Masaryk University

Faculty of Arts

Department of English

and American Studies

English Language and Literature

Jitka Marková

The Fantastic Worlds as a Representation of the

Collective Human Unconscious in the Books by

Neil Gaiman Bachelor’s Diploma Thesis

Supervisor: Stephen Paul Hardy, Ph. D.

2008

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I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently,

using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography.

…………………………………………….. Jitka Marková

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Acknowledgement

I would like to thank Mr. Stephen Paul Hardy, PhD. for supervising my thesis and for his advice during the

process of writing, and Mgr. Tomáš Hanzálek and Bc. Michaela Sochorová for advice concerning the

administrative affairs.

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Table of Contents

Introduction………………………………………………….. 5

1. Theoretical background …………………………….…… 9

1.1. Fantasy as a Genre ……………………………. 9

1.2. Jung and the Collective Unconscious…………… 14

1.3. Functions of Dramatis Personae…………………. 17

2. Neverwhere: Encounter of the Old and Modern World...... 20

3. Stardust: Conscious and Unconscious in Harmony………. 34

4. Coraline: The ‘Other’ World………………………………. 40

Conclusion……………………………………………………. 46

Works Cited …………………………………………………. 50

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Introduction

The following work deals with the relationships between mainstream society and

fantastic worlds in books by Neil Gaiman from the point of view of analytical

psychology. The main goal of the thesis is to prove that fantastic worlds described in

these books may be interpreted as the collective unconscious of people living within the

mainstream society. It will be argued that the journey of the main character, which plays

a major part in the novels that are discussed, is in its function equal to the process of

individuation as defined by C. G. Jung. The idea of fantastic worlds representing the

unconscious will be analysed through the relationship of the main characters to these

worlds and the development of their attitudes towards anything that is beyond their

experience.

The thesis focuses on three Gaiman’s novels: Neverwhere (1997), Stardust (1999)

and Coraline (2002)1. In these works Gaiman explores the possibilities of interaction

between the two worlds, one of which is similar to modern Britain (although it is not

identical). This strategy makes it possible to create an alternative reality which has

strong effect on a reader who can (at least partially) identify with it. Although the above

mentioned novels differ from each other with regard to setting and the way the narrative

approaches the main topics, the similar relationship of the two worlds’ inhabitants is

present in all of them.

Chapter One is concerned with the theoretical background of the analysis. It provides

the basic introduction of fantasy as a genre, the definition of the unconscious and the

related concepts of archetypes and individuation, and the information on the functions of

dramatis personae. The theoretical background of the thesis consists of the works

written by the following authors: Kathryn Hume, Rosemary Jackson and Ann Swinfen

1 In the thesis the new editions of the novels are used: Neverwhere (2005), Stardust (2005), Coraline

(2003).

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provide several possible definitions of the genre of fantasy and its functions. The works

of Joseph Campbell deal with the theory of myths and their relation to psychology. Carl

Gustav Jung, whose works are the main theoretical sources ot this work, explains the

main concepts of analytical psychology and the collective unconscious. Stanislav

Kratochvíl summarizes the main thoughts of Jung’s approach and provides the list of the

most common archetypes. V. J. Propp analyses the structure of folktales using the

functions of the characters (dramatis personae) in the narrative.

The theoretical chapter is followed by three chapters dealing with the particular

novels. At the beginning of each of these chapters the short summary of the plot is

provided. This is done in order to introduce the content of the books which is being

referred to in the analysis. After summarizing the plot the following phenomena are

examined: the way the myths and rituals influence the life of the inhabitants of the

fantastic worlds; the responses of the people to the manifestations of the fantastic

worlds’ existence; the development of the main character during and after the

experience with the fantastic world; the use of the archetypes and distribution of the

functions of dramatis personae. These phenomena are the criteria for the comparison of

the novels, which is done in the conclusion.

As the world of modern mainstream society depicted in Gaiman is not always

identical with the real world and the picture of the society fulfills specific functions

essential for the work itself, the term Ordinary world will be used in order to avoid

ambiguity in some of the observations. This term relates strictly to the environment and

society of Gaiman’s novels.

The origin and form of all the three novels is quite different. Neverwhere is an

adapted series script where Gaiman put the scenes which were left out while the series

was being filmed. Stardust is a fairy tale for the adults, as it deals with some problems

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that are not common in the literature for children (the problem of raising illegitimate

children, gender issues such as Tristan’s treating the star at the beginning of their

journey to Wall) and also it has quite an unconventional ending. By contrast, Coraline is

a horror story for children. However, all the above mentioned novels share certain

general characteristics.

In the novels that are discussed in this thesis Gaiman focuses on the relationship

between the two worlds which exist next to each other and are separated by a more or

less clear border. For example in Stardust the world of Faerie is separated from the

Ordinary world by a wall which all the inhabitants of Wall (the village representing the

Ordinary world of Stardust) are aware of, whereas in Neverwhere the line between the

two worlds is not mentioned explicitly. In Coraline the border is the door. The

relationship of the Ordinary worlds’ inhabitants towards fantastic world is very different

and depends on the level of the individual’s opennes towards strange and unknown. In

general, the most of the people living in the Ordinary world are not aware of the

fantastic world’s existence. Some of them consciously refuse the idea that the fantastic

world is real even though they see the signs indicating its presence. Only the most open

individuals can enter the fantastic world, become absorbed by it and in the end fully

accept its existence.

The central focus of all the narratives is on the journey of the main character. This

journey is physical as well as symbolic (from the point of view of the main character’s

inner development). The main characters, who are in some way different from the rest of

the society living in the Ordinary world, enter the fantastic world either intentionally, or

by accident. The major part of the plot is then about their efforts to get back to the

Ordinary world. During the journey they learn more about themselves and in the end

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they can compare their values and attitudes to life with those of the people living in their

own world.

The mainstream society (i.e. the inhabitants of the Ordinary worlds) is presented as

focused on the material things and values: in Stardust the main interest of the villagers

living in Wall is in breeding sheep and keeping their households. Jessica, the fiancée of

the main character of Neverwhere, devotes the majority of her time to making her

career. Coraline’s parents, mother in particular, are occupied by their jobs and everyday

concerns and show little interest in their daughter’s dreams and the mysteries hidden in

their house. The inhabitants of the fantastic worlds know about the Ordinary world’s

existence and they can, to a certain extent, influence the events happening in it. Some of

them can deliberately enter the Ordinary world - for example Mr. Croup, Mr. Vandemar

and Door (Neverwhere); the inhabitants of Faerie who come to the village of Wall for

the market (Stardust) and the beldam’s right hand (Coraline).

All the three narratives are told in the third person singular which makes it possible

to follow more characters and events at the same time, but the majority of each of the

stories (in Coraline the whole story) is being viewed from the point of view of the main

character. This narrative strategy puts the emphasis on the main characters’ views and

the way of evaluating situations. The main characters’ experience thus determines the

norms of what is considered normal and appropriate.

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1. Theoretical Background

This chapter introduces several theoretical approaches which are used in the thesis to

make a link between Gaiman’s books and the collective unconscious. To be able to

analyse Neverwhere, Stardust and Coraline with regard to their similarity to the

collective unconscious, it is necessary to clarify certain notions that will be referred to in

this work. These notions (the genre of fantasy and its functions; collective unconscious

and functions of dramatis personae) form a theoretical background of the phenomena

that are discussed in the thesis. The part of this chapter concerned with fantasy as a

genre deals with the basic definition of fantasy, the function of the genre as a whole and

the functions of the individual approaches to writing fantastic literature. It is followed

by introduction of the basic concepts of the analytical psychology: the unconscious, the

archetypes and the individuation process. The connection of the myth to the psychology

is mentioned. The chapter ends with the definition of the functions of dramatis personae

and the list of functions that are shared by all the three books.

1.1. Fantasy as a Genre

The first point is the definition of fantasy as a genre. It is difficult as the notion itself

is quite vague and has many different definitions, which include or exclude various

kinds of literature. Some scholars even claim that any mimetic work, i.e. work that

attempts “to imitate, to describe events, people, situations and objects with such

verisimilitude that others can share your experience” (Hume 20), is in fact fantastic

because the authors try to provide “something ‘like life’” (Hume xi). Thus mediated

experience necessarily demands use of fantasy as an element (Hume xii). As Rosemary

Jackson points out: “All imaginary activity is fantastic, all literary works are fantasies”

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(13). This observation is, however, too broad for the purposes of this thesis and

therefore it is necessary to narrow it down in some way.

Fantasy literature is often viewed as an attempt to escape real life for the reader as

well as for the writer. The name of the genre itself puts the emphasis on this

interpretation. Unlike the word “imagination” which is associated with creativity,

resourcefulness and active thinking (Eldridge), the word “fantasy” is often associated

with passivity and escapism. For example, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged

Dictionary defines fantasy as “imagination, esp. when extravagant and unrestrained”,

“a supposition based on no solid foundation” or “an imagined or conjured up sequence

fulfilling a psychological need; daydream” (698). This definition of fantasy is, however,

focused only on one of the characteristic features of fantasy. The function of escaping

the reality by daydreaming, although important, is not the only function fantasy

literature fulfills. According to some scholars it is also “a literature of desire, which

seeks that which is experienced as absence or loss”(Jackson 3). Such literature can

function as a metaphor for social events, the possibility to write about “that which lies

outside the law, that which is outside dominant value systems” (Jackson 4). The genre

of fantasy also makes it possible for the author to overcome the limits imposed on the

literary imagination by social norms and rational knowledge. It offers an alternative

approach to reality and “sets out to explore the immaterial and irrational” (Swinfen 2).

One of this genre’s main functions is to give the author a certain freedom of vision and

expression.

In her study Fantasy and Mimesis Kathryn Hume distinguishes between the four

basic relationships of fantasy to reality according to their specific functions and goals.

These approaches may be viewed as the four main genre’s types: ‘literature of illusion’,

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‘literature of vision’, ‘literature of revision’ and ‘literature of disillusion’ (Hume 59-

143).

The first category, ‘the literature of illusion’, or escapist literature, which has been

already considered, makes it possible for the reader to escape reality and take refuge in

daydreams or alternative illusory worlds. The main goal of this kind of fantasy is to

provide readers with reassurance and make them feel comfortable by letting them escape

the demands of their everyday life. There are two basic methods to achieve this goal:

either the readers may seek comfort in simplicity (Hume 60), or they can divert their

attention away from their everyday problems by being confronted with activity, violence

and intense emotions (64). One view on this kind of literature is that although it has

psychological value for the reader, it very rarely stimulates further thinking (60). On the

contrary the literature of illusion may “point to the lack of fulfilling and satisfying

values in everyday life” (Hume 81) and thus serve as a means of social critique. The

typical representatives of this kind of literature in Hume’s view are The Three

Musketeers or Pamela where the characters are successful only because of their virtues,

without high rank or wealth which would help them to become respected (Hume 65).

Such works provide readers with reassurance that even the people without high status

may achieve something. The books such as Robinson Crusoe or Walden, which also

belong to this category, provide “excursion into a special world, proving one’s ability to

survive in it and return,” (Hume 63), or in other words, the temporary escape. The

pattern of escape is also characteristic for the Harry Potter series although Hume in her

work does not mention it. The main character, who is insignificant outside the secret

world of a scholl for wizards, there becomes admired hero and the person who is

predestined to save the whole wizarding community.

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The second category, the ‘literature of vision’, is written in order to introduce new

ideas or alternative realities. Unlike the escapist stories, which the reader more or less

identifies with, these realities work with the reader’s experience in such way that the

reader is aware of the fact that the facts described in this literature are not real. The

result is an emotional response from the readers, i.e. they are supposed to share the

emotions which appear in the book (Hume 82). The authors creating ‘new realities’ use

three basic methods of the response to reality. The first of them is so-called ‘additive

writing’, which creates new worlds, that are richer than the world of the reader or adds

new dimensions to what the reader is already familiar with (87). As an example Hume

mentions Odyssey where the world of Greeks are extended by the world of gods (88).

The second approach to writing ‘literature of vision’, ‘subtractive writing’, focuses on

the metaphorical or absurd expression and also it excludes “what the author deems

inessential”(Hume 91). This is typical for the heroic stories where many things are

deliberately omitted in order to draw attention to the noble hero, his bravery and virtues.

Hume in this context refers to Beowulf where the fleas, excrements and other things

which were part of the everyday life of that time were deliberately omitted (91). The

third method is called ‘contrastive writing’ and provides the readers with comparison

between the world they are familiar with and the fictional world created by the author

(83). None of these worlds is favoured. The intention of writing the ‘literature of vision’

as a whole is to encourage the readers to think about the world. It stimulates them to

form an opinion on what happens within the book as well as within the world they live

in. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, where a new, richer world is created, is a representative

of this category.

The didactic literature, or the literature of revision, gives the readers authority and

guidance in order to present moral norms to them and thus improve reality (Hume 102).

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This kind of fantasy often works with idealized heroes, negative examples and

exaggeration (104). The heroes are given choice between the good and evil such as in

case of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight where the good and bad part of the hero are

confronted and his deeds are evaluated by the author (Hume 114). From the books

which Hume does not mention some could be included to this category as well. For

example Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift, where the main hero is confronted with

different cultures and participates in absurd situations in order to be able see the vices of

the English society. The moment of decision between good and evil and dealing with

questions of morality are also the elements of the contemporary Russian series Night

Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko, where the main character, Anton, deals with the question

of the difference between the people who have power and those who do not.

The ‘literature of disillusion’ comes out from the philosophy of perspectivism or

dogmatic relativism, which is based on the idea that it is impossible for a person to

know the reality. In fact, as Hume writes, “[its] exemplars negate all the various positive

approaches to reality” (125). This literature works with pointing to unreliability of

human senses and to the inadequacy of communication. These two factors influence

people’s understanding of the world and make it impossible to see the true nature of

things. Although this literature deprives the readers of confidence and makes them

insecure, it gives them the freedom of realizing the limitations of their knowledge

(Hume 125). Among the representatives of this last category Hume mentions Antoine de

Saint-Exupéry and The Little Prince. This book according to Hume challenges the adult

value system by confronting it with a little child who has never been exposed to any

social pressure (136). Another representative of this category which she names is

Carrol’s Alice in Wonderland: Alice “does not like the dreamworlds of Wonderland and

Looking-glass Land because they contradict all the rules she has worked out by trial and

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error for dealing with experience in Victorian England” (Hume 127). All the values that

are used in the real world are questioned and made relative.

The division Hume made is useful for understanding the methods the fantasy

writers use to communicate their ideas to the readers. Gaiman in his novels works with

different techniques which were described by Hume in Fantasy and Mimesis.

In this thesis the notion of fantasy corresponds with the literature that transgress

people’s common everyday experience. This is done by introducing the events that

would be considered impossible for a person living in the 21 th century. “[The]

introduction of the ‘unreal’ is set against the category of the ‘real’- a category which the

fantastic interrogates by its difference”(Jackson 4). Fantasy is the literature that presents

anything the readers would not believe to be true if they encountered it in person. The

main difference between fantasy understood in this sense and the mimetic works that

use fantasy as one of their elements is use and appearance of magic and similarity of

their structure to the structure of the folktale which will be further elaborated in the

chapter on morphology of the narratives.

1.2. Jung and the Collective Unconscious

Fantasy literature is closely connected with psychology. The writers of fantasy often

work with psychological phenomena. “Fantasy in literature deals so blatantly and

repeatedly with unconscious material that it seems rather absurd to try to understand its

significance without some reference to psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic readings of

texts” (Jackson 6). In the novels discussed in this work the character of the fantastic

world responds to the problems and concerns of the character entering it. “When writers

use the concept of dual worlds in order to mirror the landscape of the inner mind, the

fantasies they produce are […] not unaffected by the researches of Freud and Jung, and

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their successsors” (Swinfen 61). To understand the way the fantastic worlds in Gaiman’s

books interact with the Ordinary worlds it is thus necessary to get acquainted with the

basic concepts of analytical psychology, in particular the notion of the collective

unconscious.

Jung in his study The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious speaks about the

unconscious as consisting of the two parts: the personal unconscious whose contents are

the contents of the conscious that were forgotten or repressed (3) and the collective

unconscious which consists of the ideas common to all people. These ideas, which Jung

calls archetypes, are acquired by birth and are not influenced by individual experience

(3) and therefore they are “more or less the same everywhere and in all individuals”

(Jung, Archetypes 4). Social anthropologists such as Tylor and Frazer observed the

same phenomenon, the only difference was in terminology: instead of the notion

‘archetypes’ they used the term ‘Elementary ideas’ (Campbell, Flight 44-5).

Jung described several principal archetypes of the human psyche. These archetypes

are also mentioned by Stanislav Kratochvíl in his work Základy psychoterapie. Stín [the

shadow2] is the dark aspect of a personality, everything immoral and unpleasant that is

in contradiction with the lifestyle which the person adopted. However, it does not

necessarily have to be contemptible (38). Anima and animus are the personifications of

the opposite sex in every person. Whereas animus is associated with masculinity,

rationality, power and persistence; anima is the symbol of femininity and sentiment.

These two archetypes represent the experience of their bearers’ ancestors with the

opposite sex and they help the males understand the females and vice versa (38).

Moudrý stařec [the Old Wise Man] and his counterpart, velká matka země [the Great

Mother Earth], are the spiritual entities which according to Jung express the essence of

man and woman – the man being spiritual and the woman material (38). The parental

2 The translations from Czech to English were made by the author of this work.

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archetypes of the Mother and the Father are often mentioned in the Bible and have

many different representations. The father can be gracious as well as punishing, mother

can be caring as well as threatening and restrictive. Self is the “true self”, the state of

mental integrity. It consists if the conscious part (ego) as well as the unconscious part

and it is the result of the process of individuation (Kratochvíl 38). Individuation is

defined as gradual accepting the contents of the unconscious resulting in unifying the

personality (Jung, Archetypes 275).

Jung claims that if the archetypes are not recognized and integrated into the

conscious, there is a danger that the person will lose control over them and thus develop

mental disorder (Jung, Archetypes 39). The problem is not in the existence of archetypes

as such but in people’s inability to treat them appropriately (39). To prevent mental

disorder it is necessary to integrate the unconscious contents with conscious. Jung refers

to this process as to the process of individuation (Jung, Archetypes 40). In the books by

Gaiman the inhabitants of the fantastic worlds represent archetypes that have started to

live independently from the people of the Ordinary worlds and the main character

entering these worlds represents a person experiencing the individuation process.

The archetypes are also reflected in social anthropology, more specifically in

studying myths and rituals. According to Joseph Campbell myths serve as a means to

reduce the fear of death: “Poznání vlastní smrtelnosti a nutnosti její transcendence je

prvním důležitým impulzem mytologie [Awareness of our own mortality and

necessarity of transcending it is the first important impulse of mythology3]”(Campbell,

Mýty 31). As Campbell points out: “Mythology is psychology, misread as cosmology,

history and biography”(Campbel, Flight 33). Freud and Jung thus according to

Campbell started the “psychological readings of the phenomena of magic, sorcery, and

theology, demonstrating the identity of the mythological realm and age with the

3 The translation from Czech to English was made by the author of this work.

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unconscious, and the relationship, consequently, of myth to dream and of a ceremonial

to the symptomatology of a neurosis” (Campbell, Flight 49). This idea makes a link

between psychology and the reading of fantasy because the above mentioned

phenomena (sorcery, magic, myth and dream) are important elements of this genre.

Jung’s observations and theories about the collective unconscious are useful for

understanding Gaiman. The previously mentioned symbolic journey of the main

characters functions as an individuation process during which they explore the

unconscious, meet archetypes and make them part of their lives.

1.3. Functions of Dramatis Personae

Fantasy literature often works with the elements of fairy tale or folktale which

suggests its relation to the myth. The structure of all the three books by Gaiman is

similar to the structure of the folktales as analysed by V. J. Propp in the study called

Morphology of the Folktale. In this work Propp claims that the basic units of the

analysis of folktales are the so-called functions of the dramatis personae (Propp 18).

These functions are “act[s] of a character, defined from the point of view of [their]

significance for the course of the action ”(Propp 20). The complete list of the functions,

their definitions and designations can be found in Propp, pp. 24-57.

Propp says that it is not important who exactly performs the action fulfilling a certain

function, but what impact this performance has on the story as a whole: “Functions

serve as stable, constant elements in folktales, independent of who performs them, and

how they are fulfilled” (Propp 20). Also he notes that “[t]he number of functions known

in the fairy tale is limited” (20) and “[t]he absence of several functions does not change

the order of those remaining” (Propp 21). This means that although not all the functions

must be necessarily present in the story, those that are there appear in regular order.

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Although the genre and the setting of all the three books differs significantly, all the

stories fulfill the scheme proposed by Propp. Concerning the structure of the narratives,

they all share certain functions which the plots are composed from. These functions are

(in order of appearance): fraud – “The villain attempts to deceive his victim in order to

take possesion of him or of his belongings” (Propp 27). In Coraline the character of

other Mother in the role of villain tries to make the girl believe that her parents do not

want her. The witch in Stardust creates the fake tavern to attract the star, kill her and get

her heart. In Neverwhere Croup and Vandemar attempt to persuade Richard to betray

Door to them by pretending that she is their lost sister.

The lack, i.e. the fact that “[o]ne member of a family either lacks something or

desires to have something” (Propp 32) is experienced by all of the three main

characters, although each of them lacks different things: Richard, the main character of

Neverwhere, wants to get back to London Above (the Ordinary world) and continue in

living his life; in Stardust Tristran seeks the star as a hope to get his beloved girl and

Coraline needs to rescue her parents captured by the beldam. Logically, the function of

departure follows the function of lack.

In all the narratives the main character is then “tested, interrogated, attacked etc. in

preparation for receiving either a magical agent or helper (the first function of the

donor)” (Propp 36). Richard obtains the key from the friars, Coraline gets the magic

stone and Tristran is given a magic candle that brings him to the star.

The struggle – “[t]he hero and the villain join[ing] in direct combat”(Propp 47) is

also present in all the stories: it is represented by the struggle between Tristran and the

witch in the tavern, Richard’s fight with the Beast and Coraline’s contest against the

beldam.

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The presence or absence of certain functions affects the story as a whole. The

functions that are not shared by all the narratives and the impact of their presence in

particular stories will be discussed in the following chapters with regard to the particular

novels.

Having thus established the basic theoretical background of the analysis the thesis

will proceed to the analysis of the individual works. The main categories that will be

examined with regard to making links between Gaiman’s fantastic worlds and the

collective unconscious are: the way of treating the myths and magical rituals; the

responses of the people living in Ordinary world to the manifestations of the fantastic

worlds; development of the main character; use of the archetypes and distribution of the

functions of dramatis personae. The novels will be introduced in the order in which they

were written, i.e. first Neverwhere, and then Stardust and Coraline.

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2. Neverwhere: Encounter of the Old and Modern World

In the following chapter the first of Gaiman’s novels, Neverwhere, will be discussed.

The main feature of this book is the contrast between the Ordinary world representing

the modern society and the fantastic world where the social organization is based on

tradition and ritualized behaviour. The second important aspect is the strong

development of the main character. The use of the archetypes and the functions of

dramatis personae are subject to it. The emphasis will be therefore put on the way

Gaiman works with these two elements. As it has been already pointed out, before

considering the particular aspects of the story it is necessary to provide a brief

description of the plot to get acquainted with certain events that will be referred to later.

At the beginning the main character, Richard Mayhew, moves to London. He is

warned by a fortune-teller that he should avoid doors. He finds a job and a fiancée,

Jessica, and he lives quite an ordinary life. One day he sees a girl bleeding on the

pavement and although he does not know her and Jessica strongly disagrees with it, he

takes the girl to his flat.

The girl is called Lady Door and she is pursued by her parents’ murderers, Mr. Croup

and Mr. Vandemar, who work for a mysterious employer. Croup and Vandemar come to

Richard’s flat and try to persuade Richard that she is their sister in order to make him

give Door to them. Door asks Richard to find her companion, Marquis de Carabas, and

after he does so, they both (Door and Carabas) leave. The next day Richard goes to

work but he finds out that everybody is ignoring him and even his friends and his

fiancée are acting as if he did not exist at all. He finds out that he fell down to the world

known as London Below. Richard decides to get to the Floating market which is the

place Door told him she and Carabas were going to and ask them to help him.

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On the Floating market Door and Carabas hire Door a bodyguard called Hunter.

Richard finds them and wants them to help him get his normal life back. Carabas refuses

to take Richard with them but Door convinces him to do so and they all go to see the

angel Islington because the diary of Doors father told them to do so. Marquis de Carabas

leaves the group to follow his own business (interrogating with Croup and Vandemar in

order to find out who killed Door’s parents). The angel sends Richard, Door and Hunter

to the Monastery to get the key. They have to pass three ordeals in order to get it. The

third, most difficult task is performed by Richard, who almost believes that he is insane

and commits suicide in the underground, but in the end he survives and succeeds. After

they receive the key from the monks, they go to the next Floating market to pick up

Marquis. They, however, miss each other and therefore they take a Velvet - a creature

similar to a vampire who sucks the warmth out of the people - called Lamia with them

as a guide.

The journey includes a maze guarded by the Beast of London. During their attempt to

pass through the maze Lamia tries to get Richard’s warmth and she almost kills him.

Richard finds out that Hunter betrayed them to Croup and Vandemar and their employer

because they offered her the weapon for killing the Beast. Door is captured by the

murderers. De Carabas comes and joins Hunter and Richard. The Beast attacks them and

kills Hunter. Richard takes her spear and succeeds in killing the Beast. Dying Hunter

advises him to drink its blood and put it on his eyes and a tip of his tongue, which helps

them to get through the maze.

Richard and Carabas find out that Islington hired Croup and Vandemar to seize the

key and Lady Door, who is able to open doors to the parallel worlds and realities. The

angel wants Door to open him the passage to Heaven from where he was expelled for

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causing the fall of Atlantis. Door seemingly does what he wants, but she cheats and

sends him to an unknown and distant reality.

With the help of the key Richards gets back to London Above. He is promoted and

his fiancée Jessica wants to be reconciled with him. However, he finds out that this is

not what he actually wants from his life and he returns to London Below again.

In general terms it can be said that the novel criticizes the part of London’s society

which is represented by Jessica and her boss, Mr. Stockton. The main focus of the

critique is on the material way of life concentrated on business, success and making

career. The society of Ordinary world in Neverwhere is characterized as lacking

compassion (as in the scene with Door bleeding and Jessica not willing to help her) and

imagination: the people of London Above resist anything unknown and they seek a

rational explanation for everything they do not understand.

The more or less direct allusions to the myths are an important feature of the book.

The use of myth again reinforces the parallel between the fantastic world and the

collective unconscious. In his lectures Jung said that “there are mythological patterns in

that layer of the unconscious, […] it produces contents which cannot be ascribed to the

individual and which may even be in strict contradiction to the personal psychology of

the dreamer”(Jung, Analytical psychology 44). Some general images that are part of the

unconscious are thus manifested in myths.

The society of the fantastic world represents the society based on traditions and

rituals. The world of London Below is hierarchic, divided into baronies, and the society

consists of many different kinds of human and human-like creatures who form various

groups. “There was something deeply tribal about that people […] there were the ones

who looked like they had escaped from a historical reenactment society; the ones that

reminded him of hippies; the albino people in grey clothes and dark glasses; the

23

polished, dangerous ones in smart suits and black gloves […]” (Gaiman, Neverwhere

111). Such a heterogeneous society demands a set of rules in order not to turn into

anarchy. The relationships between the inhabitants of London Below thus work on the

basis of exchange of goods and service, which suggests its loyalty to the traditional

patterns of behaviour. The system of doing and returning favours reinforces the sense of

cooperation in the society of the fantastic world as opposed to the individualistic society

of the Ordinary world. The favours are valuable means of payment. When Richard

meets Marquis de Carabas for the first time and attempts to persuade him to help Door,

the following conversation takes place:

“[…] ‘And she’s offering me?’ ‘Well. Nothing.’ […] ‘She’s

offering me…Nothing.’ […] ‘Well, she didn’t say anything

about money. She just said she was going to have to owe you

a favour.’ The eyes flashed. ‘Exactly what kind of favour?’

‘A really big one,’said Richard. ‘She said she was going to

have to owe you a really big favour.’ De Carabas grinned to

himself, like a hungry panther sighting a lost peasant child.

Then he turned on Richard. ‘And you left her alone,’ he

asked. ‘With Croup and Vandemar out there? Well, what are

you waiting for?’ ”(Gaiman, Neverwhere 47).

Although accompanying Door is very dangerous and risky business, still it is

advantageous for the Marquis to accept her offer for the promise of Door’s future

obligation to him. This suggests how important the favours actually are in the world of

London Below.

There are some other rules that are followed by all the creatures living in the fantastic

world and that cannot be violated. For example the truce during the Floating market: for

24

the time the market takes place all the inhabitants of London Below are forbidden to

hurt each other or else a much more severe punishment follows: “ ‘So what would

happen if someone violated Market Truce?’ […] ‘The last time it happened was about

three hundred years ago. A couple of friends got into an argument […] A knife was

pulled and one of them died. The other fled.’ ‘What happened to him? Was he killed?’

‘Quite the opposite. He still wishes he had been the one to have died’” (Gaiman,

Neverwhere 276). There are no exceptions in these rules and although they do not have

any written form, they are obeyed by everybody.

In Neverwhere Gaiman also frequently works with the symbols and rituals of

Christian religion: the plot centers around the fallen angel’s effort to get back to heaven;

the key to heaven is hidden in the monastery and guarded by the monks. When the

character of Hunter is dying, she shows repentance by helping Richard to kill the Beast

and sacrificing her life for Richard and his friends. By this act she achieves forgiveness

of her sin (betraying Door to Islington) and she finally finds her peace. The Christian

symbols and rituals are, however, presented in different light than it is usual - for

example the angel is viewed as cold-blooded murderer and the sacred things are

scorned:

“‘So, you figure they won’t notice you’re back?’ sneered the

Marquis ‘Just “Look, there’s another angel, here, grab a harp

and on with the hosannas”?’ Islington’s grey eyes were

bright. ‘Not for me the smooth agonies of adulation, of

hymns and halos and self-seeking prayers,’it said. ‘I have…

my own agenda’” (Gaiman, Neverwhere 327).

25

This way of presenting religion to the reader results in the impression of its relativity:

the attitudes that Richard brings with him from London Above are put in contrast to the

reality of the fantastic world and presented in different way than he is used to see them.

The story of Neverwhere often deals with question of life after death: Marquis de

Carabas dies but he raises from death. Birds as mythological bearers of souls (Propp 96)

play an important role in the story and demonstrate that “[e]veryday life and religion die

out, while their contents turn into tales” (Propp 96). In Neverwhere a bird (pidgeon) is a

messenger which Door uses to find Marquis. De Carabas himself later contacts Old

Bailey (the man with special status within both Londons, who makes his living by

selling birds) and entrusts him with guarding his heart. Only with Bailey’s help he is

later able to resurrect after Croup and Vandemar kill him.

Using magic is the important element of fantasy literature as well as the myths.

Magical rituals are not frequent in Neverwhere, nevertheless they are present. In one of

a minor scenes Marquis gives magical whistle to a musician. At the moment when the

Beast kills Hunter in the maze and is subsequently killed itself, Richard performs a

magical ritual by anointing himself with its blood to be able to get through the maze.

Thus he obtains the power of the Beast.

The contrast between the two worlds is reinforced by the deliberate ignorance of the

people living in the Ordinary world, who are predominantly not aware of London

Below’s existence. The element of people from London Above not seeing the

inhabitants of the fantastic world or immediate forgetting that they had seen them is a

characteristic feature of Neverwhere. Such behaviour is caused by the fact that the

fantastic world represents the chaos which the inhabitants of the Ordinary world are

afraid of. The people living in London Above need to have system and order in their

lives. What is most valued in the society which Richard lives in before falling to London

26

Below, is success, although sometimes it is focused only on effect. The success can be

achieved only by the people who do not draw attention by their non-conformist

behaviour. This attitude is illustrated by Jessica’s behaviour to Richard:

“[…] Jessica saw in Richard an enormous amount of

potential, which, properly harnessed by the right woman,

would have made him the perfect matrimonial accessory. If

only he were a little more focused, she would murmur to

herself, and so she gave him books with titles like Dress for

Success and A Hundred and Twenty-Five Habits of

Successful Men […]” (Gaiman, Neverwhere 12).

If something irrational threatens to violate the established order, people attempt to

remove the threat by refusing to think about it or remember it. In Neverwhere this is a

frequent strategy that is used by people who are exposed to the unconscious and who are

not ready to accept its contents. The process of escaping the things that are inconvenient

by denying their existence is already partially automatic and sometimes it is not realized

by the people confronted with the fantastic world. However, it is actually a result of the

choice of what a person wants to see. A typical example of such situation is Jessica’s

first encounter with the irrational - the moment when she and Richard see Door for the

first time. Jessica at first ignores Door but when Richard calls her attention to the girl,

she tries to find a rational explanation of the girl’s origin (saying that Door is probably

a homeless beggar) and then she pretends that nothing happened. She refuses to think

about how it is possible that an injured dirty girl appeared on the street out of the brick

wall.

The fear from the unknown is also determined by the setting of the story. The modern

society of the Ordinary world lacks the values of traditional society. The attention is

27

focused on the individual and material benefit, which is the cause of the alienation of the

Ordinary world and the fantastic world. Campbell supports this idea: “Je-li naše vědomí

soustředěno po většinu času na jevový svět, snadno ztrácíme kontakt s nevědomými

silami v našem nitru [If our conscious focuses on material world for the majority of

time, we lose contact with the unconscious forces in ourselves4]”(Campbell, Mýty 23).

The unconscious contents (the fantastic world) thus become alien and consequently

frightening. Considering the possibility of the fantastic world representing the collective

unconscious, the fear from the fantastic world is a logical result of alienation of the

conscious and unconscious.

The main character develops significantly during the journey across London Below.

At the beginning of the story Richard is shy and he lacks self-confidence as well as the

meaning of his life. Often he acts automatically, without thinking and purpose. “He had

found a troll on the street outside the office and, in a vague and pretty vain attempt at

injecting a litttle personality into his working world, he had placed it on his computer

monitor” (Gaiman, Neverwhere 13). His major problem is in his relationship to women.

Because of the above mentioned qualities he is not able to act as an equal partner in the

relationship. Jessica’s behaviour to him is similar to the behaviour of a mother to a child

rather than a woman to a man. She does not respect his personality and tries to educate

him: “ ‘Now, when you meet Mr. Stockton tonight,’ said Jessica, ‘you have to

appreciate that he’s not just a very important man. He’s also a corporate entity in his

own right.’ ‘I can’t wait,’ sighed Richard. ‘What was that, Richard?’ ‘I can’t wait,’said

Richard, rather more enthusiastically”(Gaiman, Neverwhere 21). The relationship of

Richard and Jessica is not based on equality but Richard deliberately puts himself in the

inferior position.

4 The translation from Czech to English was made by the author of this work.

28

During the journey there are several crucial events that determine Richard’s future

development. These events correspond with the important decisions he has to make. By

taking Door to his flat, helping her and subsequently leaving his flat in order to find her

Richard takes the responsibilty for his life from Jessica’s hands and proves that he has

free will and is responsible for himself. By this act Richard also accepts the fact that the

contents of the unconscious actually exist and he begins his journey. This point is

important because instead of forgetting or denial of the fantastic worlds’ existence he

starts to be active.

During his journey across London Below, Richard gradually becomes more open and

tolerant towards the strange and unknown. At the beginning he frequently speaks about

insanity in relation to London Below and he tries to apply his knowledge of the

Ordinary world to the environment of the fantastic world: “Somehow, this was an oddity

too many. He could accept the Mind the Gap thing and the Earl’s Court, and even the

strange library. But damn it, like all Londonners, he knew his Tube map, and this was

going too far. ‘There isn’t a British Museum station,’ said Richard firmly” (Gaiman,

Neverwhere 162). Although he is confronted with the obvious facts, Richard is

influenced by the ideas which were being presented to him by the Ordinary world to

such an extent that he believes they are true, even though they are in direct contradiction

to the things he actually sees.

The crucial point in his development is the Ordeal of the Key. During it Richard has

to overcome his fear from the unknown and insanity personified by his friends who try

to persuade him that what he sees is not real and it is sign of his mental disorder. They

tell him that the only way to get out of the world of London Below is to commit suicide.

He is given a choice at this point: either he will accept existence of London Below (i. e.

the unconscious contents), or he will lose sanity and die. Nobody is allowed to help him

29

and he has to face the problem himself. This experience is traumatic but it helps Richard

to make an important step in his journey and gain more self-confidence. After the

Ordeal, Richard’s position in the group becomes stronger and instead of passivity he

starts to take responsibility for himself. The contrast between his old and new self can

be seen for example in his dispute with Door about taking the Velvet Lamia with them.

Although it later shows that Richard was wrong concerning Lamia, this moment is

worthy from the point of view of his development. Richard here for the first time resists

and expresses his own opinion: “‘You just don’t like it that I’m sorting everything out

for once, instead of following blindly behind you going where I’m told’”(Gaiman,

Neverwhere 287). The shift from passivity to a more active approach to life is one of the

most important points of Richard’s journey.

In the end Richard becomes a hero when he kills the Beast and becomes respected

within the world of London Below. Also he gets rid of his fear from women. By gaining

the self-confidence he becomes attractive for them. When he comes back to London as

he knew it before, Jessica visits him and it is her who wants to start their relationship

again. Richard, however, refuses because he does need anybody to control his life any

more.

But Richard has to pass the last ordeal yet: he has to get back to his normal life (i.e.

the life he led before he got to London Below) and pretend that nothing happened.

However, he finds out, that it is impossible for him. The situation repeats but it is

reversed now: after trying to incorporate the ideas of conscious to the unconscious (i.e.

the logic of the Ordinary world being applied to the environment of the fantastic world –

see above) he tries to do the same thing with the unconscious contents. He acts

according to the rules he learned in London Below, which excludes him from the rest of

the society of the Ordinary world: “One Saturday afternoon he saw a large brown rat

30

[…] Richard crouched down. ‘Hello,’ he said, gently. ‘Do we know each other?’ […]

‘My name is Richard Mayhew,’ he continued, in a low voice. ‘I’m not actually a rat-

speaker, but I, um, know a few rats, well, I’ve met some, and I wondered if you were

familiar with the Lady Door…’” (Gaiman, Neverwhere 363). The elderly couple who

watches him considers him insane. Richard has to accept the fact that from now he

differs from the rest of the society of London Above and consequently he becomes

outsider in this society.

After some time spent in London Above Richard decides to return to London Below

definitively. He does so deliberately and after considering all the consequences. This act

is the end of his journey. Paradoxically, Richard does not escape the insanity which

Jung describes as the state in which “the patient sinks into the unconscious altogether

and becomes completely victimized by it”(Jung, Analytical Psychology 82). By his

return to London Below Richard loses what he achieved. Instead of incorporating his

experience to his everyday life in the Ordinary world and facing his problems, Richard

leaves the Ordinary world and escapes back to the world of London Below. Thus he

denies the conscious part of his psyche and therefore fails to finish his individuation and

achieve the unity of his self.

In general, London Below works as an archetypical world: although the places in the

fantastic world are similar to the places in the Ordinary world, they are distorted. This

fact again suggests the similarity to the collective unconscious which is predominantly

independent on any personal experience but still it is to a certain extent shaped by it.

This makes it possible for the London Below to be at the same time familiar and alien to

Richard. The things in London Below that seem illogical to Richard are in fact part of

broader understanding the notion “London” which is shared by more people than actual

number of the inhabitants of London as Richard knows it. Gaiman comes out of the real

31

world of London but he extends it and adds new elements to it – new places such as

Orme passage (Gaiman, Neverwhere 45) or British Museum station (163) and their

mythical inhabitants (Islington, Earl’s Court). Gaiman in this book uses the method of

additive writing which has been mentioned before. The similarity to the Ordinary world

then suggests the way the personal experience is projected into the unconscious

contents. As Erich Neumann in Art and Creative Unconscious points out: “The

archetypes are varied by the media through which they pass - that is, their form changes

according to the time, the place and the psychological constellation of the individual in

whom they are manifested” (82). London Below is therefore a compilation of Richard’s

as well as other people’s ideas of what London is, and therefore it cannot exactly

correspond with London as Richard knows it, although he is the person from whose

point of view it is being observed.

The strongest archetype present in Neverwhere is anima. This is quite logical because

all the important events happening to Richard before and during his journey are caused

or governed by women. The women whom he encounters are either threatening or

dangerous to him or they are associated with unpleasant feelings and situations. The

fortune-teller who warns Richard at the beginning of the book and foretells the future

events is female. Jessica, Richard’s fiancée, attempts to organize his life and manipulate

him: “It was, as Jessica had pointed out to him at least the dozen times in the last month,

the most important day of his life. Not the most important day of her life, of course”

(Gaiman, Neverwhere 13). Door likes Richard, but her occurence causes all the

problems he has. Hunter, whom he meets in London Below, is dominant and

authoritative and during the journey she often demonstrates her supremacy over him, by

which she copies the relationship between him and Jessica. Although Anaesthesia, the

rat-speaker, is a good character and close to become Richard’s friend, she accompanies

32

him on one of the most dangerous places he has to pass (Night’s Bridge) and her death

is a source of feelings of remorse for him. Finally, there is Lamia, the Velvet, who

drinks the warmth and life out of Richard which is a symbol of the women taking his

energy as he is not able to cope with the strains he suffers because of his attitude to

women. The anima archetype is partially identical with the archetype of mother because

the relationship of Richard and the above mentioned women is often based on

subordinacy and patronizing.

The other archetype present in Neverwhere is shadow, symbolized by the Beast.

Richard has to defeat the Beast to find his peace and stop the nightmares which he

suffers throughout the story and in which the Beast plays major part. The link to the

concept of fantastic world functioning as the collective unconscious is emphasized by

the fact that Richard dreams about something that he has not encountered yet. Jung in

his lectures claims that the images presented in dreams “have nothing to do with

so-called blood or racial inheritance, nor are they personally acquired by the individual.

They belong to mankind in general, and therefore they are of a collective nature” (Jung,

Analytical Psychology 41). The Beast represents a problem which, if not treated

properly, becomes more consequential and may cause more serious problems.

Originally, the Beast was a pig but it escaped its owner and developed into killing and

dangerous creature fear by all the people of London Below. The same thing happens

when the unconscious contents are not given attention: they become a problem.

Concerning the use of the functions of dramatis personae, in addition to the already

mentioned functions which are also present in the other two novels, Neverwhere

contains the function of hero’s reaction : “The hero reacts to the actions of the future

donor” (Propp 39). Richard and his companions are tested by the monks at Blackfriars

and they have to pass three ordeals. By taking the challenge they respond to the donors.

33

Incorporating this function in the narrative helps to realize the importance of the Ordeal

of the key, which is crucial to the development of the main character from an uncertain

and passive person to a real hero and a man who takes responsibility for his decisions.

The irony is that although Richard undergoes many ordeals and develops into

someone else, completely different from the old Richard, the main goal of his journey,

i.e. the individuation in the sense of applying the experience with the unconscious in the

conscious and reconciliation with the Ordinary world is not fulfilled. The problems the

main character faces are thus not solved. The hero only escapes from them.

34

3. Stardust: Conscious and Unconscious in Harmony

Stardust, the novel that will be introduced in this chapter, represents another attitude

to the phenomenon of the fantastic world. Here the unconscious is portrayed not as a

challenge to the hero but rather as something positive, that is in harmony with the main

character and that does not represent a threat to him. This fact is reflected in the

narrative’s obvious similarity to the fairy tale where all the problems are solved by use

of magic or help of some supernatural beings.

In Stardust the main hero, Tristran Thorn, falls in love with a local beauty, Victoria

Forester, and he promises to bring her the fallen star they watch falling together one

evening. He leaves his home in the village of Wall and enters the world of Faerie that is

separated from the village by the stone wall. He is, however, not the only one who is

seeking the star. The three lords from Stormhold need the stone that caused the star to

fall to get the throne and the witch-queen called Lilim wants the star’s heart to gain

eternal youth.

Tristran on his journey comes to the wood where he meets a little hairy man who

gives him a magical candle. With its help Tristran gets to the star and finds out that the

star is not a piece of rock as he expected, but a young lady named Yvaine. He captures

her and wants to get back to Wall and give her to Victoria. During the journey back to

Wall, the star escapes and Tristran joins Primus, one of the Lords. The witch-queen

builds a fake tavern where the star gets a shelter. Tristran and Primus come to the tavern

later, Primus is killed, Tristran saves the star from the witch and during the escape he

burns his hand. They get on the deck of the flying ship Perdita and spend there some

time. The witch goes to the Diggory’s Dyke and awaits Tristran with the star. By

accident they escape again and get to Wall.

35

Victoria tells Tristran that she is going to get married and he finds out that he is in

love with the star. The witch meets Yvaine but she has no more power over her heart

because the star had already given it to Tristran. In the end Tristran finds out that he is a

son of Lady Una from Stormhold, who seduced his father during one of the markets of

the villagers from Wall and the inhabitants of Faerie. He marries the star and together

they rule Stormhold until Tristran dies and the star stays alone, unable to get back home

to the sky.

In general terms Stardust deals with social phenomena such as the question of society

dealing with the people who are different from the majority and the way it responds to

such individuals (the relationship of the villagers to Tristran). The second distinct

characteristic of the story is fighting for power which is symbolized by the star.

Stardust as a text is significantly influenced by folktales. Mythical creatures such as

unicorns, witches, and talking trees are present in the book and the folk tradition

functions as a useful source of power in the fantastic world. Nursery rhymes are

working as magic formulas. “ ‘It’s only a nursery rhyme,’ said Tristran. ‘Only a

nursery…? Bless me, there’s some on this side of the wall would give seven years’ hard

toil for that little cantrip. And back where you come from you mutter ‘em to babes […]”

(Gaiman, Stardust 63-4). When Tristran and the star meet a lion and a unicorn fighting

for the crown, Tristran uses his knowledge of folktales to solve the problem. The magic

is omnipresent in the fantastic world. People are often transformed into animals

(Tristran’s mother is enchanted into a bird, Tristran himself to a mouse). The witches

speak to each other with assistance of magic mirror and the hero is able to transfer

himself to the star by using magical candle.

The feudal social hierarchy, which is typical for the traditional society, is also present

in this book: in the fantastic world the administration is established by the people of

36

Faerie (rule of the Lord of Stormhold) and there are also some other groupings, which

follow their own rules, such as the Sisterhood of witches or the secret society which the

captain of Perdita mentions to Tristran.

Certain conventions and rituals occur in Stardust as well. The promises and pledges

are important part of life in Faerie. The last living relative of slain lord has to revenge

his brother, as it is the case of Septimus from Stormhold when his brother Primus is

killed by the witch. Oaths are binding and must not be violated. Sewage Sal, the witch

who takes Tristran and the star to Wall, swears that she will not hurt Tristran and she

will deliver him to the destination without any harm. She cannot break her promise, the

only possibility is to find inaccuracies in formulation that can be interpreted in more

different ways and use them to achieve what she wants. The enchantments are subject

to exact definition by a set of conditions which must be fulfilled in order the charm to

work. Although the conditions on which the charm may be broken are often almost

impossible to fulfill, still there must be an opportunity to break the enchantment.

The people living in Wall do not deny the existence of fantastic world. Moreover, on

some occasions they interact with it (for example during the market taking place) they,

however, still separate themselves from the world of Faerie by stone wall and do not

allow anyone to get over the border for majority of time. When Tristran comes back

from Faerie and tries to get back to Wall, the inhabitants of the village do not want him

to return because they are afraid of his changed personality and everything strange and

unknown that he brings with himself. These are the immediate responses toTristran’s

appearance: “Mr. Brown raised his staff and pointed the end of it at Tristran’s chest,

nervously. Wystan Pipin put down his ale, picked up his staff, and blocked the gap with

it. ‘Stay where you are!’ said Mr. Brown, gesturing with the staff as if Tristran were a

wild beast that might spring at him at any moment” (Gaiman, Stardust 168). The guards

37

feel that staying together with Tristran is no longer safe for them and the other villagers

because they do not know what to expect from him any more.

The relationship to setting is obvious: the villagers of Wall live in rural environment

and their society corresponds with the principles of traditional society. Cooperation and

mutual help is being emphasized. The villagers marry each other and engage themselves

in service of guarding the wall. Therefore they are closer to the tradition, myths and

tales and not so isolated from the manifestations of the fantastic world.

The development of the main character is not emphasized. At the beginning Tristran

does not have any problems that he would consider being problems. Although he is

confused by his stepmother’s behaviour to him (because he does not know that she is

not his real mother), he is not aware of his main problem, i.e. the fact that he is different

from the rest of the people in his world and he does not belong to the Ordinary world.

His later development thus does not consist of accepting existence of the unconscious

contents but rather in revealing his role in the society and finding his place in the world.

During his journey Tristran learns to accept who he is. When he comes back to the

village of Wall, accompanied by the star, he realizes that his place is not in the village

but in the land of Faerie (fantastic world). He is no longer able to stay together with the

people who deliberately pushed aside all that they did not understand. “It came to

Tristran, then, in a wave of something that resembled homescikness […] that these [the

inhabitants of Faerie] might as well be his own people, for he felt he had more in

common with them than with the pallid folk of Wall in their worsted jackets and their

hobnailed boots”(Gaiman, Stardust 169). He therefore returns to Faerie and stays there

until his death.

Tristran’s symbolic journey is finished when he refuses Victoria Forester’s hand. By

this decision he proves that he starts to consider things properly insted of superficial and

38

quick judgements which he was making before. His decision to go back to Faerie and

marry the star is a mature decision of a mature man, although it is in fact an escape as

well.

Tristran is close to his unconscious represented by the fantastic world from the

beginning of the story. In fact, he belongs there. The importance of the archetypes is

thus neglected: the archetypes do not function as real threats or challenges the hero is

confronted with. Instead, they work as guides on his journey to his self and unifying his

personality in the sense of accepting his identity.

The evil characters such as Lilim, the witch-queen; or lord Septimus from Stormhold

function as the shadow. Nevertheless, they are quite weak and do not represent real

threat although they seem so at the beginning. The witch, who is the most powerful evil

character, is in the end shown as defeated, powerless and pitiful creature and the star is

reconciled with her. “Yvaine realised that she felt nothing but pity for the creature who

had wanted her dead. […] ‘My sisters will be harsh, but cruel,’ said the old witch-queen.

‘However, I appreciate the sentiment. You have a good heart, child. A pity it will not be

mine.’ The star leaned down, then, and kissed the old woman on her wizened cheek,

feeling the rough hairs on it scrape her soft lips” (Gaiman 190). This reconciliation may

be understood, in more general terms, as a reconciliation of the individual elements of

Tristran’s psyche, the star standing for anima (Tristran’s marriage with the star may be

interpreted as the union of the male and female part of Tristran) and the witch-queen

representing the shadow.

Concerning the functions of dramatis personae, the use of some particular functions

helps to accelerate action and emphasize Tristran’s passivity and the relationship of the

fantastic world to him. At the beginning of his journey Tristran meets the donor (a little

hairy man) and obtains a magical object (the candle). The function of spatial

39

translocation or guidance follows. This function is absent in Neverwhere as well as in

Coraline. It points to the fact that in general, whenever Tristran has to deal with any

difficult situation, the help comes from the inhabitants of Faerie. Tristran himself does

not have to make many important decisions except for the decision to enter the fantastic

world and thus start his journey.

The function of interdiction and the subsequent violation is present in all the three

books. However, in Stardust it is not focused only on Tristran personally but on all the

villagers of Wall, who thus have the same opportunity to enter the fantastic world. Also,

when Tristran decides to go and seek the star in the land behind the wall, the villagers

do not prevent him from doing it when his father tells them to let Tristran go. This fact

puts emphasis on the individual decision and free will. Tristran enters Faerie

deliberately and at least partially he knows what to expect. He is familiar with the

environment and his relationship to the fantastic world is not affected by fear. The story

ends by wedding, which function is also absent in the other two books. The fact that the

main character deliberately returns to Faerie and settles there deepens the impression of

harmony between the Ordinary world and the fantastic world. The wedding symbolizes

the union of conscious and unconscious or the hero’s complete submission to the

unconscious.

In Stardust Gaiman works with the method of additive writing: the world of Faerie is

portrayed as richer and more interesting than the world of Wall and also it is in harmony

with the main character. The escape of the main character to the fantastic world is

therefore a logical consequence of this state.

40

4. Coraline: The ‘Other’ World

In the chapter dealing with the last novel discussed in this work the struggle with the

dark side of one’s personality is the dominant feature. The fantastic world is pictured as

an ominous and hostile place whose inhabitants are the imperfect copies of the people

living in the Ordinary world.

The plot is as follows: Coraline is a small girl who moved to a new house with her

parents. The house is inhabited by rather strange, but friendly people: two retired

actresses, Ms. Spink and Ms. Forcible and the crazy old man trying to train his mice.

There is a door in the house which Coraline is told not to open. Despite the warnings she

gets Coraline opens the door and comes to the other house where she meets her other

mother. The other mother is a witch who steals children’s souls. She tries to persuade

Coraline to stay with her. The girl refuses and returns home but she finds out that her

parents were kidnapped by the other mother and taken to the other house. Coraline

decides to bring them back and goes to the other house. She meets the cat who advises

her to try to win her parents back in a contest.

After an argument with the other mother, Coraline is locked in the space behind

a mirror. There she meets ghosts of the children who had been already captured by the

witch and stolen their souls. When Coraline gets out, she suggests the witch to play for

her. The other mother agrees. Coraline has to find the children’s souls and her parents in

order to be released. The witch swears to her right hand that if Coraline manages to do

so, she will let her and her parents go.

Coraline succeeds in finding all the three souls but the witch does not want to keep

her promise. Coraline tricks her and gets back home, but the other mother’s right hand

follows her and seeks revenge. Coraline then uses another trick to get rid of it and in the

end she removes the threat definitively by throwing the hand to the well.

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The whole book describes the situation of a family, where the communication with a

child is insufficient. Coraline feels lonely and ignored by her parents, especially the

mother, and she tries to draw their attention throughout the first half of the narrative.

The story thus could be understood as an appeal to the parents to pay more attention to

the children; or, on the contrary, as an appeal to the children to be satisfied with what

they have and not to try change their life dramatically.

The world Coraline lives in is inhabited by seemingly ordinary people some of whom

are, however, eccentric; posessing strong magical objects and being on a higher level of

understanding the unknown. Some of the inhabitants of the Ordinary world perform

simple magical rituals, such as Ms. Spink and Ms. Forcible foretelling the future from

the tea leaves and giving Coraline the magical stone.

The majority of the characters in Coraline (Ms. Spink and Ms. Forcible, the crazy old

man) knows about the danger behind the door although they do not know what exactly

is hidden there. Coraline herself is open and active concerning the unknown things.

“The day after they moved in, Coraline went exploring” (Gaiman, Coraline 13). The

only people in the book who are completely ignorant are thus Coraline’s parents. When

Coraline finds the passage to the other house, she asks her mother: “‘Where does that

door go?’ ‘Nowhere, dear.’ ‘It has to go somewhere’” (Gaiman, Coraline 17). After that

Coraline’s mother takes the key, unlocks the door and shows her that there is a brick

wall behind it. Nevertheless, when Coraline tries to go through the door alone, she finds

the corridor leading to the other house. Unlike her mother, Coraline is able to open the

door because she wants to know the truth and she does not refuse the idea that there

could be something behind the door even if it seems impossible.

The fact that the old inhabitants of the house know about the fantastic world (or that

there exists something behind the door) whereas the newcomers do not, is again

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connected with the setting: the house where Coraline lives is a typical example of an

isolated environment having its own rules. The village or town where the house is

situated is not specified, neither is the part of the country. This anonymity increases the

feeling of the uniqueness of the house. The people who are exposed to the influence of

the fantastic world are more sensible and open to the manifestation of its presence.

The dominant feature of Coraline is otherness. Although the other house reminds

Coraline of her own house, still she does not feel comfortable there: “She stared at the

picture hanging on the wall: no, it wasn’t exactly the same. The picture they had in their

own hallway showed a boy in old-fashioned clothes staring at some bubbles. But now

the expression on his face was different – he was looking at the bubbbles as if he was

planning to do something very nasty indeed to them” (Gaiman, Coraline 38). Everything

in the other house is distorted form of what Coraline knows from her everyday life. She

is confronted with the things she knows and she is familiar with, but these things are

changed and distorted and their similarity to their counterparts in the Ordinary world

only increases the impression of their difference. The other house and everything ‘other’

in it functions as a symbol of the reversed side of human personality. The similarity with

the archetype of the shadow is apparent.

The archetype of mother is strong as well. In this book it is the mother, or, to be

precise, the other mother, who is frightening. She prevents Coraline from moving freely

and restricts her, for example whe she locks the girl behind the mirror. “The mirror

opened like a door, revealing a dark space behind it. ‘You may come out when you’ve

learned some manners,’ said the other mother. ‘And when you’re ready to be a loving

daughter’” (Gaiman, Coraline 95). Although the other mother attempts to show her love

to Coraline, this love is unhealthy and suffocating. The more the other mother wants to

ingratiate Coraline, the more Coraline resists it. “The other mother shook her head, very

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slowly ‘Sharper than a serpent’s tooth,’ she said, ‘is a daughter’s ingratitude. Still, the

proudest spirit can be broken, with love.’ […] ‘I have no plans to love you,’ said

Coraline. ‘No matter what. You can’t make me love you.’” (Gaiman, Coraline 92). In

comparison with the mother, the paternal figure is weak and does not actually have any

control over the environment of the fantastic world and the course of events. When

Coraline seeks the hidden souls of the children, she gets to a cellar where she meets the

other father in his true appearance – he is nothing more than a hideous and pitiful

creature, who is forced to everything by the evil other mother. “The thing looked around

[…] It opened its mouth once more and said in a wet, urgent voice, ‘Run, child. Leave

this place. She wants me to hurt you, to keep you here for ever, so that you can never

finish the game, and she will win. She is pushing me so hard to hurt you. I cannot fight

her.’”(Gaiman, Coraline 130-1). This suggests the different importance which Coraline

ascribes to the problems she has with her parents.

Throughout the story Coraline is seeking her identity. She lacks the attention of her

parents and therefore she attempts to obtain it by demonstrating her uniqueness. The

contrast between the way her environment and she herself views her is illustrated by her

name, which consists of an unusual first name and a quite common British surname

(Jones). The surname Jones suggests that Coraline is in fact an ordinary average girl

who is not gifted by any supernatural abilities and the events that happen to her could

happen to anyone else in her place. On the contrary, her extraordinary first name shows

that its bearer actually is special and has all the qualities that are necessary to succeed in

the fight against the enemy as powerful as the beldam living in the other house is.

Concerning her name Coraline does not tolerate if people turn her name into something

more usual, for example when the crazy old man calls her Caroline. This is again the

illustration of her desperate attempts to differ in order to find who she is.

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Coraline’s development does not consist in the change of her character but rather in

the change of her opinions, values and attitudes towards her family. After returning from

the other house Coraline learns to appreciate the things that seemed common to her

before.

Concerning the distribution of the functions of dramatis personae, some functions

that are not present in the other two novels are used in Coraline. For example the

function of beginning counteraction: the use of this function shows Coraline’s attitude to

problems which makes her different from the main characters of the other two books.

Coraline acts reasonably and she is aware of what she is doing.

The function of branding, which is used in Stardust and Neverwhere, is absent in

Coraline. If understood symbolically, this function corresponds with the trace which the

experience with the fantastic world leaves on the hero. Coraline changes some of her

attitudes but she is not marked physically as the other two heroes are. This suggests that

Coraline as a child reacts more flexibly than the adults and although she is confronted

with the situations that are frightening, her mind is not harmed seriously. She takes the

events which she has to deal with as a kind of game. When she is warned by the

actresses that she is in danger, she stays calm: “In danger? thought Coraline to herself.

It sounded exciting. It didn’t sound like a bad thing. Not really” (Gaiman, Coraline 31).

Later, when she finds out that her parents are lost, she calls the police to announce

“[k]idnapping. Grown-up-napping, really” (Gaiman, Coraline 67). Coraline does not

consider the fact that such announcement would sound ridiculous to the officer and

when the officer refuses to help her, she does not panic. Despite the fact that she has not

had any experience with the fantastic world so far, she is open to new things and is not

afraid of them in advance.

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The method of contrastive writing is used in this book. It means that the author

creates two worlds none of which is favoured so that the reader can compare and create

his own opinion. However, in Coraline the emphasis is on the main character’s

judgement: the both worlds are presented without emotions but at the same time

Coraline’s reactions and her evaluation of the situations helps reader to distinguish the

good from the evil.

At the same time, the fantastic world of Coraline is subtractive (see 2.1.) and it leaves

out those parts of reality that are considered inessential. It is therefore limited to the

counterpart of the house Coraline lives in and its nearest surroundings. The garden is

only sketched and the further from the other house Coraline gets, the more blurred the

picture of the world is until she at certain point realizes that she cannot go further. This

method of writing helps the reader to focus on the environment of the other house and

also to get the impression of being imprisoned and constrained by the fantastic world.

In order to escape the danger represented by the other house and its inhabitants

Coraline needs to face her problems instead of denying them. Her successful return

home represents the successful individuation and the defeat of the beldam can be

interpreted as the defeat of Coraline’s own dark side.

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Conclusion

The thesis was focused on the common features of the fantastic worlds within three

novels by Neil Gaiman and the colective unconscious described by C.G. Jung. Certain

characteristics which are typical for the concept of the colective unconscious were found

in the above mentioned novels. These characteristics are summarized in the following

paragraphs.

In all the three novels there are allusions to certain mythologies, mythological

characters or magical rituals. The difference is in the degree of their representation: in

Neverwhere the fantastic world is partially influenced by the modern society but at the

same time it keeps the values and traditions of the archaic society. The mythological

characters are present, nevertheless they are original concerning the form of their

presentation. The fantastic world of Stardust is archaic and traditional, with numerous

manifestations of magic that is omnipresent within it. The power of myth is such, that it

influences the Ordinary world as well. In Coraline the two worlds interact but the

emphasis is on the real (conscious), the fantastic world being just its imperfect copy.

The mythological characters (the beldam, the other people) are in opposition with the

Ordinary world and they are pictured as the evil.

The magical rituals occur in all the stories, mostly being performed by using the

magical objects. Other rituals such as pledges, prohibitions or some specific traditions

function as the elements that keep the society together and ensure its proper functioning.

The inhabitants of the Ordinary worlds are predominantly not aware of the fantastic

worlds’ existence. When they found out, they adopt different attitudes to it. The level of

opennes towards the irrational depends on the environment of the Ordinary world and

on its social organization. The most tolerant Ordinary world society is in Stardust where

the similarity between the two worlds is most significant. However, although the

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villagers of Wall know about the fantastic world, still they separate themselves from it

and they let its inhabitants enter their world only in certain circumstances. The society

of Neverwhere is passive concerning the exploration of the fantastic world. People from

London Above either deny its existence or try to explain it in a way that would be

acceptable to them. If they are not able to find such solution, they forget everything that

does not fit in their idea of reality. In Coraline different types of people and their

reactions are present: from those who are unaware of the existence of the other house to

Coraline’s strange neighbours, who know about it but are not interested in entering it,

and Coraline herself, for whom the fantastic world is attractive until she knows it better.

Another parallel to the unconscious is the element of the journey, which is closely

connected with the main characters’ development, especially with regard to their

relationship to the Ordinary world and their changing attitude towards their problems.

The journey begins by an important decision which has different motivation: Coraline

opens the door because of her curiosity and desire to explore. Tristran enters Faerie

deliberately in order to find the star and thus get his love. Richard helps Door even

though it means the end of his relationship with Jessica. The difference between

Neverwhere and the other two novels is that Richard does not know about the fantastic

world and his entering it is not voluntary.

The difference is also in the degree to which the characters are changed, which

corresponds with the initial situation (the original mental state of the character) as well

as with the difficulties the hero is supposed to deal with. As it was already mentioned,

Richard Mayhew enters the fantastic world involuntarily and he is unprepared for what

he finds there. His adaptation to the situation is therefore enforced by the circumstances,

which means that it is sudden and strong. Richard’s personality is thus changed

dramatically: a passive anxious person who is not able to deal with the problems

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becomes a hero who is respected and who is able to make decisions himself. In case of

the other two heroes, Coraline and Tristran, the adaptation to the new environment is

easier and their development is therefore not so obvious. This is caused by the fact that

these two characters are more open at the beginning: Coraline because of being a child

who is more open to things that do not have a rational explanation; Tristran due to

growing up close to the fantastic world and being considering its manifestations natural.

In the end all the main characters are affected by their experience in some way.

Richard realizes that his former life did not have any sense and escapes back to London

Below. Tristran finds out that he is not able to become full member of the society of the

Ordinary world and he uses the same method as Richard to solve the problem. Coraline

is the only person who returns to the Ordinary world and stays there definitively. Her

journey thus ends by becoming mature because she successfully incorporates the

experience with the fantastic world (the unconscious contents) into her everyday

experience: she learns not to be intolerant to her parents and not to try draw their

attention at all costs. Coraline’s refusing her dark side is then illustrated by her locking

the door and throwing the key to the well.

In connection with the journey and encountering the contents of the unconscious,

certain archetypical images appear in the novels, the most important being the shadow

which is present in all the stories. In Neverwhere it is personified by the Beast whose

fight with Richard can be interpreted as a symbolical struggle of good and evil part of

human personality. In Coraline the whole world of the other house functions as the dark

side of the world Coraline knows. The importance of her person is stressed by the fact

that the beldam is not able to create any ‘other Coraline’ and Coraline thus will become

a victim of this dark word only if she allows the evil to win. In Stardust the shadow is

not strong, but still it is present in the person of the witch-queen. Besides, in

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Neverwhere the anima archetype is emphasized to point to another problem the main

character has to face, i.e. his problematic relationship to the women. The same emphasis

is put on the archetype of the mother in Coraline.

Finally, the use of the functions of dramatis personae relates the narratives to the

folktales and thus suggests their origin from the myth and their consequent connection

with the collective unconscious (as the collective unconscious is reflected in myths).

The presence or absence of certain functions influences the structure of the narrative and

also helps to distinguish the main goals the individual narratives follow.

Although the books by Neil Gaiman in general make an impression that they are

written merely for the purpose of amusing the reader, they deal with several serious

social phenomena such as the growing alienation of people to each other and lack of

imagination, which is reflected in the contrast between the two worlds and the ignorance

of the people living in the Ordinary world. The possibility to enter the fantastic world

can be understood as an expression of hope that it is still possible to experience

something extraordinary if people are open enough.

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