connection to a familiar, human concept i.e. scientific law, universal physics, sacrifice, secrets, etc. Kvothe learns in that magic can let you, your will on the The Name of the Wind, “impose world,” (Rothfuss, 78), giving us a glimpse into magic as a tool of agency. Wizard Harry Dresden of Jim Butcher’s defines magic as into the fundamental Storm Front, “tap(ping) energies of creation and life itself,” (Butcher, 18), and that it, from inside of you,” “comes (Butcher, 20), showing us its form as a point of origin. The Unicorn of Peter S. Beagle’s novel, says to a malicious witch, magic can never be made by offering up The Last Unicorn, “Real someone else’s liver. You must tear out your own and not expect to get it back,” (Beagle, 32), depicting sacrifice. C.S. Lewis, through the voice of Queen Jadis in The Magician’s Nephew claims that the most powerful magic can be called, secret of secrets,” (Lewis, 70), offering “the magic as a truth. And in N. K. Jemisin’s novel, her protagonist Sieh says The Kingdom of Gods, magic is a, to reality, and reality responds . . . we and existence are one and the same,” “call (Jemisin, 135), the ultimate connection between self and reality. Magic exists as both a signifier of the genre and a device in which to explore real world concepts. Authors are able to introduce contemporary concerns and truths of reality, by breaking through the border of worlds and exposing certain aspects of reality through the device of magic. The majority of authors within the mode of fantasy utilize their magic and their story, as a means to ground their fantasy narrative with a real world influence, in order to glimpse the inside of this reality. This thesis will present how fantasy authors, depending upon the context of narratives, utilize the break in reality their magic creates in different ways. For authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis, who write in secondary world narratives, utilize the device of magic to bring real world agendas the introduction of Christianity, the horrors of fascism - to a –
connection to a familiar, human concept i.e. scientific law, universal physics, sacrifice, secrets, etc. Kvothe learns in The Name of the Wind, that magic can let you, “impose your will on the world,” (Rothfuss, 78), giving us a glimpse into magic as a tool of agency. Wizard Harry Dresden of Jim Butcher’s Storm Front, defines magic as “tap(ping) into the fundamental energies of creation and life itself,” (Butcher, 18), and that it, “comes from inside of you,” (Butcher, 20), showing us its form as a point of origin. The Unicorn of Peter S. Beagle’s novel, The Last Unicorn, says to a malicious witch, “Real magic can never be made by offering up someone else’s liver. You must tear out your own and not expect to get it back,” (Beagle, 32), depicting sacrifice. C.S. Lewis, through the voice of Queen Jadis in The Magician’s Nephew claims that the most powerful magic can be called, “the secret of secrets,” (Lewis, 70), offering magic as a truth. And in N. K. Jemisin’s novel, The Kingdom of Gods, her protagonist Sieh says magic is a, “call to reality, and reality responds . . . we and existence are one and the same,” (Jemisin, 135), the ultimate connection between self and reality. Magic exists as both a signifier of the genre and a device in which to explore real world concepts. Authors are able to introduce contemporary concerns and truths of reality, by breaking through the border of worlds and exposing certain aspects of reality through the device of magic. The majority of authors within the mode of fantasy utilize their magic and their story, as a means to ground their fantasy narrative with a real world influence, in order to glimpse the inside of this reality. This thesis will present how fantasy authors, depending upon the context of narratives, utilize the break in reality their magic creates in different ways. For authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis, who write in secondary world narratives, utilize the device of magic to bring real world agendas – the introduction of Christianity, the horrors of fascism - to a
cahill_Thesis.docx