(no subject)

[be_themoon]

Apparently, when I have no school to do but yet need something to do - I do sort-of school anyways. In this case, research for a paper that might never get written, about the prevalence of children's stories in which at the end most/all of the protagonists either choose to leave or are forcibly kicked out of the fantasy land they have found. exhibit a, naturally, being Narnia. I even have a timeline now! For series, the date is the year of the first book's publishing.

1865 - Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. English, forcible eviction.
1900 - Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. American, chooses to return home.
1904 - Peter Pan (the play) by J. M. Barrie. English, chooses to return home. (The book adaptation was published 1911.)
1950 - Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. English, forcible eviction.
1965 - The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper. English, forcible eviction.

Anyone know of other children's literature, at any point in time, in which the children find a different world and have to leave it at the end?

Comments

[ineptshieldmaid.livejournal.com]

I can't *remember* what happens in Phillip Pullman's novels, but I think they stay? You might want to use that as a contrast, since Pullman has gone on record saying he wanted to write a Narnia for modern era.

T.H. White's Once and Future King you might also want to use - children don't get kicked out of anything, but Arthur grows up to be king, dies, and then the fifth book is all about him back as a child again re-learning all the lessons of his life.

Consider also the Faraway Tree books?

[metonomia.livejournal.com]

They don't stay, in HDM :(

One of the saddest story endings I've ever read. They *could* have chosen to stay together, one of them thus being away from their own world, but as exemplified by Will's own father, this would result in that one who is out of his/her own world becoming sick and dying really young. So they have to close up all the tears in the world and live without each other, "meeting" once a year by both sitting on the same bench in the same garden at the same time. So tearjerkingly beautiful.

They aren't kicked out, though, per se - it *is* a choice they make.

[ineptshieldmaid.livejournal.com]

Ahhh, right, I remember that! Betsy, you should definitely read those books. Only, uh, hide them from your family. Definitely hide them from your family :)

[be-themoon.livejournal.com]

I have indeed read them! and yes, hidden from my family. :P you know them so well.

[be-themoon.livejournal.com]

they do remain in their own worlds - they do not, however, remain with each other, or even in the world they want to be in, I think. it is very sad. :(

mmm! I have not read either of those series, but I shall definitely consider them, especially as The Faraway Tree books have been suggested twice now!