofacontrollinglibraryandlibrarian.WithreferencetotheHPseries,and
Lirael,BurekPiercearguesthatadolescentsdevelopbothcharacterandself-
determinationthroughtheactofseekinginformationfromavarietyofsources,the
librarybeingjustoneavenue(2004,p.74).FreierestablishesthatHPlibrarian
MadamPince’sincompetenceleadsHermionetobecomeanadeptresearcher
(2014,p.4).WhileBurekPierceaddressesthevalueofself-imposedinformation
seekinginLiraelandtheHPbooks,mythesisfocusesonthenotionofchildrenand
youngadultsasindependentresearchers,encouragedbytheirdesirefor
information,whichovercomesanyobstaclesdeliberatelyplacedintheirway.I
acknowledgethatsuchobstaclesassistprotagoniststopreparefortheirparticular
quests.
10
Asliteratureforyoungpeopleishegemonic,producedbyadultsforchildren
(Nodelman2008,p.113),thereisasynergybetweenthisconceptandthatof
protagonistsbeingdeniedaccesstoknowledge.However,thereisagapinexisting
literarycriticismasthereislittleacknowledgementthatsuchobstructionby
librariesandlibrariansmaypositivelyinfluencecharacterdevelopmentand
agency.SallyMaynardandFionaMcKenna(2005)findthatwhilelibrariesare
generallydepictedinapositivemanner,therearefewconstructiverenderingsof
librariansintextsforchildren(2005,p.120).MaynardandMcKennadonot
acknowledgethepositivepossibilitiesofunhelpfullibrarians,andElizabeth
RichardsonandSarahWagner(2011)defineHarryPotter’sHogwartsschool
libraryasanegativespace,anoverwhelmingplaceforstudents,withaccessto
librarybooksbeing‘random’(2011,p.3),withnorecognitionofthepossible
beneficialimpactsofthisdifficultspace.Thisthesiswillconsiderhowthelibraryis
aplaceofsurveillance,whichresultsinprotagonistsself-modifyingtheir
behaviourasaresult.
Theoreticalframework
DesignedbyJeremyBenthamin1778asamodelforconstructingprisons,the
Panopticonentails
Abuildingcircular-Acage,glazed-aglasslantern…-Theprisonersintheircells,
occupyingthecircumference-Theofficersinthecentre.Byblindsandother
contrivances,theinspectorsconcealed[…]fromtheobservationoftheprisoners:
hencethesentimentofasortofomnipresence—Thewholecircuitreviewablewith
little,orifnecessarywithoutany,changeofplace.Onestationintheinspection
partaffordingthemostperfectviewofeverycell(Bentham1843).
TheconceptofthePanopticon(seeFigure1),inwhichthereisanever-present
riskofsurveillance,pressuresthosewithintoassumetheyareconstantlyunder
observation.Thisconsequentiallyensuresthatindividualsmodifytheirconduct,
employingself-surveillanceandcontroloftheirownactionsasaresult.
11
Figure1.AnexampleofBentham’sPanopticorganisation(1843,p.172),illustratedby
WilleyReveleyandusedbyFoucault(1979).
ThePanopticonformsamajorcomponentofMichelFoucault’sDisciplineand
punish:thebirthoftheprison(1979)regardinghowprisons(andother
institutions)controlandincarcerateinmates.Foucault’sdoctrineswillbe
employedtointerprettheselectedtextsandtoexaminehowsuchcontrol
influencesthebehavioursofthechildcharacters.Foucault’sapproachesto
discipline,controlandpunishmentcanbeappliedtotheanalysisofthehegemony
oflibrarieswithinchildren’sandyoungadultliterature.Allofthelibrariesfeatured
inthecorpushavesometypeofcontrolorretributionarrangementsthatFoucault
identifies.Althoughheusestheprisonsystemasitsbasis,Foucaultidentifiesthe
schoolasanothermemberofthe‘carceralarchipelago’(1979,p.293).Hesuggests
thattheschoolisaninstitutionthatimplementsaseriesofdisciplinarytechniques
whenheaskstherhetoricalquestion‘Isitsurprisingthatprisonsresemble
factories,schools,barracks,hospitals,whichallresembleprisons?’(1979,p.228).
AlthoughtheHPseriesistheonlyoneofthetextstobesetinaschool,librariestoo
couldbeincludedinFoucault’slistastheyareexamplesofinstitutionsthatuse
techniquesofcontrolandrealandimaginedsurveillancetoregulateanddominate
users.
12
Mycorpusoftextsemployhierarchicalobservation(Foucault,1979,p.1970),
whichisonespecificelementofdisciplinarypowerFoucaultidentifies.The
librariansareoftenafocalpointofpowerovertherowsofbookshelvesand
studentswithinthelibrary.Foucaultstates:
Onthewhole,therefore,onecanspeakoftheformationofadisciplinarysocietyin
thismovementthatstretchesfromtheencloseddisciplines,asortofsocial
'quarantine',toanindefinitelygeneralizablemechanismof'panopticism’(1979,p.
216).
ThelayoutandorganisationofthelibrariesisreflectiveofFoucault’snotionof
quarantine,anenclosedspacewherePanopticismisenforcedthroughthelibrarian
beingeverwatchfulofpatrons’and/orstudents’actions.Heretheindividual
internalisesthepossibilityofconstantsurveillanceand,inturn,learnstodiscipline
andcontrolthemselves.However,theyoungprotagonistsdiscoverthataligning
themselveswiththeexpectationsofthePanopticonisunproductiveintheirsearch
forinformation;theylearnthattheymustbreaktheimplicitrulesofthe
comprehensivecontrollingmechanismtogaintheknowledge,agencyandpower
theyneedtofulfiltheirparticularquest.Aspowerenablesbehaviourtobealtered,
‘Thepanopticmechanismarrangesspatialunitiesthatmakeitpossibletosee
constantly…’(Foucault1979,p.200).AnexampleoftheorganisationofBentham’s
Panopticon(1843)asshowninFigure1,usedbyFoucault(1979),demonstrates
thewayinwhichthelayoutofaninstitutioncanaffectbehavior.AsthePanopticon
ensuresthat‘powershouldbevisibleandunverifiable’(Foucault1979,p.201),the
perceptionofseeminglyconstantobservationimpartsasenseofself-surveillance
onthebehalfofthepatron,ensuringbehaviormodification.Similarly,figure2,an
illustrationoftheHogwartsSchoolofWitchcraftandWizardry,exhibitsaPanoptic
scheme,duetoitsrepeateddesignandnumerousfloors.ShiraWolosky(2013),
employingFoucault’sconceptofdisciplineregardingtheschool-widecontrolof
students,identifiesthatsuchdiscipline‘fostersindividualinitiative’(2013,p.296)
intheHPseries.
13
Figure2.AnexteriorviewoftheHogwartsSchoolimplyingaPanopticlayout(Revenson,
2015,n.p.).
Foucault’stheoriesofpowerandpowerlessnessare‘fundamental’(Trites2001,p.
473)toYAliterature.RobertaSeelingerTritesidentifiesthreeessential
conventionsinYAliteraturethataddresstheprotagonist’srelationshipwith
power.Theseincludethenegotiationof‘themanyinstitutionsthatshapethem’(p.
483),thestabilisationoftheirpowerinrelationtothatoftheirparentsand/or
authorityfigures,andtherealisationoftheamountofpowertheyhold(p.483).
ThebooksthatIwilldiscussinthisthesisacknowledgetheseelementsofpower,
withthelibrarybeingtheinstitutionthatframestheprotagonists,andengenders
theunderstandingandacceptanceofthepowerthatthesecharactersdevelop.
Inthefollowingchapters,Iwillconductatextualandvisualanalysis(where
appropriate)oftheselectedtexts,attendingtothediscoursethatinformsthe
representationofthelibrary,thelibrarian,andthechild/youngadultaslibrary
user.Iwillconsiderhowthefollowingnarrativestrategiesimpactuponthe
representationoflibrariesandlibrarians:howcharactersaredepicted(the
librarianandthestudentsinteractingwiththem);plotandevents(howlibraryuse
isrenderedandhowanobstructivelibrarycontributestothedevelopmentofthe
plot);setting(howthelibraryisdescribedandsituatedwithinthetext);theme
14
(whetherthelibraryissituatedpositivelyornegativelywithinthethemeofthe
text)andnarration,includingwhetherthenarrationusesthefirst-personorthe
third-person(Gamble&Yates2002,pp.39-40).Iwillbeapplyingtechniquesfor
analysingtextsandpicturebooksproposedbyPerryNodelmanandMavisReimer
(2003),MariaNikolajevaandCaroleScott(2013),JohnStephens(2005)and
Nodelman(2005)toevaluatethenarrativestrategiesandpicturebooktechniques
usedbyauthorsandillustratorsforbothcontentandmeaning,whichmaybe
explicitorimplicit.
Literaturereview
Thisreviewoftheliteraturewillanalyseselectwritingsfromauthorswhosefocus
includesfictionalrepresentationsofyoungadultsasinformationseekers,the
libraryandlibrarianintextswrittenforchildrenandyoungadults,andwaysthat
Foucault’stheoriesofknowledge,poweranddisciplinecaninfluenceconceptual
thinkingaboutlibraries.Further,studiesofthedepictionsoftheseconceptsin
adultliteraturearealsoincluded,asitisimportanttonoteifthereisconnectionor
disunitybetweenthepresentationofthelibraryandlibrarianinliteraturefor
youngpeopleandadultfiction.Asalreadyestablished,literatureforyoungpeople
hasahegemonicroleofitsown,yetconversely,canalsobesubversive.As
KimberleyReynoldsexplains,‘children’sliterature…issimultaneously…orthodox
andradical,didacticandsubversive’(2007,p.3).Yet,whethertheprevailing
ideologiesinliteratureforyoungpeoplearethoseofadultpower,oryoung
protagonistschallengingthestatusquo,isrevealingconcerningthephilosophies
presentedtoimpliedreaders.Theconsequencesoftheseideologiesillustratesthat
powerisconferredonHarryPotter,LiraelandWillandMarty.However,Melvinis
delineatedasbeingsubjugatedtothepowerofthelibrarians.
Libraryuseisasubjectpositioninwhichyoungpeople,bothinrealityandwithin
children’sliterature,accessthelibraryasreader,learnerandseekerandconsumer
ofinformation.Asanindividual,theyounglibraryuserisuniqueintheiruseofthe
library,astheyaremorecontrolledbytheestablishmentduetotheiragethan
15
adults.Thelibraryuser(certainlyintheerabeforewidespreadInternet
connectivity)issubjugatedbythelibrarian(Tuominen1997,p.350)andthe
younglibrarypatronisfurtherunderthepoweroftheadultlibrarian.However,
thetropeoffantasyfictionseestheyoungmageengagedinlearningmagical
proficiencythatrequiresabroadspectrumofapproaches,withlibrariesasone
avenueoflearning(BurekPierce2004,p.74).Whatisnotableinthesetexts
though,isthatthelibraryonlyappearstobeobstructivewhentheinformation
requirementoftheyoungadultsinvolvedispersonalandself-directed;research
imposedforschoolworkorinformationrequirementsofanadultappears
straightforward(BurekPierce2004,p.75).ThefantasytextsIconsiderinthis
thesis,theHPseriesandLirael,arebasedonthestructureofthehero’sjourney.To
developtheagencyandpowerrequiredtocompletethehero’sjourney,theneedto
problem-solveandtoseekinformationoutsideofthelibraryandacquire
knowledgeisnecessary.IfHarryPotterandLiraelhadbeenabletoaccess
informationquicklyandeasily,theywouldneverhavedevelopedthecuriosity,
agency,senseofadventureandpowerneededtobecomeheroic.Additionally,
BurekPiercenotesthattheinformation-seekingbehaviourdisplayedbythe
protagonists‘holdsimplicationsforidentityandself-hood’(2004,p.74).Here,the
requirementsofHarryPotterandhisfriendstobroadentheirsearchpastthe
library,empowersthemtoaskquestions,think,solveproblems,collaborate,seek
knowledgeandfollowthetrajectoryofthebildungsroman.Liraelalsodevelops
suchskillsinhersearchesoftheareasofthelibraryforbiddentoher,whilethe
boysinSpudMurphyachievethisonasmallerscalewhentheychallengethe
restrictionsoftheirlibrary.Thesedevelopmentsbecomeobligatoryinthesuccess
oftheprotagonistsintheselectedtexts.WhileBurekPierce’spaperisuseful,itis
limitedbyitsbrevity,itsscopeofonlyYAfiction,andisconfinedtoonlyfiveoutof
thesevenHPtitles.
Thestereotypeofthelibrarianinchildren’sliteratureisthefocusofHeylman
(1975),AlexanderandHuggins(2002),Yontz(2003)andPeresieandAlexander
(2005).Noneofthisresearchaddressesthewayinwhichobstructivelibraries
and/orlibrarianscanactuallyenableinformationseekingandproblem-solving
skills.Literatureforyoungpeoplethatfeatureslibrariesandlibrariansoften
16
depictslibrariansasincompetent.However,AgnesGriffen(1987)andMarcia
Myers(1998)arguethatwherelibrariesfeatureinadulttexts,librariansoftendo
not.Thisabsenceofalibrarianpertainstotheviewthattheprofessionis
unnecessaryorsuperfluoustothelibraryanditsadultusers.Librariansthat
featureinadulttextsarestilldepictedstereotypically(Myers1998,p.i),whichis
reflectedbyChristopherShafferandOlgaCasey’smorerecentstudies(2013,p.
39).
InHP,LiraelandSpudMurphy,oppositionbetweenlibrarianswhowanttokeep
libraryresourcesinorder,andyoungpatronswhointendtodisruptsuchorder
throughtheremovalanduseofresources,createsavitaltensionbetweenorder
andknowledge.Seale(2008,n.p.)andRadfordandRadford(1997,p.256)
establishthatinthe‘ideallibrary’,itisthetensionbetweenthegoalofthelibrarian
(tokeeporder)andthegoaloftheuser(todisruptorderbyremoving,mis-
shelvingandborrowingbooks)thatcreatesoppositionandmisunderstanding
(Radford&Radford1997,pp.255-256).SuchobstructionisreflectedinthetextsI
considerinthisthesiswhereobstaclesareplacedbeforetheyoungresearchersin
theirquestforinformation.Yet,theserestrictionscanbeviewedasbeneficial
whentheprotagonistsgainagencythroughproblem-solvingbyseekingout
alternativesourcesofinformation.
Thereissimilarityinhowbothchildren’s/YAfictionandadultliteraturedepict
libraries.Labyrinthineordustylibrariesthatarelifechangingwhentraversedare
alsopresentinadultfictionsuchasElliotPerlman’sThestreetsweeper(2011).
Similarly,theconceptsofcontrollinglibrarianspersistfromchildren’stitlesto
thoseforgrownups,asinUmbertoEco’sThenameoftherose(1983).The
overarchingstereotypesoflibrariesandlibrariansareindeedbothpervasiveand
obligatory.Thestereotypespromotetensionbetweentheestablishmentandthe
protagonist,whichmustbechallenged.Todevelopproblem-solvingskillsand
assistinthehero’sjourney,incrementalchallengesmustbepresentedto
protagonists,particularlyinfantasytexts.
17
ThisIntroductionhasillustratedtheneedforaninvestigationoftheroleof
obstructivelibrariesinliteratureforyoungpeople.Thecurrentscholarship
addressesspecificaspectsofinformationseekinginfictionallibraries,libraryand
librarianstereotypesandobstructivelibrariesandlibrarians.However,thereisa
gapintheliteratureregardingtheresultingstrategiesthatarerefinedbychild
protagoniststocountersuchobstructionincludingtheaccumulationofskillsand
powerthatareacquired.Mythesisisdistinctiveasitcombinesalloftheseaspects
oflibraryandchildren’sliteraturescholarship.Librariesandlibrariansrepresent
symbolsofknowledgeandaredesignatedmotifsofthepowerstrugglebetween
protagonistsandtheestablishment.Theconceptoflibrariesbeingplacesoffear,
humiliationandcathedralsoflearning(Radford&Radford2001,p.299)is
perfectlycontrastedwithinformationseekerstoestablishtensionsbetweenthe
protagonistandtheinstitutionthatsignifiesthesystemtheymustinevitablyfight
against.
Chaptertwowillexaminethefeaturesofobstructivelibrariesinthechosenbooks,
includingPanopticarchitectureandlayout,mysteriousandenchantedlibraries,
andlarge,imposinganddangerouslibraries.Thechapterwillanalysethemethods
thatprotagonistsemploytonegateobstructivelibrariesandattributesthatan
obstructivelibrarycanengenderincharacters.Itwillarguethatproblem-solving
andhigherorderthinkingskillsincludingcriticalthinking,analysisandevaluation,
logicandreasoning,creativethinkingandapplicationtorealworldproblemsare
necessarytocombatobstructivelibrariesandarevitalstepsintheprotagonists’
growth.Thephysicalandintellectualactofsearchingforinformationempowers
theheroesintheirliteralandfigurativequests.
Chapterthreewilldiscussthetropeofthestereotypicallibrarian,employedinthe
textstoobstructtheresearchrequirementsoftheprotagonists.Hyperbolicthemes
suchaswhenthelibrarianisdepictedas‘policeman’,‘witchy’,or‘helpful’and
emotionallyunintelligentlibrarianswillbecontrastedwith‘warrior’librarians.
Thischapterwillproposethatideologiesinthetextsthatrelatetotheagencyand
powerofthecharactersneededtochallengeauthority,encourageself-
determinationandthepursuitofknowledgeandgrowth.
18
ThisthesisaimstoexploretheconceptofBentham’sPanopticon(1843),which
wasderivedanddevelopedbyFoucault(1979).Thelibraryisaninstitutionthat
alsocanalsobealignedwithPanoptictheory,wherearchitectureandsurveillance
areemployedtocontrolthebehaviourofpatrons.Oppositioniscreatedbetween
librariansandpatronswheretheorderofthelibraryandthequestforknowledge
areincontention.Barrierstoknowledge,suchasdifficultlibrariansandimposing
librariesaddresistancetotheyoungperson’ssymbolictransitiontomaturity.
However,librariescanbeprecursorstocircumstanceswhereprotagonistsface
life-threateningsituations,furnishingthemwithaplacewhereskillsmaybetested
andrefinedbeforefacingsuchtreacherousconditions.
19
Chaptertwo.Dustylabyrinths:obstructivelibraries.
Thephysicalstructureofthelibrary,itsarchitectureandlayout,allofwhich
contributetothePanopticon,modifylibraryuse.Childrenandyoungadultsabsorb
informationfromanassortmentoflearningopportunities(Nichols2011,p.165),
andspacesspecificallyprovidedforyoungpeoplewithinalibraryaffecttheir
learningexperience.Theobservationthata‘libraryofstraightanglessuggests
divisionintopartsorsubjects,consistentwiththemedievalnotionofa
compartmentalizedandhierarchicaluniverse’(Manguel2007,p.138)reinforces
theconceptsoforderandhegemonywithinthelibrary.ThisalignswithFoucault’s
Panopticon,where‘mechanismsofpowerthatframetheeverydaylivesof
individuals’areemployedthroughsurveillancetocontrolbehaviour(1979,p.77).
Here,throughthearchitectureandlayoutofthelibrary,thepatronissubjugatedto
thelibraryandlibrarians’dominion.Suchcontrolisenhancedwhenpatronsare
childrenoryoungadults.
Thelibrariesintheselectedtextsassertcontrolinanumberofdifferentways:the
Panopticdesignoflibrariescreatedtoaidsurveillancebyadultsoveryoung
people;physicalandmagicalbarrierstobooksandspecificareaswithinlibraries;
thesheersizeoflibrariesandcollectionsthatareoverwhelmingtonavigate;the
presenceofdangerwithinthelibrary;andconversely,onechildren’slibrary
collectionthatissosmallthatitscarcelycatersforitsyoungpatrons.Allofthe
librariesintheselectedtextsfeatureoneormoreofthedescriptorsprovidedby
RadfordandRadford,whostateintheirstudyoflibraryrepresentationinpopular
culturethat,‘Librariesareunderstoodthroughmetaphorsofcontrol,tombs,
labyrinths,morgues,dust,ghosts,silenceandhumiliation’(2001,p.325).
However,IchallengeRadfordandRadford’sargumentthat‘Themeaningofthe
library…isultimatelydeterminedbythediscourseoffear’(Radford&Radford,
2001,p.325)becausealthoughtheabovemethodsofcontrolcanbeinitially
viewedinanegativemannerwhereadultshavedevelopednumerousmechanisms
torestricttheiryoungpatrons,thesebarriersoftenhaveunexpectedresultswhere
theprotagonistsdevelopagencythroughtheacquisitionofproblem-solvingskills
whentheinformationtheyrequireisnotreadilyaccessible.
20
InSpudMurphy(2004),thefirst-personnarratorWillandhisolderbrotherMarty
aresenttothelocalpubliclibraryduringschoolholidaysastheiroverwrought
parentsaredesperatetofindsomething‘educational’(2004,p.7)fortwooftheir
fivemischievousboystodo.Herethetwoboysencounterthelibrarian,‘Spud
Murphy’,astereotypical‘bunandglasses’typelibrarianwhocontrolstheboys’
accesstothelibrarycollection.However,theboysemployproblem-solvingskills
toevadesuchcontrol.InLirael(2001),Liraelisthefourteen-year-oldfocaliser,
whoresidesinthehistoricalfantasticalKingdomofClayr.Sheisanorphan,andthe
onlywomanoftheClayrnottodevelopthe‘Sight’,theaccomplishmentofSeeing
intothefuture.Thislimitation,andherunusualcomplexionandhaircolourmark
Liraeloutas‘other’.LiraelfindssolaceinherjobasThirdAssistantLibrarianatthe
GreatLibraryofClayr,initiallyseekinginformationfromthelibrarytocommit
suicide.However,curiosityandasenseofadventureresultinLiraelexploringthe
obstructiveandforbiddenareasofthelibrary.TheHPseries(1997-2007)is
wainscotfantasy5andfeaturesthreemaincharacters,Harry,thefocaliser,andRon
andHermione,whoentertheHogwartsSchoolofWitchcraftandWizardryas
studentsatageeleven.Eachofthesevenbooksrelatestooneschoolyearandthe
protagonistsageoneyearperbook.LordVoldemortexecutedHarry’sparentsand
attemptedtomurderHarrywhenHarrywasjustoneyearofage.OnceHarry
arrivesatHogwarts,thethreattohislifefromhisnemesisbecomesstronger,as
doestheurgencyforHarry,as‘thechosenone’todefeatLordVoldemort.The
libraryhasacentralroleinenablingtheprotagonists,particularlyHermione,to
solveproblemsandapplythislearningtotheireverydaylives.Boy(2007)
illustratesthephysicalgrowthofyoungMelvin,thefocaliser,whofrequentsthe
librarywherethelibrariansarehisdefactofamily.However,althoughthe
librariansintendtoassistMelvin,andbyproxy,theotherpatrons,their
‘helpfulness’cultivatesalearnedhelplessness,wherecuriosityiscrushedand
dependenceisfostered.Inthefollowingsectionsinthischapter,Iwillanalysethe
libraryasPanopticon,mysteriousandenchanted,imposing,anddangerous.The
Panopticorganisationofthelibrarycanbeimposing,andcreatesfear,deception
5Wainscotfantasyoccursintherealworld,butappearsunderthesurface,apparentonlytothosewhoareapartofthatfantasyworld(Webb2014,p.77).
21
andtheneedforsubterfuge;patronsmustdevelopclandestineendeavoursto
nullifythepowerofthePanopticlibrary.Therestrictionofaccesstospecificareas
ofthelibraryandinformationestablishesthemysterious,whilethePanopticon
canbedangerousasitfacilitatespowerofaprivilegedgroupoveragroupwith
lesspower.Theobstacleswithinthelibraryandwayinwhichprotagonistsresist
suchobstacleswillalsobeaddressed.
LibraryasPanopticon
Foucault’stheoriesofcontrolthroughtheemploymentofPanopticenvironments
arereflectedwithinthelibrariesindifferingmannersintheselectedtexts.The
layoutandorganisationofLirael’sGreatLibraryofClayr,andthehierarchical
natureofitsmanagementarealldesignedtorepressmostofthosewithin,andas
such,performPanopticfunctionality.Theextensive,strangeandmysteriousGreat
LibraryofClayrisdescribedasbeing‘…shapedlikeanautilusshell…therewere
countlessothercorridors,rooms,hallsandstrangechambers’(2001,pp.60-61).
ThenautilusshellshapeoftheGreatLibraryreflectsthatofPanopticorganisation,
asdoestherevelationthatthelibrarycontainsatleastfivefloors(2001,p.97).The
employmentofcorridorsintheGreatLibrary’sdesignemulatesthedesignwhere
‘Benthamenvisioned…mazelikeconnectionsamongtowerroomstoavoidglints
oflightornoisethatmightbetraythepresenceofanobserver’(Barton&Barton
1993,p.139).AsLiraelistheonlyfemaleofageinClayrwithoutSight,thismotif
reflectsthesurveillancebythoseintheupperechelonsofthehierarchyoverthose
inthelowerranks.ThecircularstaircaseoftheGreatLibraryofClayrillustrates
thatalargesphericalareaoftheLibrarymaybeundersurveillancebyoneperson
(2001,pp.60-61),observingpatronsandstaffmovingfromoneareaofthelibrary
toanother.Thebraceletsthatallowstaffaccesstospecificareasofthelibrary
accordingtotheirplaceinthehierarchy(2001,p.70)arereflectiveofBentham’s
planforPanopticsurveillancethatneededtobevisible,butunverifiable(Bentham
1843).
EvenLirael,anemployeeofthelibrary,iscontrolledinhermovements;
22
‘Dependingonyourworkandpost,it[herenchantedbracelet]willthenopenall
theappropriatedoors’(2001,p.70).‘Appropriate’definestheboundariesbetween
Liraelandthoseattheapexofthehierarchicalstructureofthelibrary,whohave
setthepermissionsinherbraceletaccordingtohertasks.Thismethodof
obstructionandsurveillanceisapparentlyduetoherageandherrank.Thefact
that,‘intheLibrarytherewasstrictdisciplineandachainofcommand’(2001,p.
483)demonstratesjusthowcourageousassistantlibrarianLiraelisinher
searchesofthelibrarythroughoutherteenageyears.Theterm‘strictdiscipline’
conveysasenseofpunishment,while‘chainofcommand’exudesthefeelingofan
iron-cladhierarchythatisnottobechallenged.Further,thechainofcommand
withinthelibraryisexplicitforbothcharactersandreaderasthebrightlycoloured
waistcoatswornbyalllibrarystaffdenotestheirrankingimmediately(2001,pp.
66-67).Foucault’snotionofhierarchieshavingadirectrelationshipwith
surveillanceimpliescontrolandpower(1979,p.281).However,Liraeldoes
challengethesehierarchiessuccessfully,andasaresult,hermagicalabilitiesgrow
asaconsequenceofhercompleteacceptanceofhercuriosity(Lanning2011,p.36)
andhercovertchallengingofthosewhoholdpowerinthelibrary.Here,
obstructivelibrariesfacilitatethehero’squest.EmilyLanningexplainsthatLirael’s
curiosityandexplorationsofthelibraryoverfiveyearsenableknowledgeand
abilitiespreviouslyunseen(2011,p.36).ItisrecognisedthatLiraelhasusedthe
obstructivenatureandlayoutofthelibrarytoheradvantage,asithasenabledher
todevelopherproblem-solvingskillsandmagicalcapacity.
TheGreatLibrary’sholdings,aredescribedasbeing
fulloftheClayr’swrittenrecords…prophesiesandvisions…booksandpapers
fromallovertheKingdom…Scrolls,maps,spells,recipes…weaponsandarmour…
dressmakers’dummies…greenhouses…(2001,pp.60-61)
Thisdenotesaconsiderablecollectionthatresideswithin,suggestingthatlocating
informationmaybedifficultduetotheextentoftheaccumulatedmaterials.
However,thecorridors,rooms,hallsandchambersthatdepartfromthecentral
spiralcreateanaspectofthesecret.Theseroomscannotbeunderthecentralised
supervisionofthefundamentalPanopticlayoutwhichgivesLiraeltheopportunity
tocircumventthesurveillanceofotherlibrarians.However,anotheraspectofthe
23
Panopticonisimprisonment,andthebeastidentifiedasaStilkenisincarcerated
withinthewallsoftheGreatLibrary(2001,p.126),furtheridentifyingtheGreat
Libraryascarceral.
Hierarchicalobservation,orsurveillance,alsooccursinHP’sHogwartslibraryas
wellasinmostclassroomlayoutsthatrequiretheoreticalratherthanpractical
learning.ThealignmentofthePanopticonprisonwithschools(Foucault1979,p.
228),asseeninfigures1and2,showsthatHogwartscompareswithBentham’s
prisonduetoitsrepeateddesignoverseveralfloorsandinwhichstudentsare
constantlyobservedbyghostsandanimatedportraitsthatlinethewalls.The
librarian,MadamPince,isafocalpointofpowerovertherowsofbookshelvesand
studentswithinthelibrary.Thelibrarianiseverwatchfulofthestudents’actions.
AlthoughthemajorityofstudentsareconstrainedbythePanopticlayoutofthe
libraryandcarceral-likedisciplinarymethods,Harry,andtoalesserextent,Ron
andHermione,challengemanyoftherestrictionsthatfaceotherstudents.Harry
accessesthelibraryoutofhourswhenheisgivenaninvisibilitycloakbythe
Headmaster,whileHermionesecuresanotefromateacherallowingher
permissiontoaccesstheRestrictedSectionunderfalsepretences.
InSpudMurphy,thePanopticnotionofquarantiningandcorrallingchildrenintoa
smallareaforeffortlesssurveillance,aswhentheboysareinstructedthatthey
must‘stayinthejuniorsectionofthelibrary’(2004,p.25),isexplicit.Confinement
andexclusionaremethodsofdiscipline,controlandpower(Foucault1979,p.
198),addingspatialapproachestothearchitecturalpowerofthePanopticon.
Further,thePanopticinfluenceontheboysisdemonstratedwhenWillbegins
speaking‘likeanarmycadet’(2004,p.25).ThemetaphorofWillactinglikean
armycadet,thelowestoftheranks,isoneofbeingcontrolledandunderstrict
ordersbythehierarchy.
ThethemeofthePanopticorderofthelibrarybeingcomparedtothearmyisalso
reflectedinBoywhere:
Everythinghaditsplaceinthelibrary,andMelvinlikeditthat
way.Hisfavoritebookswerealwaysintheirplaces,linedupon
24
theshelveslikesoldiers.Andhisfavoritepeoplewerealwaysintheirplaces,
behindthereferencedesk(2007,n.p.).
Theuseofthesimilecomparingbookstosoldiersevokesthefeelingofstrictorder
andcontrolofthelibrary.Itisclearthatthislibraryiswell-ordered,predictable
andorganised,withthetextmatchingtheillustrationstoconfirmthe‘truth’ofthis.
ThelibrariesinHP,LiraelandSpudMurphyareallunhelpful.However,thelibrary
thatpurportstobehelpfulinBoy,demonstratesjusthowcontrollingand
Panopticon-likeevena‘helpful’librarycanbe.InFigure3,thefrontcover
illustratesawistfulyoungboywithglasses,lookingoutfrombetweenthelibrary
shelveswherenon-fictiongardeningbooksreside.Thismetaphorofaboygrowing
andbeingnurturedinthelibraryiscomparabletoaplantfeaturedinthe
gardeningbooksandhisHarryPotter-styleglassesevokethoughtsofaninquiring
andpowerfulboy.However,itcanalsobeseenthattheboyhasbeensubjectedto
classificationasheisjustanotheriteminthelibrary.Heissurroundedandbound
bythehighlyorganisedbooksandbookshelves,creatingatypeofprisonthatbinds
hisgrowthandintellectualfreedom.Thebookscouldbelikenedtobarsona
prisondoor,withtheboymournfullypeeringoutontofreedom.Thisevokesthe
conceptofPanopticorganisationthatcontrolsandregulatestheboy,andis
reinforced,asNodelmanandReimer(2003,p.282)identify,bythefactthatin
picturebooks,‘angular’shapesarecorrelatedto‘rigidityandorderliness’.
Figure3.ThecoverofTheboywhowasraisedbylibrarians,illustratedbyBradSneed.
25
Initially,theLivingstoneLibraryinBoyappearstocompletelycontradictthe
Panopticonsystem.Thechildren’ssectionofthelibraryisillustratedonthefirst
page,wheretheprotagonist,Melvin,isintroduced.Theareaiscolourful,with
booksshelvedatchild-levelforeasyaccess.Thebrightareaisattractive,yet
Melvinistheonlychildusingthisspace.Theillustrationsfeaturewarmcolours
andgivesthelibraryanappearanceofcalm.
Figure4.Thechildren'ssectioninTheboywhowasraisedbylibrarians,illustratedbyBradSneed.
However,asseeninfigure4,thechildren’sareaisimmaculatelyorderedandthree
librarianswho,infigure5,sitatacirculardeskwithotherareasofthelibrary
radiatingoutfromthiscounter,correspondstoPanopticcontrol,order,
organisationandsurveillance.
26
Figure5.Thelibrarians’deskinTheboywhowasraisedbylibrarians,illustratedbyBradSneed.
Althoughthelibrarianshavetheirbacksturnedtothereader,whichcreatesan
illusionoftheirinattentiontopatrons,theirswivelchairsenableunpredictable
andrapidchangeintheiroutlook.Thus,theconceptofthePanopticonis
reinforcedaspatronsmustassumethattheyareundersurveillanceatalltimes.
HierarchicalobservationofpatronsisenabledthroughPanopticlibrarydesigns
andlayoutsineachoftheselectedtexts.However,anumberoftheprotagonists
recognisetheimportanceofinformationandknowledge,andtheydevelopthe
couragetochallengethemechanismofcontrol,resultingintheacquisitionof
knowledgeandagency.
Themysteriousandenchantedlibrary
Areasofthelibrarythatdenyaccesstopatronsnaturallybecomemysterious,and
assuch,desirableplacestoexplore.WillimaginesthebooksinSpudMurphy’s
libraryareanimated(2004,p.21),andheandMartydreamof‘havingtheguts’
(2004,p.58)toexaminetheadultsectionofthelibrary.
ThelibrariesinLiraelandHPsharemanysimilarities.Asbotharefromthefantasy
genre,thetropeofthemysteriousandenchantedlibraryisshared.Magical
elementswithinthelibrariesincludebarrierstoinformationsuchasropes,doors
anddangerousbeasts.TheGreatLibraryofClayrholdsunusualandsecretive
elements,‘roomsoftotaldarkness,swallowingup…anyonefoolishenoughto
enter…’(2001,p.61).Librarybooksarealsooftenenchanted.Lirael’sdiscoveryof
IntheSkinofaLyon(2001,pp.149-150)andTheBookofRemembranceand
Forgetting(2001,p.265)demonstratethepowerofmagicalbookswherethey
mutateandevolvedependingonthepowerandneedofthereader(2001,p.265).
LiraelencountersareasoftheGreatLibrarysectionedoffbyrope:‘Shehadalways
hankeredtoenterthedoorstheypassed,tostepacrosstheredropebarriersthat
markedcorridorsortunnelswhereonlyauthorisedlibrariansmightpass’(2001,
27
p.61).ThebarrierswithintheLibraryprovetobemysterioustoLirael,andthusin
needofinvestigating.Lirael’sattractiontoopeningthedoorissignificantasadoor
isadevicethatdefinestheboundarybetweenworlds(Nikolajeva1988,p.76)and
Liraeliseagertonegotiateboundaries.Adoorwayisalsoamechanismthat
representsthedelineationofchild-andadulthood.Theropemarkingthearea
whereaccessisdeniedisnotastrongphysicalobstacle,ratheritissymbolic,asit
canbeassumedinafantasytexttherewouldbemagicalspellsaccompanyingthe
physicalboundaries.BurekPiercenotesthattheGreatLibraryhas‘magicthat
restrictsandpermitsaccesstothelibrary’smanyvenues’(2004,p.76).Although
notspecified,itmaybeassumedthattheChiefLibrarian,attheveryleast,would
bepermittedtoaccessallareasoftheLibrary.Thus,thequestionmaybeposed
whetheraccessisrestrictedbasedonage,skill,oracertainlevelofemploymentin
thelibrary.Asmostlibraryemployeesprogressthroughtheranksofassistant
librarianataslowerpacethanLirael(hercuriosityandagencyhasexpeditedher
promotionfromthirdtosecondassistantlibrarian),thenitappearsthataccessis
deniedprimarilyduetoayoungage,whichreinforcestheconceptofhierarchical
controlandpower.
TheHogwartslibraryisdescribedas‘veryeerie’(PS,p.151),whileseveralbooks
intheHogwartslibrary‘containpowerfulDarkMagicnevertaughtatHogwarts’
(PS,p.146).Somelibrarytitleswhispertopatrons(PS,p.151)andidentifythose
whoaretrespassing.OtherbooksfromtheRestrictedSectionscreamwhenopened
(PS,p.151),seeminglywithoutateacher’spermission(PS,p.145).Inhisfirstyear,
HarryPotteraccessestheRestrictedSection,which‘wasrightatthebackofthe
library’(PSp.151)lateonenight,andassuch,avoidsthelibrarian,simplyby
enteringthelibraryand‘Steppingcarefullyovertheropewhichseparatedthese
booksfromtherestofthelibrary…’(PSp.151).Beinglocatedattherearofthe
libraryensurestheRestrictedSectionisinconspicuousandalthoughagain
primarilysymbolicasinLirael,theropeprovidingabarriercouldbemagicaland
thusdangerous.
AsmagicempowerstheyoungcharactersinLiraelandHP,theinstitutionswithin
whichtheyresidearechargedwiththetaskofrepressingthem(Trites2001,p.
28
475).Suchrestrictionsandbarrierstoinformationcanbeidentifiedasasymbolof
thepoweroftheadultandtheestablishmentoverthechild.However,theconcept
that‘Inalmosteveryadolescentnovel,someinstitutionexiststhatsimultaneously
increasesanddecreasesadolescents’senseoftheirownpower’(Trites2001,p.
475),decreesthattheremustbeanavenueforyoungpeopletolearnandgrow,
andthus,theobstructivelibraryprovidesbothanimpedimentto,andan
opportunityfor,developingpower.
Imposinglibraries
ThelargeGreatLibraryofClayrisbothabountyandahindranceinLirael.Lirael’s
lackofSight,ametaphoricalblindness,setsheronajourneywhereshemust
insteadbecomeaseekerofinformation.AstheoldestClayrgirlwithouttheSight,
shefeelsextremelyoutofplaceandisolated.Thisisillustratedbythedescription
ofLiraelstandingout‘likeapallidweedamonghealthyflowers’(2001,p.14).The
useofsimileintheabovepassagelikeningLiraeltoaweednotonlymarksherout
as‘other’,butassomethingthatisugly,uselessandunwanted.Herwaytosolve
thisproblemistocommitsuicide(2001,pp.24-25).Liraelknowsthatcommitting
suicidewillneedplanningandaspecialspelland‘She’dhavetosearchtheGreat
Libraryforsuchaspell,andthatsortofmagicwouldbelockedawaybycharmand
key’(2001,p.25).ThissentenceinitiallyidentifiesthatthelibraryofClayrisa
specialone;a‘GreatLibrary’,withcapitalisationemphasisingitsimportance.The
useoftheadjectivegreatcouldmeanlarge,orimportant,orboth.Thus,before
anythingelseaboutthelibraryisrevealed,itisexplicitthatitplaysanimportant
roleintheKingdomofClayr.ItislateridentifiedthattheGreatLibraryhas
extensiveandvariedcollections(2001,pp.60-61)andappealstoscholars(2001,
p.71).
TheresourcesintheGreatLibraryofClayrareoftendifficulttolocateduetothe
sizeofthelibraryanditscollections:
Many[ofthechamberswithintheGreatLibrary]werefulloftheClayr’swritten
records,mainlydocumentingtheprophesiesandvisionsofmanygenerationsof
29
seers.ButtheyalsocontainedbooksandpapersfromallovertheKingdom(2001,
pp.60-61).
Sabriel,theAbhorsen,themostpowerfulpersonintheOldKingdom,notesthat
…whiletheykeepeverythinginthatGreatLibraryoftheirs,[they]rarelyfind
anythingusefulinit…Ishouldliketolooktheremyself,butthatisataskthat
wouldtakemonths,ifnotyears’(2001,p.299).
Thispassageisnotableforitsreferencetoalibrarycollectionsolargeand
unwieldythatitisrendereduselesstoSabriel,asthesheerlengthoftimeasearch
ofsuchanextensivecollectionwouldtakemakesdiscoveringthedesired
informationimpossible.However,itisthesizeoftheLibrarythatfacilitates
Lirael’ssearches,adventuresandself-reliance.
AlthoughthelibraryintheHPseriesdoesnothavetheextensivenumberof
chambersthattheGreatLibraryofClayrhas,itisneverthelessportrayedas
voluminous;‘…thesheersizeofthelibrary;tensofthousandsofbooks;thousands
ofshelves;hundredsofnarrowrows’(PSp.145)makesitdifficultforstudent
researcherstolocatetheinformationtheyrequire.ComparabletothatinLirael,
thesizeoftheHogwartslibraryisoverwhelmingforusers,demonstratedbythe
useoftheadjective‘sheer’andtherepeateduseofnumericalidentifiersforbooks,
shelvesandrows.Similarly,theissueoforganisationwithintheHogwartslibrary
tendstodemonstratethatthearrangementofthebooksfollowsnoknownsystem,
noronethatcanbeinterpretedbytheyoungprotagonists.Here,thecontrolofthe
libraryoverHarryPotterandhisfriendsisexplicit.
ConsideringthatHermioneisawell-readstudent,shewouldlikelyhavehad
previousaccesstolibraries,bothschoolandpublic,andwouldunderstandhow
librariesarearranged.Yet,she,HarryandRonspendmonthssearchingfor
informationinthelibraryinPS:“‘EversinceyoumentionedNicolasFlamel,we’ve
beentryingtofindoutwhoheis…Wemust’vebeenthroughhundredsofbooks
alreadyandwecan’tfindhimanywhere…’”(PSp.145).Thisidentifiesthe
difficultythestudentshaveinlocatingtheinformationtheyrequire.Theterm‘ever
since’indicatesthesearchhasbeenconductedoverlongperiodoftime,‘hundreds
ofbooks’quantifiesthesizeoftheirsearch,while‘can’tfindhimanywhere’
30
denotesthefrustrationwiththeorganisation(orlackthereof)ofthelibrary.
HermionealsohasdifficultydiscoveringherdesiredinformationinCoS,“‘Ithink
she’stryingtoreadthewholelibrarybeforeChristmas”’…(CoSp.112),‘Hermione
emergedfrombetweenthebookshelves.Shelookedirritable…’(CoSp.112).The
conceptthattheonlywayofdiscoveringtherequiredinformationinthelibraryis
toreadeverybookin‘thewholelibrary’identifiesthelibraryasaversetoassisting
studentsintheirquestforknowledge,whileHermione’sirritabilitydenotesthat
sheisaccustomedtolocatinginformationquickly.Thissceneislocatedaround
Halloween,however,itisnotuntilMaythefollowingyear(CoSp.210,p.211)that
Hermioneeventuallyfindstheinformationsherequires(CoSp.215).Thelengthof
timeandarduousnessinlocatinginformationreinforcesthelibraryasalargeand
difficultplacetonavigate.Thus,themechanismofcontrolofthelibraryactsasan
obstacletoyoungpeopleseekinginformation,althoughduetopatienceand
diligence,thesebarriersareeventuallyovercomebyHermione.
Figure6.TheexterioroftheLivingstoneLibraryinTheboywhowasraisedbylibrarians,illustratedbyBradSneed.
ThesizeofthelibrarycollectioninBoyisnotexplicit,however,asshowninfigure
6,thebuildingitselfiscommanding,bothinsizeandarchitecture.Itsentrance,
withitsconcretestepssymbolisingthataccessmaybedifficultforsomemembers
ofthecommunity,alignswiththeconceptthat‘librarybuildingsarerichin
31
symbolismandmeaning’(BiandoEdwards,Rauseo&Unger2013,n.p.)because
theyare‘physicalcontainersforasociety’ssharedknowledge,historical
documents,andacademicmusings’(McKeough2013,n.p.).Heretheparallelsto
thelargeandintimidatinglibrariesinLiraelandHPareexplicit,eventhoughthe
fantasyelementsareabsent.
InSpudMurphy,thelibrarytheboysenterisalsorenderedasalargeone,asit‘…
seemedtogoonforever.Rowafterrowofwoodenbookshelves,boltedtothefloor
atthebottomandtheceilingatthetop’(2004,pp.21-22).Thesymbolismofthe
libraryshelvesbeingboltedtothefloorandceilingevokesasenseofimmovability
andinflexibility;herethelibraryseemsasfixedasitsshelves.Therenderingofthe
libraryasbeinglarge,coupledwiththeexplanationthattheboyshadtoenterthe
librarybyclimbingthe‘concretesteps’(2004,p.17),reflectsthemajesticlibrary
entranceinBoy.However,theinsignificantsectiondemarcatedforchildreninSpud
MurphyisininverseproportionstothelibrariesinHPandLirael.Nevertheless,
thelibraryisobstructivetoMartyandWill,asthechildren’ssection‘wasactuallya
singleboxshelfwithfourrowsofbooks.Onthegroundbeforeitwasasmallpatch
ofworncarpet’(2004,p.26).Theuseoftheadverb‘actually’denotestheharsh
realityofthesituation,whiletheterm‘single’announcesthelimitedscopeofthe
bookstheboysareentitledtoread.The‘small’‘patch’of‘worncarpet’again
impliesthetinycapacityofthechildren’ssection,alongwiththeneglectedand
unappealingareaforchildrentositandread.Thisdescriptionoftheextentofthe
children’ssectionmatchestheillustrationinfigure7,whichdemonstratesthe
hindrancetotheboys’readingselection.Thus,librariesthatareoverwhelmingly
large,andthosewhosecollectionsareminute,areequallycontrolling.
32
Figure7.Theextentofthechildren’ssectioninThelegendofSpudMurphy,illustratedbyTonyRoss.
Obstaclesinthelibrary
ObstaclestodiscoveringinformationinthelibrariesfeaturedinHP,Lirael,Spud
MurphyandBoycanbealignedwithFoucault’sconceptsofobstaclesactingasa
formofpunishment(1979,p.107).Here,theideathatobstaclesarerequiredto
disciplinethosewhoarenotinpositionsofpowerisfoundtobeexplicitwithinthe
texts.TheGreatLibraryofClayrinLiraelhasnoelectricityoraccesstotechnology
(Nix2001,pp.160-161),comparabletotheentireHogwartsSchoolofWitchcraft
andWizardry(GoFpp.475-476).Bothlibrariesrepresenttraditionallibraries
beforetheadventofcomputersandtheInternet,thustherearenocomputer
cataloguestoassistinsearches,orwebsitestoaccessoreBookstoreadinstantly.
Correspondingly,MaynardandMcKennanotetherenderingofthelibraryinSpud
Murphyisalso‘serious’and‘old-fashioned’(2005,p.125),withthedepictionofa
cardcatalogueandnoevidenceofcomputers(2005,pp.125-126).Suchtradition
correlatestotheneedformanualsearchesofthe(ifavailable)cataloguesand
shelves.Thiscanprovetobeanobstacleasthetimeneededtosearchismuch
greaterthanthatifInternetaccessoreBookswereavailable.
33
InLirael,whenitisrevealedthattheeponymousprotagonistneedsinformationto
learnhowtocommitsuicide,itisacknowledgedthatsomebooksareremoved
fromthegeneralcollection,‘lockedaway’bytwomeans;‘charmandkey’(2001,p.
25).SuchobstaclestoinformationensurethatLirael’splannedsuicidemustwait
untiltheinformationisprocured.Thecensoringofinformationthroughthe
removalorlockingawayofparticularitemsfromthecollectionisanimpediment
totheprotagonists.However,thishindranceispositiveinthisinstance,becauseif
Liraelhaddiscoveredtheinformationsherequired,shepresumablywouldhave
beensuccessfulinkillingherself.Thisreinforcestheconceptofthedangersof
someformsofinformation.
Further,Liraeldiscoversthat‘TherewerebestiariesintheLibrary,sheknew,but
findingandgettingaccesstothemcouldbeaproblem’(2001,p.95).Theuseofthe
terms‘findingandgettingaccess’denotesthatdiscoveringthelocationof
resourcescanbeproblematic,evenforastaffmember.Oncefound,though,
accessingtheitemmayposefurtherproblems,assomeitemsarechainedand
cannotberemovedorusedwithoutalibrarian’sknowledge.Thelibraryisfurther
illustratedasexplicitlyobstructive,particularlywhenLiraelmustlearnhowto
stopadangerousbeingfromescapingintothemainareasofthelibraryandthus
posingathreattotheClayr;
Withinaweek,shemanagedtosecretlyobtaincopiesofOntheMakingofSendings
andSuperiorSendingsinSeventyDays,asTheMakingandMasteryofMagical
Beingsprovedtoodifficulttospiritoutofitslockedcase.Thebestiariesproved
troublesometoo,asalltheonesshecouldfindwerechainedtotheirshelves.She
dippedintothemwhennoonewasaround,butwithoutimmediatesuccess.
Clearly,itwouldtakesometimetofindoutexactlywhatthecreaturewas.(2001,
p.107)
Theuseoftheadverb‘secretly’revealsthatalthoughtheinformationisrestricted
fromLirael,shemanagestofindawaytoprocureit.Theword‘spirit’denotesthe
lightnessoftouchneededtoremoveabook,anditis,inthisinstance,toodifficult
forLirael,assheisstillintheprocessoflearningtheartofmagic.The‘chained’
booksdenoteanarchaicandmedievallibraryinwhichmanybookswereattached
toshelvingandaccesslimited(Murray2012,p.39),thenoiseofthemovingchain
34
alertinglibrarianstotheiruse.ThisrecallsthePanopticorganisationofthelibrary,
whereobservationandrestrictingaccesstoinformationarekeystocontrol.The
employmentoftheadverb‘clearly’demonstratesthattheinformationisnot
readilyavailable.Lirael’slackofimmediatesuccessandthe‘seventy-threedays
beforeshefoundabestiarythattoldherwhatthecreaturewas’(2001,p.108),
indicatesherengagementwithovercomingobstaclesintheLibrary.Thefactthat
thenarratorexplicatesthenumberofdaysittookLiraeltolocatetherequired
informationspecifiesthelevelofcomplicationthelibraryplacesbeforeher:‘In
thosetenweeksofworry,studyandpreparation,shehadsearchedthrougheleven
bestiaries’(2001,p.108).TherepetitionofthelengthoftimeLiraelsearchesfor
theinformationdemonstratesthatsheisapersistentandresilientproblem-solver.
Further,therepetitioususeofnounstodescribehergroundworkdetailsthe
complexityofhertask.
TheHogwartslibrary’sRestrictedSection(PSp.145)andthecompleteremovalof
booksdeemedinappropriatefromthelibrary(DHp.88)intheHPseriesis
reflectiveoftherestrictionsintheGreatLibraryofClayr.Thereareseveralfamiliar
elementsinplacetorendertheHogwartslibraryobstructive.Youngerstudentsare
restrictedinthematerialtheymayborrowfromthelibrary(PSp.146),onlythose
whoare‘olderstudentsstudyingAdvancedDefenceAgainsttheDarkArts’(PSp.
146)mayborrowfreelyfromthelibrary.Studentsinyearsonetosixaredenied
admittancetothe‘RestrictedSection’ofthelibrarywithoutanotefromateacher.
Theconceptthat‘Bookscanbemisleading,’(CoSp.220),declaredbyauthorand
teacherProfessorLockhart,isafurtherexampleofobstaclestoinformation.The
needtoemploycriticalevaluationskillswhenpresentedwithinformationthatis
potentiallyfalseandevendamagingisovert.Althoughitistruethattitleslocated
intheRestrictedSectioncontain‘powerfulDarkMagicnevertaughtatHogwarts’
(PSp.198),Harryandhisfriendssavethelivesofothersduetotheinformation
theydiscoverintheRestrictedSection,bookstheyarenotmeanttoaccess.
WhilebothLiraelandHarryencounterphysicalandmagicalboundariestotheir
questforinformation,MartyandWill,thebrothersinSpudMurphy,ahumorous
butrealisticstory,findthebarrierstobepurelyphysical.OnceWillandMartyhave
35
readthesmallcollectionoftitlesinthechildren’ssectionandaredesperatefor
morereadingmaterials,theybegintodevisewaysofgainingaccesstoresources
thataren’tdesignatedforthem.(2004,pp.58-61).Thiscollaborativeproblem-
solvingandagency,enabledthroughtheobstructiontothewidevarietyof
resourcesheldinthelibrary,allowstheboysentrytoadiversecollectionofbooks.
Althoughtheboysareobservedbreakingtherules,andthusseizedbySpud
Murphy,theiruseofcollaborativeproblem-solvingduetoanobstructivelibraryis
ultimatelyrewarded.ThelibrariangrantsWillanadultlibrarycard,entitlinghim
toenteranysectionofthelibraryandtoborrowanybookthelibrariandeems
appropriate.Althoughthereisstillanelementofcensorshippresent,thewayin
whichtheboyssolvetheirproblemandquestiontheobstructivenessofthelibrary
resultsinWillgainingaccesstothemajorityofthematerialslocatedinthelibrary.
Thelibraryengendersproblem-solvingandagencypurelyinrelationtoits
obstructiveness.
However,aswithFoucault’sconceptofobstaclesasnecessary,heidentifiesthat
barriersmustbetemporary:
Thepenaltytransforms,modifies,establishessigns,arrangesobstacles.Whatuse
woulditbeifithadtobepermanent?Apenaltythathadnoendwouldbe
contradictory:alltheconstraintsthatitimposesontheconvictandofwhich,
havingbecomevirtuousoncemore,hewouldneverbeabletotakeadvantage,
wouldbelittlebetterthantorture;andtheeffortmadetoreformhimwouldbeso
muchtroubleandexpenselostbysociety(1979,p.107).
Similarly,impedimentswithinthelibrariesinHP,LiraelandSpudMurphyare
transitory.Theobstaclescanbeevadedduetotheagencyandproblem-solving
skillsoftheprotagonists.However,inBoy,itappearsthattheobstaclesfacing
Melvin,wheretheycanneverbeovercome,willformakindoftorture(Foucault
1979,p.107).Foucaultidentifiespunishmentthatisperpetualdoesnot
rehabilitate,butinsteadbecomesasourceoflosstosociety,wherethepunished
areunabletoreconstructthemselvesandtheirlives(1979,p.107).Fromthemid-
pointofBoy,whenMelvinisinthefirstgrade,hestopsthinkingforhimselfand
conversingwiththelibrarians.Hisinteractionswiththelibrarianstaketheformof
themdirectinghimandreadingtohim.Hisvoicedoesnotappearagaininthetext
36
untilheisanadult,agraduatelibrarian.Hisnaturalcuriosity,evidentpreviously,
isnowextinguished,formingatorturousafflictiontohispersonalityandgrowth.
AlthoughtheobstaclestoinformationinHP,LiraelandSpudMurphyare
conquered,Melvinisunabletooverthrowthoseinhiscircumstances.Melvin,asa
veryyoungboy,isunabletochallengethecontrolofthelibraryandlibrarians.As
explicatedbythetitleofBoy,thelibrariansareMelvin’sdefactofamily,andhis
needfortheirloveoverpowershisinformationneeds.
DangerousLibraries
Dangerouslibrariesaresymbolicofthepoweroftheprivilegedgroupoverothers.
InLirael,theHPstoriesandSpudMurphy,librariesareacknowledgedasdangerous
places.TheGreatLibraryofClayrcontains‘dangerousthingsanddangerous
knowledge’(2001,p.61),whileinHP,somelibraryholdingsaredetermined
treacherous,andthuslocatedintheRestrictedSection.Further,allbookswith
referencestoHorcruxeshavebeencompletelyremovedfromtheHogwartslibrary,
unavailableevenintheRestrictedSection(HBPp.357).SpudMurphy’slibraryisa
placeoffear(2004,pp.8-11,pp.17-20)andpunishment(2004,p.43).These
depictionsallreinforceRadfordandRadford’sidentificationoflibrariesasplaces
offear(2001,p.303).ByusingFoucault’sconceptsofcontrolanddiscipline,they
equatethelibrarywiththeprison,basedontheirshared‘inscrutablerulesof
behaviour’(Radford&Radford2001,p.303).Thelibraryanditseffectonits
patronsinBoy,personifiedbyMelvin,contrastswithSpudMurphy’slibrary;while
stillbeingclassifiedandmethodicallyarranged,itprovidesthestimulationand
opportunityfortheboystofavourablychallengethePanopticlayout.Thelibraryin
BoyisthecompleteoppositetothosedepictedinHP,SpudMurphyandLirael.A
highlyorganisedandostensiblyhelpfullibraryisunabletoprovideachallengeto
Melvintoprocurehisowninformationanddevelopproblem-solvingskillsashe
matures,whereasthelibrariesinHPandLiraelcontributetotheprotagonists’
agency,astheirneedforinformationengendersknowledgeandskillspreviously
unattainable.Thus,theconceptofthelibrarybeing‘ultimatelydeterminedbythe
discourseoffear’(Radford&Radford,2001,p.325)canbedisputed.
37
HarryPotterdiscoversthatsomeofthebookshousedinthelibrarynotonly
containdangerousideas,butarealsophysicallythreatening.Abookscreamsat
him(PSp.151),implyingviolenceorhorror.EvenafterHarryisabletodiscovera
waytoaccesstheRestrictedSectionofthelibrary,therealobstructionsinthis
instancearethebooksthemselves,assomeareinunrecognisablelanguagesand
unabletobeunderstoodandotherscouldnotbeopened(PSp.151).Thistheme
impliesthepotentialdangerofbooksandinformation,whichprovidesalessonto
thetrioonbecomingmorecriticalseekersofinformation.
AswithHarry,MartyandWill,Liraelalsohasdifficultyacquiringtheinformation
shecraves.WhileexploringasectionoftheGreatLibrary,shemistakenly
unleashesadangerouscreature(2001,p.86).ItisacknowledgedbyLiraelthatshe
isresponsibleforallowingsuchatreacherousbeingtothreatenthesafetyand
wellbeingofthelibrarystaff.Althoughaccidentallyreleased,theStilkenthreatens
thesafetyofLirael’scolleagues.Despitethelibrarybeingacceptedasadangerous
locationtowork,Liraelisdeterminedtosolelycorrecttheproblemthatsheherself
created.Herdevelopingknowledgeofthelibraryassistsherindetermininghowto
solvethisparticularproblem,resultinginaself-reliancethatassistshergrowth.
Resistingtheobstructivelibrary
TheprotagonistsinHP,LiraelandSpudMurphydisplayproblem-solvingskills,
resilienceandagencywhendevisingmethodstoovercomeobstaclestotheir
informationneeds.Harryandhisfriendsoftenreturntothelibrary,although‘they
hadalmostgivenuphopeofeverfinding[informationaboutNicolas]Flamelina
librarybook…’(PSp.158).Theirpersistenceinseekinginformationisrewarded
when,onthisoccasion,thestudentsdiscoverinformationregardingNicolasFlamel
onthereverseofachocolatefrogcard(PSp.160),anitemdesignedforchildren,
ratherthanalibrarybookwrittenandselectedbyanadult.Thisoccurswhenthe
studentsbroadentheirsearchforinformationduetothebarriersthelibrary
provides.Theiragencyandproblem-solvingskillsensurethattheynowrecognise
38
thattherearemultipleareasofaccesstoinformation,asrequiredfortheirquests.
Liraelnegotiatestheobstructionsofthelibrarybybreakingthespellofhercharm
bracelettoaccessareasinthelibrarysheisunauthorisedtoenter(2001,p.71).
Similarly,whensheisfacingadversityinunearthinginformationinordertodefeat
thebeingsheunwittinglyunleashedintheGreatLibrary,itispurelytenacityand
serendipitythatleadshertotheinformationregardingtheStilken(BurekPierce
2004,p.77).Whilethesomewhatrandomandserendipitousnatureofthe
accessibilityofinformationwithinthevariouslibrariesishighlighted,itisLirael’s
convictionthatshemustsolvetheproblemoftheStilkenherself,without
surrenderingherself-determinationtoadults(BurekPierce2004,p.77),that
demonstratesherdevelopingagency.SuchforaysassistLiraelin‘definingherself’
(Campbell2014,p.220),andheridentityisforgedthroughsuchexperiences
(Danehy2007,p.82).Crucially,thisagencyhasreplacedherdesiretocommit
suicide.
SpudMurphy’sWillandMartyalsoconstructthesolutiontotheirproblemof
accessingwiderreadingmaterialswithoutadultintervention,byremovingtheir
shoesandsneakingintothelibraryproper.Eschewingtheassistanceoflibraries
andlibrariansatimportantjuncturesinHP,LiraelandSpudMurphydemonstrates
theyoungpeople’schallengetolibrariesthat‘guardandcontrol’(Radford&
Radford1997,pp.260-261)andlibrarianswhopresentas‘gatekeepers’(Burek
Pierce2004,p.79).However,thesecontrols,perhapsironically,animateLirael,
Harry,RonandHermione,andWillandMartytoseektheinformationtheyrequire
fromvariedsourcesthatresultsinthedevelopmentoftheirskillsinproblem-
solving.Theseprotagonistsevadetherepressiondesignedbyadults,intheformof
surveillanceandphysicalandmagicalbarriers,toregulatetheiraccessto
informationandknowledge.Harry,Lirael,andWillandMartypushtheboundaries
regardingobstaclestoinformationthatthelibrariespresenttothem.Liraellearns
toaddelementstohermagicalbracelettoenableaccesstoforbiddenareasofthe
library.Harryandhisfriendsundertakeindependentresearchthatincludesthe
increasinglyskilfulquestioningofothers.WillandMartyphysicallyevadethe
barriersdesignedtocontainthemandtheirinformationneeds.Theseprotagonists
39
areallrewardedfortheirattemptsinvaryingways.
Itisnoticeable,though,thatBoydiffersfromHP,LiraelandSpudMurphy,asMelvin
isunabletochallengethebarrierstohisinformationneeds.Thisisanexampleof
howawell-orderedlibraryleadstothecrushingofcuriosityandthedenialof
higher-orderthinkingskills.Melvinwasanintelligentandcuriousyoungboywho
hadmanyandvariedinterestswhenhefirstbeganvisitingthelibrary.AsIwill
discussinchapterthree,Melvin’slackofspeechformuchofhisyouthsymbolises
thathebecomesaproductofthecontrollinglibraryandhefailstorealisethatthe
completecontrolthelibraryexertsstifleshisintellectualgrowthandself-
determination.
Thischapterhasdemonstratedthatforprotagonists,obstacleswithinlibrariesare
important,astheneedtodevelopproblem-solvingskillsisrequiredtoovercome
them.Higher-orderthinkingskills,includingcriticalthinking,analysisand
evaluation,logicandreasoning,creativethinkingandapplicationtorealworld
problemsarenecessarytocombatobstructivelibraries.Theabilitytoacquire
informationindifficultcircumstancestransformsthisinformationintoknowledge,
whichsubsequentlyleadstoagencyandpower.Allofthesemethodsare
interrelatedandarevitalstepsintheprotagonists’growth.Theactofsearchingfor
informationempowerstheheroesintheirquest.BoyisdifferentiatedfromHP,
LiraelandSpudMurphyasMelvinisunabletoundertaketheeffortsrequiredto
challengetheobstaclesinhisspecificlibrary.Chapterthreewilladdressthewayin
whichlibrariansprovidefurtherbarrierstotheaccessofinformation.
40
Chapterthree.‘"Isaid,whatdoyouwant?"’:obstructivelibrarians.ThestereotypicallibrariantropethatisemployedinHP,SpudMurphy,andtoa
degree,LiraelandBoy,ispejorative.However,itispurposelyappliedinthetexts
forliteraryreasonsandplotdevelopment,givingprotagonistsasafeplacetotest
theiragency.Althoughlibrarieshavebeenproventobedangerousplaces,theyare
saferthantheoutsideworldforHarryPotterandLirael,atleast.Radfordand
Radford(2001,pp.324-325)claimthatlibrarianstereotypesareneededasthey
areeasilyrecognisedbythemasses,wherethe‘culturalcode’oflibrariesand
librariansensurestheirrecognition(Radford&Radford2001,pp.324-325).While
itistruethatseveralfeaturedlibrariansarethepersonificationofthecontrolof
accesstoknowledge,thereiscertainlycauseforanalysingtheoutcomesofsuch
hindrancetoinformationamenityinchildren’sandYAliterature.Thelibrariansin
LiraelandSpudMurphyareshowntobesubversivetodifferingdegrees;librarians
areultimatelyrenderedaswarriorsinLirael,andostensibly‘librarypoliceman’
SpudMurphyrelaxeslibraryrulesforregulation-breaking.However,thereis
tensioninthetextswheretheappearanceisthatheroescanchallengeexisting
ideologies.Whatisleftunquestioned,though,isthatthemajorityofchild
charactersareunabletoconfrontandnegotiatesuchpower.
Theindividualcanbesubjectedtopowerbyothersthroughnon-violentandsubtle
means(Foucault1979,p.26).Thiscanbealignedwiththewayinwhichlibrarians
obstructyoungpeople’saccesstoinformationandknowledgeinHP,Lirael,Spud
MurphyandBoy.Ifthisobstructionisdeliberateandformsatypeofcensorship,in
whichresourcesareunattainableandpeopleneedtoprovetheyareworthyto
accessinformation,itisproblematic.Censorshipcantakemanyforms,butcanbe
distilledas‘…actionswhichsignificantlyrestrictfreeaccesstoinformation’
(Moody2005,p.139).Alloftheselectedtextsfeaturebothlibrariesandlibrarians
thatwieldtheirpoweroverpatronsthroughsubtlemeanswherevariousformsof
censorshipoccur.
Whileitistruethatlibrarianshipisafeminisedprofession(Carmichael1992,Piper
&Collamer2001,p.406,Lutz2005,p.6),andthus,itcouldbeexpectedthat
41
femalelibrariansfeatureintheselectedtexts,allofthelibrarianscharacterisedin
booksarewomen,withtheexceptionofMelvin,whograduatesasalibrarianatthe
conclusionofBoy.Theuseofthestereotypicalmiddle-agedorelderly,cardigan
wearing,unattractivewomanlibrariancanbeinterpretedasusefultoplot
development,withfearofthelibrarianobligingtheprotagoniststoseekother
avenuesofknowledge.ApartfromLirael,whobecomesanassistantlibrarian,allof
theprotagonistsaremale,andthisprovidesapatternintermsofthewayfemale
librariansareconstructedasopponentstotheboyprotagonists.However,the
stereotypicalrenderingofthelibrarianissubvertedtodifferingdegreesinSpud
MurphyandLirael,leavinggapsinthetextthatraisequestionsabouttheportrayal
ofthestereotype.Suchstereotypicallibrariansincludethe‘librarypoliceman’,
whererulesmustbeobeyedleavingnoroomforjudgement;the‘witchy’librarian,
whoseparsimonymanifestsasugliness;‘helpful’librarians,whoappeartoassist
patronsonthesurface,yetcontroltheirinformationalrequirementsand
‘emotionallyunintelligent’librarianswhoareentirelyunabletorelatetotheir
patronsandtheirneeds.The‘warrior’librarianopposesandsubvertstheprevious
clichés.
The‘librarypoliceman’
Foucault’stheory‘…thatpowerandknowledgedirectlyimplyoneanother…’
(1979,p.26)iscommensuratewiththewayinwhichlibrariansmanagetheyoung
librarypatronsthatfrequenttheirlibraries.Itappearsthatallofthelibrariansin
theselectedtextsareapprehensiveaboutpermittingtheirchargesfreeaccessto
information,andthustobecomeknowledgeableandpowerful.Theostensibly
negativeportrayaloflibrariansdevelopswiththestereotypeofthesevere
‘policemanlibrarian’(Seale2008,n.p.)thatispresentintheHPseriesandSpud
Murphy,whilethelibrariansinBoyaredepictedmoreasakindlyconstabulary,
andtheChiefLibrarianinLiraelisformidable(Nix2001,pp.64-65).Inoneofthe
HPcompanionbooks,Quidditch,aquoteonthefrontmatterfromschoollibrarian
MadamPinceappears,demonstratingtheseverepunishmentshewilldeliverifthe
bookisdamaged:
42
Awarning:ifyourip,tear,shred,bend,fold,deface,disfigure,smear,smudge,
throw,droporinanyothermannerdamage,mistreatorshowlackofrespectto
thisbook,theconsequenceswillbeasawfulasitiswithinmypowertomake
them.
IrmaPince,HogwartsLibrarian(Quidditch2001,n.p)
Theuseofrepetitionregardinganytypeofdamagedonetoabookconveysthat
thiswillresultinpunishment.Theuseofsimilerelatingtotheconsequencesofany
blemishuponthetextleadsthereadertoinferwhatsuchconsequencesmightbe;
theresultisthelimitoftheirimagination.Furtheremploymentofsimileoccurs
whenMadamPinceisdescribedashavinga‘vulture-likecountenance’(HBPp.
288),comparingthelibrariantoaviciousbirdofprey.MadamPinceispresented
asafiguretobefearedbythestudents,readytoattackwhennecessary.Sheis
explicitlycastasthestereotypicalobstructivelibrarian,or‘librarypoliceman’,
forminganoverwhelminglylargeshadowoverthelibraryinhercare.Itisnot
surprisingthatalthoughsheistheonlytrainedinformationprofessionalwithinthe
HogwartsSchool,MadamPinceisunwillinglyconsultedbystudents(andstaff)on
onlyrareoccasions.EvenHeadmasterDumbledoreisawareofMadam’sPince’s
policingofthetreatmentoflibrarybooks;Pleasebecarefulhowyoutreatthisbook…IcannotpromiseMadamPincewillnot
swoopdownonyou,whereveryouare,anddemandaheavyfine.
AlbusDumbledore(Quidditch2001,p.vii).
Theuseof‘swoop’inametaphoricfashiongivesfurtherweighttoMadamPince’s
numerousdescriptionsofbeingvulture-like(CoSp.124,GoFp.419).The
renderinghereofthelibrarianasdeadlyissymbolicofwhatHarryandhisfriends
mustchallengeinthewiderwizardingworld.AlthoughMadamPince’sobstruction
toresourcesislessthansubtle,itdoesrepresentthestrugglebetweenpowerand
knowledge,asacknowledgedbyFoucault(1979,p.26).
SimilartoMadamPince,thelibrarianinSpudMurphyisalsoalibrary‘policeman’.
Sheisafearedcreature,whoisaccusedofpossessinga‘spudgun’andwho‘shoots
kidswithitiftheymakeanoiseinthelibrary’(2004,p.10).Hertightlytiedhair
illustratesthatsheisuptightandcontrolling.Whiletheconceptofacommanding
librarianismadeexplicitbeforetheboyshaveevenenteredthelibrary;‘Asmile
couldgetyouthrownout…ifyoulaughedaloud,youwereneverseenagain’(2004,
43
pp.18-19),therealityisalmostasatrocious.Asenseofforebodingisconveyed
throughthetext,congruentwithWillandMarty’spriorfears.
Figure8.Thefull-colourcoverofThelegendofSpudMurphy,illustratedbyTonyRoss.
Figure8,fromthecoverofthetext,givesanindicationthatperhapsthefearsofthe
boysarecorrect,astheaforementionedspudgunisillustratedshootingWill
repeatedly,despitehiseffortsinabscondingasquicklyaspossible.Hisfacial
expressionexhibitsfearanddismay.
Figure9.SpudMurphyinThelegendofSpudMurphy,illustratedbyTonyRoss(2004,p.33).
44
Figure9showsthelibrarystampshangingfromSpudMurphy’swaist.Theyare
evocativeofweapons,primedforbriskutilisation,reminiscentofalawenforcer.
Herstanceimpliesthatsheisreadyforashowdown,claw-likefingerstwitching,
sheispreparedforafightthatsheisequippedtowin.Here,thethreatofviolence
ispresent,andaspolicedoneedtoemploytheirweaponsonoccasions,theriskof
brutalityexists.
Figure10.Will’sfearinThelegendofSpudMurphy,illustratedbyTonyRoss.(2004,p.22).
Figure10depictsastartledWillovershadowedbythemuchlargerlibrarian,
demonstratingherphysicalpoweroverhim.Hisshockeddemeanouris
exemplifiedthroughhissuddenmovementandstartledfacialexpression.The
shadowyoutlineofthelibrarianshowsratherunattractivelargenoseandears,
withpointedfingeroutstretched,makinghercommandingintentionsclear.Sucha
depictionsignifiesthatsheisnotatallfeminine,andhermasculinityaddstothe
boys’fearofher.SpudMurphy’sugliness,andthusmostprobably,spinsterhood,
reinforcesthestereotypicalexecutionoflibrarians.Alloftheillustrationswithin
thetextareblackandwhite,withafeelingreminiscentofRoaldDahlillustrator
QuentinBlake’sstyleofmovementandhumorousexaggeration.However,asblack
andwhiteillustrationstendtosuggest‘authenticity’(Nodelman&Reimer2003,p.
281),thereisatensioncreatedbetweenthefearoutlinedinthetextandthe
somewhatplayful,butamplifieddrawings.Theresultingambiguity(Nikolajeva&
Scott2013,p.30)createsanintriguinggapforthereadertodevisetheirown
understanding.However,thereaderispositionedtoqueryWill’sversionofevents
45
ashisdrollnarrativeandtheaccompanyingillustrationsmeldtoformacomedy
thatisreliantonWill’ssomewhatdistortedperspective.
TheconceptofFoucault’sdisciplineandpunishmentisexplicitinSpudMurphy.
ThelayoutandorganisationofthelibraryisagainreflectiveofFoucault’snotionof
quarantine,anenclosedspacewheretheconceptofPanopticismisenforced
(1979,p.216)throughthelibrarianbeingeverwatchfuloftheusers’actions.This
isparticularlytrueforSpudMurphyaseverytimetheboysemergefromthe
librarian’simposedboundaries,theyareidentifiedasbreakingtherules.The
librarianhastotalcontrolofthebehavioursoftheyounglibraryusers,and
punishesthemwhentheybreakthenonsensicalboundariesshehasimposed.
However,oncetheboysareunderhercontrolanddonotbreakanyrules:‘Spud
Murphygenerallyleftusalonesolongaswereturnedourbooksontimeanddidn’t
makeanynoiseonthecarpet’(2004,p.55).ThePanopticonlayoutofthelibrary
withitspowerofsurveillancesubjugatesitsusersintospecificbehaviours.
However,whensurveillancebreaksdown,theboysareabletobegintheir
explorationsofthelibrary.
Figure11.Spud’spowerinThelegendofSpudMurphyillustratedbyTonyRoss.(2004,p.27).
AlthoughtheillustrationsinSpudMurphyareexaggerated,figure11,above,
demonstratestothereaderthesheerdifferenceinsizebetweenSpudMurphyand
Will,asperceivedbyWill,thefirst-personnarrator.Shewearsslipperssothatshe
46
cansneakquietlyaroundthelibrary,scrutinisingthebehaviourofusers,further
aligningwiththePanopticemploymentofsurveillance.Thelibrarianisina
positionofpoweroverWill,notjustbecauseofherroleaslibrarian,butalsoher
physicalextent,‘SpudMurphyglareddownfromagreatheight.Shewasbig.Taller
thanmydad,andwiderthanMumandmytwoauntiesstrappedtogether’(2004,
pp.23-4).Here,theillustrationsreinforcethe‘truth’ofthetext,SpudMurphyis
confirmedinbothtextanddrawingasalargeandimposingperson.Further,the
useoftheword‘glared’impliesthatsheisnotalibrarianwhomakeschildren,at
least,welcomeinthelibrary.Will’sdescriptionofthelibrarian’ssizemakesuseof
blackhumour;makinglightofwhat,innineyear-oldWill’smind,isafrightening
situation.AssheleansoverWill,againpointingherfingertoreinforceher
command,SpudMurphyexplainsthatWillandhisbrothermustsitandstayonthe
tinypieceofmatandreadonlyfromthesmallbookshelf,asillustratedinfigure7.
Here,thelibrarianisobstructingtheboys’accesstotheremainderofthelarge
librarybyinsistingthattheymust‘Stayonthecarpet,ortherewillbetrouble’
(2004,p.26).AswithMadamPince’sthreats,thestatementthat‘therewillbe
trouble’leavesaworryinggapthatthereadermayfill.Thereisnoreasongivenfor
theboys’prohibitionfromthegenerouscollection.Further,theboysareexplicitly
instructedthattheyarenotallowedtoenterthelibrarytoilets,astheyarenot
locatedinthechildren’ssectionofthelibrary.Here,ruleenforcementisraisedtoa
new,barbariclevel.
AlthoughSpudMurphyisnotpresentedasapositivestereotype(Maynard&
McKenna2005,p.128),thetemporarysubversionofthecliché,whereSpudgrants
WillanadultlibrarycardlateinthetextofSpudMurphy(2005,p.128)iswelcome.
Thesemi-subversionofthe‘policeman’librariantrope,coupledwiththe
somewhatexaggeratedillustrativestyle,includingthedrawingonthefrontcover
ofanincidentthatneveractuallyoccurs,eventuallyrendersSpudMurphyasa
humorousbook.Thisgivescredencetotheuseofthefirst-personnarrator,who,as
itcomestolight,isnotthemostreliablenarrator,althoughthisappearstobethe
unintentionalresultofWill’sfearofSpudMurphyduetoherreputation.The
tensionsbetweenthetextandtheillustrationsarethusresolved.However,theuse
47
ofhumourreinforcesthelibrarianstereotypewhereimpliedreadersare
encouragedtolaughatSpudMurphy.
AswithSpudMurphy,MadamPinceflauntsaweaponofsortsatchildren.Harry
Potterbrowsesthelibraryearlyinhisfirstyearandwhenheisunabletoverbalise
hisinformationneeds,‘MadamPincethelibrarianbrandishedafeatherdusterat
him.“You’dbettergetoutthen.Goon–out!’”(PSp.146).MadamPinceisneither
welcomingnorhelpful.ThelibrariandoesnotencourageHarrytousethelibrary,
andheruseof‘Goon–out!’,alongwiththebrandishingofafeatherdusterdoes
notresemblethewayinwhichlibrariansaretaughttouse‘thereferencequestion’,
wherelibrariansencouragepatroninquiriesandassistlibraryuserstodiscover
theresourcestheyneed(Brown2008,p.1).Eventheword‘brandished’suggestsa
swordorotherweaponwieldedatthenewlyenrolledeleven-year-oldstudent.The
flourishingofthefeatherdusterisreminiscentofSpudMurphy’sspudgun,where
library‘policemen’totetheirweaponsofchoicetocontrolchildrenintheirlibrary.
MadamPincealsoemploysherwandasaweapon(again)whenremovingHarry
Potterfromthelibraryforeating;‘…whippingoutherwand,shecausedHarry’s
books,bagandinkbottletochasehimandGinnyfromthelibrary,whackingthem
repeatedlyovertheheadastheyran’(OoPpp.577-8).Thisdemonstratesa
librarianwhovaluesonlylibrarybooksandnotthegainingorsharingof
informationthatshouldcomefromthetomes.Shecertainlydoesnotvaluepatrons
asshepracticallyassaultsHarryforeatinginthelibrary.Theuseofthepresent
tenseimpliesanurgencyandaviolenceinhercountenance.MadamPinceappears
todoherbesttodeterthemfromusingthelibraryatall;‘…thelibrarianprowled
theaislesmenacingly,breathingdownthenecksofthosetouchingherprecious
books’(OoPp.475).MadamPinceappearstofeelanownershipofthebooksinher
chargeastheterm‘herpreciousbooks’illustrates,thussheguardsthem
overzealously.Thelibrarianis‘menacingly’‘prowling’and‘breathingdowntheir
necks’implyingthatsheisuncomfortablyclosetothestudents,lookingfortrouble,
eagertofindastudentengagedinamisdemeanour.Sheisagainlikenedtoan
unpredictablewildanimal,readytopounce,attackandpunishrulebreakers.
48
‘Prowling’isusedtodescribeMadamPinceinfurthervolumes(HBPp.285),which
certainlydenotesherasastereotypical“policeman”librarian.
HarryPotter’sentrytothelibraryinPSatnight(PSp.151)isanevasionofthe
observationofthelibrariancomparabletothatofWillandMarty.Similarly,Lirael
usesthebreakinvisualcontrolbytheentirestaffoflibrarianstoaccessanyofthe
previouslyforbiddenlibraryareasorbooksinwhichsheisinterested(2001,p.
112).HeretheprotagonistsbreaktheconceptofthePanopticmodeofself-
surveillance,asthedesireforinformationandknowledgeoutweighstheirfearof
thelibrarian.
‘Witchy’librarians
Foucault’sconceptthatrepresentationismoreimportantthanreality(1979,pp.
94-95)canbeemployedregardingtherenderingofthefemalelibrarian.Women
whoareportrayedaswitches,particularlyincontemporarychildren’sandYA
literature,arethefulcrumofthehistoryoffolk-andfairy-tales.Thewitchin
children’sliteratureisoftenportrayedas‘awomanwhoseoutwarduglinessisa
reflectionofherinwardevil…’(Donlan1972,p.608).Sheisaperson‘with
detestableflaws…’(1972,p.608),butwhoisable‘tocontrolherenvironment’
(1972,p.608).HP’sschoollibrarianMadamPinceisthepersonificationofa
stereotypicalwitch;sheisdescribedthroughtheuseofsimileasa‘thin,irritable
womanwholookedlikeanunderfedvulture’(CoS1998,p.124).SpudMurphy’s
ageandappearance,asseeninfigure4,furtherelicitaperceptionof‘witchiness’.
Heroutline,depictedinfigure3,showsalargenoseandearsandclaw-likehands
andfingersthatarereminiscentoffairy-talewitches.Herugliness,andtherefore
witchiness,isexplicit,justfromhershadow.Theuseofphysiognomytoreinforce
defectsinpersonalityaboundsinfolkandfairytales,andisalsoemployedinHP
andSpudMurphy.
Scholarshaveidentifiedthatmaledominatedcollectionsofstorieshave
constrainedfemalesbydepictinginfluentialwomenas‘witches’(Haase2008,p.
49
336),providinganeffectivemetaphorthatimpliesaggressiveorliberatedwomen
areadangertopatriarchalsociety(Donlan1972,p.609).Theexpectationsrelating
tothewaygenderisunderstoodandoftendepictedinliteraturearesocially
constructed(Goodman,1996,p.vii),andsomeoftheseconstructsarestereotypes
involvingthewaysinwhichbothmalesandfemalesareexpectedtobehave.
Becauselibrarianshipisafeminisedprofession,itisthenconceivablethatmany
librariansinfictionarepresentedaswitches.TheseconstraintsarevisibleinHP
andSpudMurphy,wheretheprotagonistsareprincipallymale.Womenpresented
aswitchesoftenprovidetheprotagonistwithobstacleswhichtheymustovercome
(Haase2008,p.1032),whichisthecasewiththelibrariansinHPandSpud
Murphy.AswithMadamPince,similesarealsoemployedwhendescribingSpud
Murphy;sheispresentedas‘Anelderlywomanwasleaningonthemassive
woodendesk,herknucklesbiggerthanacorns.’(2004,p.23).Thisdescription
evokesasenseoffear;herageandlargeknucklesinferthatshehasa‘witchy’
countenance.
Therepresentationoffemalelibrariansaswitchesisonewhichdisparagesboth
theirgenderandprofession.However,notalllibrariansarepresentedinthis
manner.AlthoughLiraelandherkinfolkareallmagesofsometype,noneofthe
librariansareportrayedasbeing‘witchy’asthisisastoryaboutpowerfulwomen.
ThekindlylibrariansfeaturedinBoyarealsonotsubjecttosuchdepictionsas
theirrenderingsarepurportedtobepositive.Therefore,thelibrarianswhocanbe
classifiedas‘witchy’areusuallymarkedoutbythefactthattheydenyaccessto
information.
Emotionallyunintelligentlibrarians
Manyofthelibrariansintheselectedtextshavetheirownobstacleswhendealing
withlibrarypatrons.ThefirstmentionoflibrariansintheHPseriesalignsthe
professionwithnegativeconnotations;‘…he[Harry]didn’tbelongtothelibrary,
sohe’dneverevengotrudenotesaskingforbooksback’(PSp.30).Theuseofthe
word‘rude’rendersthelibrariansasimpoliteatbestorperhapsevenabusive.As
50
thethird-personnarratorprofessesthisconcept,ithasalargeelementof‘truth’
behindit;thisdenotesthatsuchbehaviourappearstypicaloflibrarians.Asthird-
personnarratorsareoftenabletotellthereadermoreabouttheplotthanone
charactercan(Nodelman&Reimer2003,p.71),thereadercandevelopasenseof
trustwiththenarrator,duetotheirapparentobjectivity.TheemploymentofHarry
Potterasfocalisermeansthatreaderstendto‘acceptthevisionpresentedbythat
character’(Bal1980,p.104).Here,theconceptoflibrarianswhocannotrelateto
othersisalreadyexplicit.
ThisthoughtcontinueswhenHarryencountersMadamPince.Onalmostevery
occasion,theirinteractionsareproblematicandprovidefurtherevidenceofthe
powerthelibrarianwieldsoverthestudent.WhenHarryisbrowsingthelibrary
shelves,heisunceremoniouslyexcludedfromthelibrary(PSp.146).When
MadamPincediscoversHarryandGinnyeatingEastereggsinthelibrary,sheuses
magictoassaultthemwiththeirownschoolbags(OoPp.578).Sheisseemingly
unabletoconductaconversationwiththestudents,prizingher‘preciousbooks’
(OoPp.475),overthelearningneedsofyoungpeople.Thisdemonstratesthat
MadamPincefeelsthatthecollectionoflibrarybooksbelongtoher,andthe
adjective‘precious’canbeperceivedasbeingironicinthisinstance.Madam
Pince’spreferenceforbooksoverpeopleandherinabilitytomakepositive
connectionswithstudentsrendersheracharacterwhosepowerisparadoxically
bypassedbytheprotagonistsintheactofseekinginformation.
Thestereotypicalconceptoflibrarianswhoareunabletorelatetopeople,andthat
alibraryisaplaceofsilenceandsolitudeisexplicitinthebeginningofLirael,when
shyandspeechaversefourteen-year-oldLiraelaskstobeemployedintheGreat
LibraryofClayr(2001,p.59);“‘Please,’saidLirael,pursuingthatthoughttothe
logicalplacewhereshecouldavoidpeoplethemost.‘IthinkIwouldliketoworkin
theLibrary’”(p.59).Further,becauseitdenotestheideathatthereisnotraining
requiredtobecomealibrarian,thetropeoftheineptlibrarianisfortified.When
sheisinterviewedforthepositionofthirdassistantlibrarian,Liraelidentifiesthe
ChiefLibrarianasbothpowerfulandfrightening,forgingtheconceptthat
Vancelle’ssuperiorityrendersheraloof(2001,pp.64-65).
51
AnotherlibrarianwhosealoofnessisparamountisSpudMurphy.Herattitude
towardschildren,wheretheyaretreatedaslessthanhuman,isclearwhenshe
shoutsatWillandMarty,duringtheirfirstlibraryvisit,‘fromtheothersideofthe
library…“Whatdoyouwant?...Isaid,whatdoyouwant?”…bangingthedeskwith
aninkstamp’(2004,p.23).Therepeateduseof‘whatdoyouwant?’evokes
MadamPince’sapproachtostudentsandinstigatesthefeelingofbeingunwelcome
inthelibrary.Theviolentuseofaninkstampimpliesashorttemper.Her
prohibitionregardingbathroomvisits(2004,p.26)isanotherdemonstrationof
howSpudMurphyisunabletorelatetochildren.However,althoughextremely
intimidatingtoyoungpeople,inoneinstanceSpudMurphyacknowledgesthat
‘“Booksarewhatthislibraryisfor,sometimesevenIforgetthat”’(2004,p.86).
Althoughheradmissionshowsasignofherattitudetowardschildrensoftening,it
isnotablethatshe,likeMadamPince,stillendorsesbooksoveryoungpeople.
EventhoughtheLivingstoneLibrarylibrariansappeartovalueMelvinoverbooks,
thisapproachalsodemonstratestheirinabilitytorelatewelltothechild.Figure12
illustratesthewayinwhichthelibrariansholdbothphysicalandintellectual
poweroverMelvin,yettheyseemcompletelyunawareoftheireffectonhim.
Figure12.MelvinisphysicallyandintellectuallyoverpoweredinTheboywhowasraisedby
librarians,illustratedbyBradSneed.
52
Insteadofplacingthemselvesathislevel,theirheightsandthedeskbetweenthem
demarcatestheirdominance.Figure13alsoestablishesthelibrarians’inabilityto
relatetoMelvin,astheirphysicalstatureandconstantmovementoverwhelmhim.
ThelibrariansareexcitedaboutassistingMelvin,yettheyareignorantofthe
consequencesoftheireagerness.Hissmall,solitaryformisdeficientwhen
measuredagainstthreeadultlibrarians.TheneedMelvinhasforthelibrariansto
lovehim–asaccordingtothetitleofthebook,theyformhissubstitutefamily–
resultsinhisunwillingnesstodisputetheircontrol,andriskrejection.Itappears,
likeMadamPince,SpudMurphyandevenearlyinthetextofLirael,thatthe
librariansareunabletoconversesuccessfullywiththeirpatronstoidentifytheir
needs.Ideally,librariansshouldbeabletodiscusspatrons’information
requirementswiththemtoassistinlocatingthedesiredresources(Brown2008,p.
1).However,thosewhoareunabletoconductopenandbalanceddialoguewith
theirusers,whatevertheirage,areimplementingcontroloftheinstitutionover
theperson.
Figure13.ThecontinuousmovementofthelibrariansinTheboywhowasraisedby
librarians,illustratedbyBradSneed.
53
‘Helpful’librarians
Boy(Morris2007),whichisanostensiblyinnocuouspicturebookwrittenand
illustratedforveryyoungreadersdepictsthreediverseandseeminglyhelpful
librarians.Twoofthethreefemalelibrariansarewhite,wearglasses,andappear
tobemiddle-aged.Onehasalargestatureandiswearingpearls,whiletheother
haszanyhair.Thethirdlibrarianisanextremelythin,youngwomanofcolourwith
dreadlockstiedbackintowhatmaybeperceivedasabun.Betweenthethree
librarians,thestereotypicallibrarianiscomplete;middleaged,female,glasses,bun
andcardiganwearing.
TheillustrationsinBoyareexaggerated,addinghumourtothebook.Thethin
librarianisextremelythin,thelargelibrarianisexcessivelylargeandthezanyhair
onthethirdlibrariancompletelyovertakesherpersona.However,apersonof
colourisawelcomeadditiontothebookgiventheprevalenceofwhitelibrarians
inchildren’sliterature.Nevertheless,Hall(1997,p.258),recognisesthestereotype
asapowerfulsignifier,where‘stereotypingtendstooccurwheretherearegross
inequitiesofpower’(author’sitalics).Initially,itmaybethoughtthattheinequities
ofpowerarefeltbythosesubjectedtostereotyping.However,thosewhoare
stereotypedcanformagroup,andthosewhoareexcludedfromtheassociation
areclassifiedas‘“other’”(Hall1997,p.259).Thus,anyuseroftheLivingston
Librarywouldbesubjugatedbythepowerfulgroupofstereotypedlibrarians,and
ashelpfulastheymayseem,Melvin,asachild,findshisinvalidationisaugmented.
ThetriumvirateoflibrariansisinapositionofpowerthatinvolvesFoucault’s
conceptsof‘knowledge,ideasandrepresentation’(Radford&Radford2003,p.
59).Theexaggerationofhavingthreelibrarians(possiblytheentirestaff,asno
othersareillustrated)assistonechildcanbeseenasbeingoverlyhelpful,asthe
textrepeatedlystates‘Theycouldn’thelpit.That’showlibrariansare’(2007,n.p.).
However,deeperanalysisidentifiesthatsuch‘help’isaformofpowerthethree
librarianshaveoverMelvin.
FurtherillustrationsandtextshowMelvinaskingwheretofindinformationon
snakes,andeventhoughtheyweren’trequestedto,allthreelibrarianshelpMelvin
54
byacquiringthedesiredinformationforhim.Figure14depictsthefervourofthe
librariansintheirquesttosupplyMelvinwithinformation.Thefeelingof
movementisrenderedthroughthelargelibrarianstretchingsofarforabookthat
shenearlytopplesoffherstool.Thezanyhairedlibrarian’spointedfingerdeclares
asuccessfulsearch,whilealthoughthelibrarianofcolourbendsdowntoMelvin’s
height,sheinvadeshispersonalspaceandthebooksheproducesisoverlylarge,
whileMelvinappearsminisculebesideitandhesitanttotakeitfromher.
Illustratorsdeploythetechniqueofcontinuousmovementsothat‘viewerstendto
completethelinesinpicturesbyimaginingthemtoextendbeyondtheirdepicted
length’(Nodelman&Reimer2003,p.292).Thisiscertainlytrueofthispagewhere
themovementofthethreelibrariansevokesasceneofunceasingagitation.
However,Melvinaskedwheretofindtheinformation,notforthelibrariansto
identifyitonhisbehalf.ItisnotMelvinlookingupthecomputerorreachinginto
theshelvesforthebooks,itisthelibrarians.ThelibrariansdonotaskMelvin
referencequestions,determiningthetypeofinformationheneeds,theycharge
aheadandgivehimbooksrangingfromraisingsnakes,makingpursesandshoes
outofthemtosnakepoemsandblessings.‘That’showlibrariansare.Theyjust
can’thelpit’(2007,n.p.)statesthetext.Suchanexcessivereactiontoasimple
questionfromthechildresultsinthelibrarianscompletelyparalysingMelvinwith
toomuchinformation,withmuchofitirrelevant.Heretheillustrationsconfirmthe
‘truth’ofthetext,withthefranticmovementofthelibrarians,theentirelibrary
staff,consumedinvigorouslysupplyingtheirinterpretationofwhatMelvinis
searchingfor.Herethelibrarianspurporttobeinghelpful.Yetthishelprenders
Melvinmuteformuchofthebook,ashiscuriosityslowlywanes.
Atthebeginningofthebook,Melvinwasanintelligentandcuriousyoungboywho
hadmanyandvariedinterestsandwouldaskquestionsandmakeexclamations.
However,fromthehalf-waypointofthebook,Melvindoesnotspeakagainuntilhe
isauniversitygraduate.Hischildandyoungadultvoicehasbeensilencedbythe
libraryandthelibrarians.Foucaultseesadultssilencingchildrenaspartofthe
Panopticon’sroleofdiscipliningrecalcitrantyouths(Foucault1979,p.294).The
illustrationsconveythetruthofthetextastheyalleithersupportitsexpressionor
gobeyondthetexttotransmitahyper-extendedrevelationthatisexplicit.
55
Throughoutthetext,Melvinexperiencesaretrogradejourneyashemovesfroma
childishindependencetocompletedependenceonthelibrarians.Melvin’s
autonomyisslowlyeroded;hisqueriesdegeneratefromaskingforassistanceto
thelibrariansprovidinghimwithwhattheyassumeareanswers.Serendipityand
happenstanceareimpossible,asistheabilitytoproblem-solve,andthelibrarians’
completecontrolofMelvin’sresearchresultsinalackofautonomyandhis
relianceonadults;thePanopticsurveillanceisstifling.Melvinisneverpicturedor
describedaswanderingindependentlyaroundthelibrary,creatinganopportunity
tobrowsethecollectionandperhapstodiscoversomethingofinterest.The
librariansarealwayspresentandgovernhislibraryuseconstantly.
ThequestionofwhyMelvincontinuouslyreturnstothelibrarywhenthelibrarians
thwarthiscreativityandcuriositycanbeanswered.Therearenotextualor
illustrativementionsofhisfamily,thus,asmentionedbythetitle,thelibrarians
becomehispseudo-familyandthecontrollingroleofparentsistransferred,inthis
instance,tothethreelibrarians.Thisremovesthepossibilityofbeinghumiliated
bythegatekeeper,alibrarian(Radford&Radford2001,pp.318-319),afigureof
authority(p.322),astheyconductalloftheroleswhereapatronmight
misunderstand,andthus,learn.InBoy,thelibrariansremovethefearfromMelvin
astheirconstantscaffoldingensuresthatheisnotatriskofsuchfauxpas.
However,scaffoldingcreatesdependence,ratherthanindependence(Burkins&
Yaris2016,p.3),anditissuchscaffoldingbythelibrariansthroughouthischild-
andyoung-adulthoodthatpreventsMelvinfromdiscoveringinformation
independently.Melvin’sindependenceisunabletodevelopbysuchahegemonic
relationshipwiththelibrarians.Therenderingof‘helpful’librariansinthisbook
demonstratesthattheycanbecontrollinganddis-ablingofyoungpatronsin
relationtofindinginformation,discoveringideas,learning,problem-solvingand
developingagency
56
Warriorlibrarians
Juxtaposedwiththeostensiblyobstructivelibrariansisthe‘warrior’librarian,for
whomcourageandcommitmenttodutyisparamount.TheGreatLibraryofClayr
isdeclaredashousing‘dangerousthingsanddangerousknowledge’(2001,p.61),
andtheequipmentthatalibrarianmayneedinday-to-daytasksincludes
‘weapons,climbingropesandawhistletoattractattentiontoanemergency’
(2001,pp.66-67).Vancelle,theChiefLibrarianhasaswordlayingonherdesk,
whichreinforcestheimplicationofthelibraryasadangerousplace.The
stereotypeoftheweaponcarrying‘librarypoliceman’iscontrastedwithasword-
wieldingwarrior.Thecontrastbetweenthetraditionalinterpretationofthestaid,
ineptlibrarianandtheconceptofthewarriorlibrarianintroducedinLirael
becomesmoreevidentwhenitisexplicatedthatwhenworkinginthelibrary,a
librarian’scallforhelpmaygounheard.Thegapinthetextthatdoesnotexplain
therequirementforweaponsenablesavisionofavastlylargeanddangerous
libraryandfurtherchallengesthestereotypeofthelibrarian.Itisnotuncommon
forlibrarianstolaydowntheirlivesforthebenefitoftheClayrasawhole,either
inperilous‘research,simpleoverwork,oractionagainstpreviouslyunknown
dangersdiscoveredintheLibrary’scollection’(2001,p.83).Althoughthenumber
oflibrarianswhohavegiventheirlivesfortheiroccupationisnotspecified,the
novelmakesitclearthatthelibraryisaperilousplacetowork.Thisrevelation
completelyrendersthelibrarianstereotypedead;itisclearthatlibrariansmustbe
selflessandfearless,puttingthewelfareandwellbeingoftheClayrlibrarypatrons
aheadofthemselves.AlthoughthewarriorlibrariansinLiraelaresubversivein
theircharacteristics,obstructiveelementsremain,suchastheiralmostconstant
surveillanceofthelibraryanditsoccupants(2001,p.76,p.78,pp.134-135),
lendingaPanopticcontroltotheGreatLibrary.
Mitigatingobstructivelibrarians
AstheprotagonistsinHPandLiraelareonthehero’sjourney,itisvitalthatthey
succeedinprocuringtheinformationandknowledgerequiredtosuccessfully
57
concludetheirquests.WillandMartyrequirestimulatingreadingmaterials,while
Melviniscuriousabouttheworld.AsFoucaultnotes,‘thesubmissionofbodies
throughthecontrolofideas’(1979,p.102)demonstratesapositionofpowerby
thoseinauthority.Itisnecessaryfortheseyoungcharacterstochallengethe
librarianswhoattempttorestraintheirunderstanding,andthus,discover
alternativeroutestotheinformationtheyrequire.
LiraelcopeswiththeobstructivelibrariansintheGreatLibraryofClayrwhenshe
waitspatientlyforthetimeswhenthestaffarecalledawaytotheWatch.Assheis
theonlypersonoftheClayrwithouttheSight,herservicesarenotrequired,giving
herthetimeandspacetoexplorethelibraryanditsresourceswithoutbeingunder
surveillance(2001,p.76,p.78).LiraelalsowaitsuntilVancelle,theChiefLibrarian
isasleep,tobreakintoherroomsto‘borrow’Binder,thepowerfulswordneeded
tonullifytheStilken(2001,pp.134-135).Thehero’sjourneyisaidedbythe
discontinuityofadultsurveillanceandauthority.Notonlydoesanybreakin
librarysurveillanceenableLirael’sself-determination,buttheabsenceofadultsin
generalisessentialforbildungsroman.ThescarcityofLirael’scolleaguesenables
thisprotagonisttogrowwithoutadultinterference(Nikolajeva2010,p.16).
WillandMartyevadetheseeminglyferociouslibrarianbypostponingtheir
readingrequirementsuntilSpudMurphyisoccupiedelsewhere.Theyplanto
disruptSpudMurphy’sobstructionfirstbytestingtoseehowshewillreactto
themchallengingherauthority(2004,pp.31-35).Marty,likeninghimselftoahero
(2004,p.29)forattemptingtosubvertthepowerdynamicinthelibrary,is
unsuccessfulinthisinstance,yethelearnsmoreaboutSpudMurphy’sboundaries
andpunishments.Armedwiththisknowledge,theboysthenplananaudacious
raidontheadultfictioncollection,minusshoesandsockstoensuresilence(2004,
p.64).Tofurtherevadedetectionoftheirwrongdoing,theboysplaceachildren’s
titlecoverovertheadultbooktheyarereading(2004,pp.70-71).Theirproblem-
solvingskillsdeveloptothepointofsuccess,astheyreadtheircontrabandbook
foranentireday(2004,pp.73-74);however,eventuallySpudMurphydetectsthe
misdemeanor.Nevertheless,sherewardsWillforbreakingtherules“‘Becauseyou
leftthecarpetforabook.Nottocausemischief.Booksarewhatthislibraryisfor,
58
sometimesevenIforgetthat”’(2004,p.86).Here,thewayinwhichMartyandWill
dealwithSpudMurphyissuccessful,eventhoughtheyarediscoveredbreakingthe
rules.
HarryPotterandhisfriends,too,breakrulestoevadethedetectionoftheschool
librarian.Harry’suseofhisinvisibilitycloaktobreakintothelibraryonChristmas
night(PSp.151)isultimatelyunproductiveintermsofdiscoveringinformation,
however,itencourageshimtoattemptothermethodsofsubterfuge.Hermione
garnersthesignatureofProfessorLockhart,neededtopermithertoborrowatitle
fromthelibrary’sRestrictedSection,throughdeceitfulmeans(CoSp.123).
Hermionebecomesthedefactoand‘IdealLibrarian’(Freier2014,p.8),withher
everevolvingandsuccessfulinformation-seekingstrategiesdeemingMadamPince
obsolete.Harryandhisfriendsalsousearangeofstrategiestodiscover
informationfromavarietyofsourcesthatprecludesthelibrary.Chocolatefrog
cards(PSp.160),dailynewspapers(HBPp.78,DH,p.80)andquestioningothers
(HBPp.63,p.458)allformbeneficialmethodsofgaininginformation,while
Hermioneavoidstheobstructivelibrarianwhensheconjurespreviouslycensored
librarybooksintoherpossession(DHp.88).
Incontrast,MelvinisunabletoevadethelibrariansfromtheLivingstoneLibrary.
Althoughtheyactasproxyforhisfamily,andaretheonlylibrariansintheselected
textstoofferaprotagonistseeminglyhelpfulassistance,thethreelibrarians
surroundMelvinonnumerousoccasions,sothatheisunabletocircumventtheir
control.Melvinisliterallyoutnumberedbythelibrariansandheisunableto
developoremploysuccessfulstrategiestoovercomeand/orevadetheircontrol.In
thissituation,oneyoungboyisunabletoopposethreelibrarians,whocompletely
controlhislearningexperiences.Theconsequencesofthisoverwhelmingpower
thatthelibrarianswieldoverhim,isthatMelvintransitionsfrominquisitivechild
toaphilosophicaldoppelgängeroftheincognisantlibrarians.Hishighly
articulatedrequestsforassistancetofindinformationonfish,bugsandsnakes
devolveintosilence.Thus,Boydemonstratesthataprotagonistwhodoesnot
alreadypossesselementsofagencyandself-reliance,mayfinditdifficultto
challengethehegemonyoflibrariansandthelibrary.
59
Thischapterhasdemonstratedthatthetropeofthestereotypicallibrarian,inall
itsguises,isoftenemployedintextstoobstructtheresearchrequirementofthe
protagonists.However,ifcharactersareabletochallengethecontroloftheirideas
bylibrarystaffthroughproblem-solvingskills,thentheydevelopagencythat
empowersthemtotriumphovertheirspecificnemesis.Almostallformsof
representationoftheprofessionarealignedwithsometypeofpower,howeverthe
portrayaloflibrariansaswitchescanbeviewedasdemonisingthemastheir
powerisfrighteningfromachild’sperspective.Nonetheless,thepassiveideologies
inthetextsthatrelatetotheagencyandpowerneededtochallengeauthority
disallowcertaincharacterstoaccessknowledge.Astheyareunabletodefythe
barrierstoinformationpresentedtothembylibrariesandlibrarians,these
characters,suchasMelvin,remainpowerless.
60
Chapterfour.Conclusion
TheconceptofthePanopticon,conceivedbyBentham(1843)andderivedand
developedbyFoucault(1979),focusesoninstitutionssuchastheprison,army
barracks,hospitals,factoriesandschools(1979,p.228).However,librariesare
institutionsthatcanalsobealignedwithPanoptictheory,wherearchitectureand
surveillanceareemployedtoinfluencethebehavioursofpatrons,whoarethe
subordinatesoflibrarians.Theaimofthelibrarianistokeepresourcesinorderfor
easeofaccess,yetthegoaloftheborroweristodisturbsuchorderbyremoving,
mis-shelvingandborrowingbooks(Radford&Radford1997,pp.255-256).This
oppositioncreatestensionbetweenorderandknowledge,andlibrariansand
patrons,andthistensionisreflectedinHP,LiraelandSpudMurphy.Oftenbarriers
suchas‘policeman’,‘helpful’andemotionallyunintelligentlibrariansandlargeand
imposinglibrariesexistinbothrealityandliterature.Fantasyliteratureadds
symbolicobstaclesincludingdangerous,mysteriousandenchantedlibrariesand
‘witchy’librarians.However,forsomeprotagonists,suchoppositionenhancesself-
determination,higher-orderthinkingskillsandagency,andassiststhemonany
queststheymaybeinvolvedin,andintheirjourneytoadulthood.Inliterature,
theselibrariesthenprovideaplacewhereskillsmaybetestedandrefinedbefore
life-threateningsituationsfacetheprotagonists.However,itmustbe
acknowledgedthatcharacterswhodonotyetcontainsomecapacityofself-
determinationandagency,mayfindencounterswithdifficultlibrariansand
obstructivelibrariestooproblematictoovercome.Thus,obstructivelibrariesand
librariansareusefulwhenprotagonistsneedachallengetofurtherdevelopthe
skillsandcouragetheyalreadypossess,buttheyaredistinctlydisadvantageousto
thosewhoareyettodeveloptheseabilities.
BoyshowsthatoverzealouslyhelpfullibrariansworkinginPanopticlibrary
layoutsstifletheintellectualcuriosityanddevelopmentoftheyoungperson.Yet,
thoselibrariansandlibrariesthataredifficulttoengagewithcausechild
protagonists,whoareunabletochallengethem,tobecomeparalysed.However,
forfantasytextssuchasLiraelandHPparticularly,theherobeingtestedbythe
regulatingbodiesofthelibraryanditsstaffleadsthemtochallengethestatusquo
61
andassiststhehero’sjourney.Intheselectedtexts,librariesandlibrariansare
determinedtobeimportantfortheacquisitionofknowledgeandagency,whether
theyarerenderedstereotypicallyorprogressively.Asgainingknowledgeisone
aspectofdevelopingagency(Mills2010,p.300),theauthorsofHP,LiraelandSpud
Murphygrantpowertotheprotagonistsbyacknowledgingthatknowledgeis
provisionalandevolvingandshouldnotbelimitedtoandbyadults.Thesebooks
arenotsomuchacritiqueoflibrariansandthelibrarysystem,butacommentary
onexploringone’sownintellectualagency,asfacilitatedthroughproblem-solving
broughtaboutbythePanopticonandrelatedbarrierstothedesiredinformation.
Astheselectedtextsdemonstrate,andDante’sTheinfernoXXVIremindsus,the
pursuitofknowledgeisworthwhile.
62
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