Young Readers loss Reading Ny

8/13/2019 Young Readers loss Reading Ny

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/young-readers-loss-reading-ny 1/13

Gitte Holten Ingerslev

Associate Professor, Ph.d.

Danish School of EducationAarhus University

16 !u"orgve#

D$%&& 'o(enhagen )*+- / 00

'ell (hone +- %6 %1 %1 6%

ghi2d(u.d3

Young people’s reading of Fantasy Literatureas a way to Personal Insight and Reflection

A study of literary reception

!he Danish contri"ution to the study of literary rece(tion in the 4altic Sea 5egion as carried out

in the last year of loer secondary school 7year /8 a9ong 16:10;year;olds and in the first year of

u((er secondary school 7year 1&, the Danish gy9nasiu98 < a9ong 1:1/;year;olds.

!he to te=ts hich ere read ere Ursula leGuin $erastion 71//8, hich as the co99on te=t

in all 4altic Sea 5egion (ro#ects, and 5ay 4rad"ury He ho aits 71/68.1

>antasy literature is "eing read ?uite e=tensively in Den9ar3 a9ong young (eo(le as ell as older

generations. !he stories a"out the fight "eteen the good and the evil see9s to a((eal to all

generations as a 9irror of every (ersons inner fights and conflicts, so so9e of the choices (eo(le

9a3e 9ight "e recognised in the fantasy literature. @uite a general attitude is that "y reading

fantasy you can get iser and gain insight into yourself and the orld around you.

Head of de(art9ent at the >ures;li"raries in the outs3irts of 'o(enhagen, li"rarian 4eth Hst

74H8, gives a (ortrait of the develo(9ent ithin fantasy;reading in Den9ar3 %. In the 6&s there as

not such a thing as fantasy. Everything as catalogued as Science >iction. !hat tendency has

changed dra9atically over the years. )o a lot of readers have read for instance Harry Potter and

Phili( Pull9an. 4H as3s the ?uestion Bhy are Danes attracted to fantasy literatureC

4H states that the interest gre tre9endously in the early /&s hen Billia9 Gi"sons cy"er(un3;

trilogy The Sprawl Trilogy 7also 3non as the Neuromancer, Cyberspace and Matrix trilogy8 as

translated into Danish. Anne 5ices "oo3s a"out the "oth hu9orous and se=y va9(ire, hich are

(ri9arily for gron u(s, also had 9any readers. eGuins The Wizard of arthsea has "een read

e=tensively over the years as has loyd Ale=anders Chronicals of !rydian, "ut The "ord of the

#ings "eats the9 all, and the interest has gron after the fil9 (roduction. In the introduction to

Ursula leGuins essay collection The "anguage of the Night 71/08, the editor Susan Bood rites

that the hu9an "eing ould li3e to "elieve that he or she lives in the light, "ut the fact is that one

1 See a "rief su99ary in attach9ent 1% htt(::.furesoe"i"liote3erne.d3:forside:ins(iration:"oeger:"ogcafF%&&/:"ethFhoest

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.furesoebibliotekerne.dk/forside/inspiration/boeger/bogcaf_2009/beth_hoest

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.furesoebibliotekerne.dk/forside/inspiration/boeger/bogcaf_2009/beth_hoest



half of the orld is alays in the dar3, and #ust li3e (oetry fantasy uses the language of the dar3, so

fantasy is not only a"out no"le 3nights that fight forceful dragons in the honour of their ?ueen, it

also contains the dread of the dar3 forces.

ost of Ste(hen $ings "oo3s "elong to this category and 9a3e it (ossi"le for the reader to live

through the dee(est, 9ost (ersonal dread and anguish.

Another i9(ortant reason for reading fantasy is the never ending dialogue in a readers 9ind on

ethics and life values. '.S. eis Narnia is a good e=a9(le of that, "ut the e=a9(les are legio

yra for instance in the Pull9an trilogy 9atures and realises that not till she sto(s lying, ill she

(roceed.

!he reader of good fantasy literature identifies and learns ith the (rotagonists and is co9(letely

a"sor"ed < and is that not hat it is all a"outC < to "e a"le to find yourself, a free s(ace and a

(assage to another (art of the orld fro9 here you can return as a freer and ha((ier individualC

I Den9ar3 the reading of fantastic literature has a long history as Hans 'hristian Andersens

Eventyr og Historier 7 $airy Tales and Stories% fro9 the early 1&& are regarded as fantastic

stories.

!he Sno @ueen for instance 7Danish Snedronningen8 is a fairy tale, it as first (u"lished in 1,

and centers on the struggle "eteen good and evil as e=(erienced "y a little "oy and girl, $ai and

Gerda. !he story is one of AndersenJs longest and is considered "y scholars, critics, and readers

ali3e as one of his "est. It has "een read and read aloud to 9any Danish children. It has a dou"le

focus on reality and on a 9agic 7evil, cold8 orld. A lot of the 9otives you find in the fantastic tale

are also to "e found in the fairy tale. Hoever, the fairy tale tends to have a "asic structure, and the

fantastic story is 9ore un(redicta"le and o(en to inter(retation. !he sa9e difference can "e (ointed

out "eteen the fantastic story and fantasy literature.

Fantasy literature in Danish schools

>antasy literature does not have a ell defined (lace in the Danish school curricula, fantasy and

science fiction. It is the teachers decision hether those genres are introduced to the students of the

age level of our study or not.

An ongoing discussion is hether or not one should or3 ith fantasy literature in the teaching of

Danish at all. ay"e the teacher should #ust leave that initiative and choice to the childrenC ay"e

#oy of reading "elongs to the childrens s(are ti9e readingC 4ut the o((osite (oint of vie is also

(ut forard and 9ore (ositive in a school connection Bhy not ta3e advantage of the childrens

interest in fantasy literature as a start of engaging literature teachingC !he teacher can ta3e

advantage of the childrens 3noledge a"out ; and interest in < for instance &arry !otter'



An argu9ent in the discussions is that reader;res(onse teaching 9ethods are very ell suited and

challenged es(ecially in connection ith these te=ts.

The Baltic Ring project

!he ai9 of the 4altic 5ing (ro#ect is to (ro9ote the coo(eration "eteen authors, translators and

researchers in the 4altic countries, Seden, Den9ar3 and Ger9any. !he research ?uestions ere as

follos

Ho is fantasy literature read in the countries in ?uestionC

Bhat can "e deducted fro9 the young (eo(les ansers in relation to "ig (revailing the9es

in society, such as

- Glo"alisation

- )ationality

- edia

- *alues

- 'ultural clashes

- Individualisation

!o school classes of 16;1/ year;oldsK in the countries in ?uestion ere

- as3ed a"out their reading ha"its

- as3ed to read a fantasy te=t "y Ursula eGuin, (erastion, fro9 A $isherman of the )nland

Sea, *++%

- as3ed to read a fantasy te=t chosen in the country in ?uestion. !he te=t chosen in Den9ar3,

as 5ay 4rad"ury !he one ho aits 71/68

!he 5ay 4rad"ury te=t as chosen "ecause it is a co9(le= story ith no si9(le ansers.

!he ?uestions hich ere as3ed all students in the study ere

• What is the story about in your opinion-

• Which feelings does this story awa.e in you-

• /o you li.e the story- Why- Why not-

All students gave ritten ansers.

K In Den9ar3 one class fro9 last year of loer secondary school and one class fro9 first year of u((er secondary

school 7Gy9nasiu98 !he te=t as handed out ithout the authors na9e and ithout year of (u"lication



!he te=ts ere read in class, and the teachers a((roach as reader;res(onse oriented in order to

give the o((ortunity for o(en, reflective ansers fro9 the students. 7cf. Ur(o $ovala %&&K, 1/8.

REFERE!E"""""

!he reason for choosing fantasy te=ts for the (ro#ect as

The popularity of fantasy is strongly related to Anglo0American popular culture,

including the 1ast success of fantasy in films' Also the fan acti1ities connected with these

cultural phenomena are increasing, not to mention the number of people participating

in those 1ia the internet' Thus, fantasy can perhaps be seen as a response to some

deeper needs of young readers in a way that reflects the changes of society and the

indi1idually experienced but collecti1ely shared processes' $antasy, especially in the

form of fol. tales, has been seen as a carrier of shared archetypes, 1alues and utopian

impulses'7 Ir9a Hirs#Lrvi, MyvLs3ylL University8 REFERE!E"""""

Research #uestions

!he research areas hich should "e covered during reading the students te=ts ere

)ndi1iduality, family and society in the story

A% Narrati1e2 construction of stories from the text

3% xpression of emotions in the responses

C% )dentification of genre, and the effect of pre1ious reading on the reception

/% "ocating the story $% Notions of 4good literature5 in the responses

6% The effects of gender on the responses

4efore entering into the students reading of the a"ove 9entioned te=ts, it could "e interesting to

loo3 at the students reading ha"its in year /.

Reading ha$its a%ong the &'(&) year*olds 7Near /, oer Secondary School8

!he class consisted of 1/ (u(ils. 1 ere 16 year old, and ere 10 year old. !hey ere girls and11 "oys. !hey all live in the countryside.

#eading and T78habits2 A9ong the9 four (u(ils rote that they neither read "oo3s 7outside

school8 nor atched !*. >ive girls and three "oys read a lot of fiction and atched a lot of !*.

Si= "oys and one girl atched a lot of television, "ut did not read, so in this (articular class, e

altogether have readers 7five girls and three "oys8 out of 1/, and e have 0 !*;atchers 7si= "oys

and one girl8.



What did you read within the last month- !he 9a#ority 71K8 rote that ithin the last 9onth they

have read to "oo3s in school. 1 student has read 1 "oo3 a(art fro9 school or3, % have read

"oo3s, and % (ri9arily read 9agaOines. 1 has not read at all.

What do you prefer to read- K rote that they dont 3no. !he "oys (refer "iogra(hies, non fiction

and 9agaOines. !he girls (refer fiction, Hans 'hristian Andersen, Muvenile "oo3s and Harry Potter.

&obbies' !he girls (refer friends, (arties, fa9ily and s(orts. !he "oys (refer s(orts, cars,

co9(uter ga9es, and to had no ho""ies.

Reading ha$its a%ong Danish &)(&+ year*olds 7U((er Secondary School, 1. year of Gy9nasiu98

!he class consisted of % (u(ils. 1 as 10, 1K ere 1 and 1& ere 1/. !hey ere 1& girls and 1

"oys. !hey live (artly in the countryside and in a s9aller city.

#eading and T78habits2 A9ong the9 three (u(ils 7to girls, one "oy8 rote that they neither read

"oo3s 7outside school8 nor atched !*. >ive girls and seven "oys read a lot of fiction and atched

a lot of !*.

>ive "oys and one girl atched a lot of television, "ut did not read, and further9ore in this class e

find to girls and one "oy ho read a lot and ho do not atch television, so in this (articular

class, e altogether have 1 readers 7seven girls and eight "oys8 out of %, and e have 1 !*;

atchers 71% "oys and 6 girls8.

What did you read within the last month- Des(ite the ansers a"ove 1 students state that they

have not read any "oo3s during the last 9onth < / girls and 6 "oys. !hree "oys and one girl rite

that they have read three or 9ore "oo3s during the last 9onth.

>ive "oys have read 1 "oo3 a(art fro9 school or3, and % have read 9agaOines, non;fiction,

school or3 etc.

What do you prefer to read- !he "oys (refer "iogra(hies, non fiction, 9agaOines, ord of the

5ings, Ste(hen $ing. !he girls (refer fiction, love stories, #uvenile "oo3s, so9e non fiction and

Harry Potter.

&obbies' !he girls (refer friends, (arties, fa9ily and s(orts. !he "oys (refer (arties, s(orts, cars,co9(uter ga9es.

Different ways of reading Fantasy

Essays on ,rsula le-uin. /erastion 0&++12

3ge &'(&)

!he9es found in the students essays on (erastion are as follos



• Identification, sadness, forgiveness 4) li.e the way she is sad about her brother5' A 9a#ority

of girls rote that these ere the 9ain the9es

• Sadness, ha((iness, freedo9 A 9a#ority of "oys rote that these ere the 9ain the9es

• A grou( of students ere angry ith the te=t, they ere "oth "oys and girls, and they rote

40 this is a test, and the text is impossible to understand, filled with difficult words, it is too

philosophical, thing should be told outright5

• ne "oy re#ected the te=t 5) don5t want to read a text li.e this, it ma.es me thin. of all the

sad things in life, my mother5s death, my brother5s death, why should one read stuff li.e

that-5

Essays on Ray Brad$ury. 4e who waits 0&+'12

3ge &'(&)

!he9es found in the students essays on &e who waits are as follos

• A "ig grou( of (ri9arily "oys rote that the the9e as >ascination of the universe and

found the story !hrilling

• A "ig grou( of (ri9arily girls rote that the the9e as 'oncern for the future. !hey

e=(ressed orries a"out the technological develo(9ent

• A s9aller grou( of girls re#ected the story. Q ) cannot see why we are to read a story li.e

this95

• A grou( of "oys and girls e=(ressed lac3 of understanding 0 4) would li.e to see the film95

Essays on ,rsula le-uin. /erastion 0&++12

3ge &5(&+

• Identification, sadness and forgiveness , Q ) imagine ha1ing lost my brother, and the feeling )

would ha1e inside95

•

Borries < "eing re#ected "y your fa9ily, your roots < suicide . QThe human psyche is1ulnerable, and the worst thing ) could thin. of would be to be re:ected by my family'5

• 5eligion < su((ression 7A "ig grou( of "oth "oys and girls e=(ressed disgust ith

su((ressive religions8 Q< there are so many negati1e things connected to religion95 this

grou( of students ere critical toards Qa society build li.e that, a society which lea1es no

space for the indi1idual5

• A s9all grou( as )ot really engaged < 4the text is too programmatic5

Essays on Ray Brad$ury. 4e who waits 0&+'12



3ge &5*&+

• A "ig grou( of "oys and girls clai9ed that the 9ain the9e as 5eincarnation

• Another the9e hich a "ig grou( 9entions is >ascination of the universe, Q Man has a need

to explore life, science, the world, the uni1erse, and in this exploration he meets 4the fog5 on

the edge of his cognition, and he has to be careful' The astronauts were not careful 0 but

1entured to loo. in the well without thin.ing'5

• Another the9e 'oncern for the future. Borries a"out the technological develo(9ent

• A s9aller grou( of "oys e=(ressed Dread < Qthis is about a body with se1eral souls fighting

0 when are you e1er yourself-5

It is interesting to see the differences "eteen the to age grou(s and their ays of

reading the te=ts. As I see it, it ould "e relevant to use the research of M.A.A((leyard to

analyse the ansers fro9 the to classes.

Beco%ing a Reader

In his "oo3 3ecoming a #eader 7A((leyard 1//18 M.A.A((leyard divides reading

develo(9ent into stadiu9s "ased on Piagets thin3ing. !his ay of seeing reading and

develo(9ent has "een su"#ect of criticis9, 7al9gren, 1//08 "ut A((leyards

categorisation creates a good thin3ing fra9e for considering reading develo(9ent.

At the age of ;6 e 9eet The Reader as Player

)n the preschool years the child, not yet a reader but a listener to stories, becomes a

confident player in a fantasy world that images realities, fears, and desires in forms

that the child slowly learns to sort out and control' 7A((leyard, 1//1, (. 18.

A((leyard rites in connection ith 4ettelhei9 The ;ses of nchantment

74ettelhei9, 1/068 The )nner life of a child is chaotic, full of transient and

ambi1alent emotions that a child cannot comprehend rationally as an adult might' To

sort out and control these feelings, a child needs the help of fantasy images that fill

the gaps in .nowledge and spea. directly to the unconscious' 7A((leyard, (. K6;K08

)e=t ste( is The Reader as 4ero and 4eroine 0'*&6 7r2

The school8age child is the central figure of a romance that is constantly being

rewritten as the child5s picture of the world and of how people beha1e in it is filled in

and clarified' Stories here seem to be an alternate, more organized, and less



ambiguous world than the world of pragmatic experience, one the reader easily

escapes into and becomes in1ol1ed with' <Appleyard, *++*, p' *%

=8 reading is a way of exploring an inner world= <>% ?but it also focuses on issues of

identity, in the image of the powerful or cle1er hero or heroine who in one guise or

another is the principal archetype of most stories school8age children read=

<Appleyard , *++*, p' @+%

A((leyard s(ea3s of The reader as spectator and participant < this dou"le ay of

a((roaching a te=t is develo(ed at this stage < the participant is the person who

identifies with the heroheroine' The spectator is the one who has a =realistic

acceptance of experience= <p'B% they =tolerate outcomes that are more realistic

than wish fulfilling and indeed expect to encounter in stories unpleasant and e1en

disturbing material= <p'B8

A((leyard de(icts a reader that e also 9eet a9ong the 16;1/ year;olds < a reader

ho identifies ith the fictive (ersons.

Another reader e 9eet in this age grou( is The Reader as Thin8er.

=888 reading gi1es you a lot more insight about how people thin.= 7A((leyard (. /8.

!hrough reading the young (erson ants to =construct theories and ideological

systems, de1elop ideals, understand others5 points of 1iew=888 = thin. about thin.ing,

reflect critically about one5s own thoughts= 888 introspection <p' +B% In this (rocess

"oth Male autonomy and female interpersonal empathy <p' ++% are constructed.

According to A((leyard there are "asically three ays that young (eo(le tal3 a"out

literature.

1. Identification. They explicitly mention the experience of in1ol1ement with the boo.

and identification with the character <=it was :ust li.e ) was there=, = you can sort of

lose yourself in it=, =it could ha1e been written about me=%.7(. 1&&8=This is wholly consistent, of course, with the adolescent disco1ery of the self' )t

suggests, too, that the distinction between participant and spectator roles in the

reading process reaches a new le1el of self8consciousness in adolescence and that all

subseDuent responses to stories will be mar.ed, to a greater or lesser degree, by some

sense of the di1ision between the experiencing and the :udging self' That an

adolescent thin.s a good story is realistic and that it =ma.es me thin.= are the most

immediate of the reactions that e1idence this split=' 7(.1&08



!he s(lit consists of to sides < the reader identifying ith the characters in the te=t

on one side, and the reader ste((ing "ac3 and analysing, evaluating characters, actions

and (lot.

%. -ood literature is a$out reality9 A ty(ical state9ent a9ong young readers is =The

story is 1ery good because it is about something that could be true= !hey tal3 a"out

the realism of the story <=it was true to life>belie1able=%' 7(.1&&8. !he young (erson

realiOes 7through reading a9ong other things8 that =the real world is not the green

world of romance but a much dar.er and dangerous place= 7(.11&8 and the feeling is

that therefore it is good and useful to read so9ething realistic, so you can 9a3e

ac?uaintance ith that ne orld.

K. -ood literature is thought pro:o8ing9 R A good story is a story that ma.es me

wonder about life= says the young reader ho discovers that a te=t can have a

9essage, that there is so9ething called inter(retation, and ho changes his a((roach

fro9 identification to ste((ing "ac3 and "eginning to see the "igger connections

ithin and "ehind the te=tual universe. A((leyard e=(resses it li3e this =To get

beyond this into techniDues of analysis and the categories of literary criticism is

something the best students may get a glimpse of and some may appear to be good at

because they are cle1er at imitating the language of their teachers, but it finallyreDuires a new way of loo.ing at a story 0 as a problem of textual interpretation 0

that is substantially different from the adolescent5s impulse to thin. about a story,

e1en about what it means'= <p'**E%

A((leyards (ortraits of different age grou(s ays of encountering literature are ell

docu9ented in the essays e have received fro9 the students in this study. Be 9eet the

young thin.er ho identifies ith the fictive (ersons and relate the the9es of the te=t toreality through reflections on their on (ersonal life. !he folloing e=a9(les of the

students (ersonal state9ents in relation to their reading underline this.

!hanging relations $etween indi:iduals and societies

Bithin this the9e e find interesting state9ents a9ong the &'*&) year*olds9

4oy 7168 the story is li.e our society 0 we are also di1ided into being high or low caste in our

society depending on whether we are rich or poor' The story made me reflect'



Girl 7168 the story ta.es place in the future, but is 1ery much li.e a #ed )ndian society 0and maybe

e1en li.e the society we all li1e in8 it is about 1alues and dignity that we should consider e1ery day'

; and a9ong the &5*&+ year*olds9

4oy 718 1en though we li1e in a modern society, we li1e by rules that we do not e1en .now of,

ancient rules and ancient 1alues go1ern our li1es'

Girl 71/8 /e1elopment goes too fast 0 stop and consider where you are 0 what you are doing' The

world is inhabited by zombies'

;ays of relating to local and glo$al issues

A9ong the &'*&) year*olds. 4oy 7168 The soul in the well is a symbol of Satan.

&5*&+ year*olds. Girl 718 Fou can conDuer a country or an area, but you can ne1er conDuer the

soul of things without empathy, care and understanding' The men on Mars do not .now anything

about the place where they are, and they are not cautious 0 that is the reason why they ha1e to die

4oy 71/8 Macho types with no understanding for local rules will ne1er conDuer the world or the

uni1erse

The construction of indi:idual identities

&'*&) year*olds. 4oy 7108 The story <(erastion% is about shame and death, but there must be

reasons for what is happening 0 otherwise it is too sad' (eep up your good spirits9

4oy 7168 The well is created in the men5s imagination 0 their souls are attracted to the clean and pure water 0 they do not .now what they are dealing with, and they cannot protect themsel1es'

They are cle1er technicians, but cannot handle the spiritual world

&5*&+ year*olds. 4oy 71/8 3eing young in a modern society puts tremendous pressure on you' Fou

ha1e to select what to do in order to become a success and you ha1e to pass tests and li1e up to

expectations, that is why so many young people commit suicide 0 this is what (erastion is about

Girl 718 Fou ha1e a right to be free 0 you are born free 0 and you should li1e free 0 ) re:ect

suppressi1e societies, you ha1e the right to social mobility 0 you also ha1e to comply with the rulesof society, but not to let down your own integrity. Fou ha1e to consider life and your choices and

ne1er let go of your ideals, e1en if you must die for them' The main sin is to li1e in unconsciousness'

Girl 718 Maybe &WW is about a man5s constant longing to be one with another human being' The

soul is ne1er itself, but li.e a chameleon

Girl 71/8 )n &WW the men symbolize the conscious self, and the spirit in the well the subconscious,

if you do not recognize and integrate your subconscious, it may cause your death

;hat can $e read off these responses in relation to the ongoing changes in our societies



&'*&) year*olds. ne 7"oy, 168 orries a"out the technological develo(9ent. /oes man.ind .now

what it is doing-

&5*&+ year*olds. 4oy 718 ) feel hatred towards a society which can suppress a young man li.e

that, a society which does not ac.nowledge and appreciate his s.ills

Girl 71/8 #eligion can be cruel and ruin people5s li1es

4oy 71/8 )n many ways the society in (erastion is a picture of our society today 0 where religion is

concerned 0 )f a /ane chooses to become a Muslim, he may be re:ected from his family' )f a

Muslim chooses to become a !rotestant, he may be re:ected from his family' )f you tell your family

you are gay, you may ha1e the same reaction 0 people are narrow8minded 0 it is easy to become an

outcast if you do not fit into the norms of your society

4oy 71/8 )f shame and honour rules a society, it will .ill its people

<ain the%es

After having read the 9aterial, it see9s as if there ere three significant 9ain the9es that

ca9e out of reading the Danish student essays. !hey e=(ressed a need to consider three

i9(ortant areas

The dangers of wealth 0li1ing with a focus on material goods without really being

present in your life

The need to understand other cultures

The enormous pressure on young people 0 fear of suicide

!here is no dou"t that the reading of these to te=ts have "een of i9(ortance to the students, and

the study su((orts the general conce(tion that the (o(ularity of fantasy literature is connected to the

ay this genre touches on the the9es that engage young (eo(le.

!he (rotagonists in fantasy literature are on their on in a universe here they have to find their

ay and find their on solutions.

!his re9inds the young readers of the conditions they 9eet in everyday life, and the reader can

easily identify ith the (rotagonist and 9ove "eteen rationality and irrationality. !he ?uestions

and o(en ended stories in 9ost fantasy literature invite the reader to relate, identify and (roduce his

or her on inter(retation.

!he young reader has a s(ecial a"ility of "eing inside the te=t and outside the te=t at the sa9e ti9e.

!hat 9eans that the reader can identify and "e inside the te=t. 4ut at the sa9e ti9e the young reader

can ste( "ac3 and relate the narrative to hi9; or herself and to (ersonal (ro"le9s and life in society

as such.!he 9any state9ents fro9 young readers in this study (rove that.



Litteratur

A((leyard, M.A. 71//18 3ecoming a #eader

al9gren, . G. 71//08. Gtta "Hsare pI Mellanstadiet . und Studentlitteratur.

oos, Ingelise og S3ygge"#erg, Anna $arls3ov 7%&&08 $antastis.e fortJllinger i .ort

form 0 en genre med rele1ans for under1isningen' Det digitale "i"liote3 o9 "rnelitteratur. .dans3lf.d3:"oernelitt

Nedslag i bKrnelitteraturfors.ningen L, 5os3ilde Universitetsforlag %&&1

)i3ola#eva, . The Magic Code 0 The use of magical patterns in fantasy for children, Universitetet

i Stoc3hol9 1/

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Ray Brad$ury. The one who waits

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<achineries of joy &+'1

!he story "egins ith the first (erson narrator descri"ing hat it is li3e to "e living in a ell.

iving as s9o3e and stea9 doing nothing "ut aiting, atching the stars and the sun and singing

songs a"out ho the (lanet used to "e.

4ut one 9orning, the narrator hears a tre9endous thunder and distant voices in a foreign language.

!he voices are 9oving closer and suddenly they discover the ell. !hey say that the ell 9ust "e at

least ten thousand years old.

!he narrator loo3s u( as three o"#ects are leaning in over the ell. And no the narrator rises u(

toards the9 as they are drin3ing the ater. >loating li3e cinna9on dust.

ne of the 9en, Mones, gets a headache "ut it (asses straightaay, and no the narrator 3nos ho

he is. He is Mones. Must arrived fro9 the (lanet Earth and standing on ars ith his good friends.

!he narrator is no sensing everything the ords, the food, the s9ell of the air, the sun on the

flesh. It feels nice doing all this again after ten thousand years.

All the others, e=ce(t for a 9an called 5egent, returns to the shi(. !he narrator s9iles and gra"s

hi9 "y the ar9 as he tells hi9 that the ell is a soul ell. A (lace here "eings, once dressed in

flesh and "lood, are aiting.

ne "y one the 9en are ta3en over "y the soul fro9 the ell, one "y one they try to fight, one "y

one they are dran "y the ell. ne "y one they fall into the ell and "eco9e one ith the one ho

aits.

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