Ways of escape in fantasy novels : a comparative study of C. S. Lewis’s ‘The lion, the witch and the wardrobe’ (1950) and Mary Hoffman’s ‘City of masks’ (2002)

Abstract

Escape is a recurring motif in most fiction. This is because fiction often depicts protagonists escaping from a mundane or dangerous situation. However, this motif takes a different shape in fantasy novels as it becomes a tool for writers to construct their narratives. This study compares C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Mary Hoffman’s City of Masks in an attempt to identify the ways in which escape is employed by the authors. From the analysis of these novels, it is evident that the authors make specific structural choices and use genre conventions in order to shape the theme of escape. Additionally, escape is used as a means to create the main fantastical element of the narratives, which is the construction of an altered or new narrative world. Lastly, escape is employed as a means to psychologically immerse the readers into the narrative. Moreover, this study highlights the way in which fantasy novels are not always escapist in nature, albeit using escape in the aforementioned way. In fact, the comparative nature of this study also sheds light on the cultural and ideological influences hidden within the narratives.