On The “Secondary World” Of The Classic Canon Of Children's Fantasy Novels From The Perspective Of J. R. R. Tolkien's Fantasy Literature Theory

Children's fantasy literature is one important branch of world fantasy literature.The notion of the “Secondary World” is first proposed by J.R.R.Tolkien in his speech delivered in the University of Saint Andrews.According to Tolkien,the Primary World is the normal world where there are various constraints;whereas,the people possess the ability to use the unlimited imagination to create a Secondary World,on the condition that the Primary World could not satisfy them anymore.And henceforth the notion of the “Secondary World” turns out to be an important theoretical discourse and a pertinent starting point of the investigation of fantasy literature,especially children's fantasy novels.In the relevant research field,the major perspective is usually focused on the analysis of a single novel or a series of one certain writer,such as Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings series and J.K.Rowling's Harry Potter series.On rare occasion do the scholars take to study a group of works by different writers in terms of Tolkien's fantasy literature theory.With this consideration,seven classic novels of children's fantasy literature are chosen for the case study of the construction of the Secondary World,and respectively they are Peter Pan,The Wizard of Oz,Alice's Adventures in the Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There,The Wind in the Willows,Stuart Little and Charlotte's Web.The whole thesis is composed of five chapters.Chapter One is the brief introduction of children's fantasy literature,J.R.R Tolkien's fantasy literature theory and the previous related studies.In Chapter Two,the Secondary World is subdivided into three categories.Firstly,the remote Secondary World is reflected in the Neverland of Peter Pan and the Oz Land of The Wizard of Oz;secondly,the Secondary World with uncertain boundary can be embodied by the Underground Wonderland and Mirror World in Alice series and the Willows Land in The Wind in the Willows;thirdly,the Secondary World contained in the actual world is reflected in the farm in Charlotte's Web and the New York Community in Stuart Little.In Chapter Three,a detailed discussion of the inner consistency of reality of the Secondary World is carried out from the aspects of temporal dimension and spatial dimension.Furthermore,the time setting mechanism and the sequence of events are consistent with the reality principle.And the space in fantasy world is divided into realistic space,virtual space and converted space.After the discussion,it is pertinent to notice that the Secondary World in fantasy world possesses the similar realistic space as the Primary one,as well as the subversive virtual space and the utopian converted space.Chapter Four comes to investigate the psychological aesthetic functions of the Secondary World in fantasy world.The four functions are Fantasy,Recovery,Escape and Consolation.Fantasy is the innate ability to create a more fantastic world.Recovery is beneficial for regaining a clearer view of life and renewing fresh energy.And the function of Escape helps readers to get rid of the bondage in real life and provides the readers with the opportunity to gain the experience of freedom.Consolation deals with happy endings,it is the basic desire of human beings.Chapter Five is the conclusion part.During the process of the classification of the Secondary World,the internal relation between the Primary World and the Secondary World is built up.The subtle connections between the two turn to confirm the objectivity to build Secondary World,the inner consistency of reality reflects the subjectivity,and the four aesthetic and psychological functions firmly affirm the rationality behind the fantasy world.Finally,the innovation points and the deficiencies of the thesis are summarized at the end of the paper.