The traditional fairy tales of the Western World and overwhelmingly male driven. They reflect the norms and standards of gender relations of the time they were written. Valente subverts these norms to ironic effect.
One thing that is mocked is the traditional hero archetype. This is the basic flow of the vast majority of our fairy tales. Much simplified, a hero goes on a quest, faces obstacles to fulfill his destiny, and causes good. At the end, he (as they're always male) defeats the antagonist, reaches apotheosis, and then returns to where he came. Scholars have posited that this plot is nearly universal in our culture's myths.
Valente takes this and turns it on its head. For one thing, most of the protagonists are female, and most of the antagonists are male. This causes irony at scenes like on page 122 where Knife, upon reaching a tower to rescue a damsel cries, "Woman! Come out! I have-' She looked down at the bloodless grass, embarrassed. 'I have come to rescue you,' she finally said, as if admitting that she were covered in boils." This scenes causes humor for the reader because it is highlighting the disparity between what the reader has been trained by our culture to expect, and what the book depicts.
Another irony in the book is that the women are often portrayed as wiser and more rational than the men. Reason is an attribute that has been usually considered male; women were historically considered irrational, impulsive, and hysterical. In fact, hysteria is derived from the Greek word "hystera" which means uterus. Hysteria was considered a female trait.
In Valente's book In the Night Garden, the males, especially the rulers are generally portrayed as less intelligent and wise than the women. An example of this is when Prince Leander impulsively leaves his castle and blindly goes on a quest. He happens upon the home of Knife, who is the one who must inform him and give him purpose. Another example is when King Indrajit unwisely conquers the acolytes of the Serpent Queen. She decides to use him, but he fails to follow her only preconditions and is destroyed because of it. It also did not help that he trusted the counsel of an inexperienced and male Omir the Wizard.
Valente uses her book to bring us fairy tales that are not nearly as male dominated as we are used to. This causes irony, and sometimes humor as we read them.
Do you think in her depictions of women being wiser than men and men being irrational power thirsty rulers she is being hypocritical?
ReplyDeleteI think to a degree she is being hypocritical, but I don't think it's her actual opinion that women are more intelligent than men. With her portrayals of men and women in her book she is trying to counterbalance a little bit against the overwhelming majority of fairy tales that portray women as simple and irrational.
ReplyDeleteI think a big factor in the traditional patriarchal fairy tales is the fact that in the past, generally, authors and orators of tales and myths were men. Traditionally, men were the only ones allowed to write. As a rule of thumb, generally members of their respective genders believe they are equal and/or better than the other gender. This is why tales were depicted in a patriarchal manner. Now that we have tales written by female authors such as Valente, we see more matriarchal tales with intelligent female protagonists.
ReplyDeleteTATY SAID: I might be wrong but I think that there are plenty of other stories that have women who are wiser and more rational then men. You always tend to have the old grandma who tells the kids the stories that teach morals and other such life lessons. I do not see women as constantly being depicted as hysterical.
ReplyDeleteIn answer to Peter's question, I am tempted to find her hypocritical. I also enjoyed your fact about hysteria being derived from hystera. I didn't know that before.
ReplyDeleteShe definitely puts women in a good light for this novel.
ReplyDeleteyou statement about her putting men down in her stories are very true.. why does she do that? why is it always the dumb guy who needs help???
ReplyDeleteI really never noticed all the irony in the book but looking back I saw there was a lot that I missed.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that she truly believes that men are arrogant. I think she just wanted to write the story from a different perspective.
ReplyDeleteIf we replace 'fairy tales' with 'hero tales' I agree with Stephen's insights. Don't most fairy tales have female protagonists? Maybe I'm too brainwashed by Disney, which clearly favors princess stories.
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