Inkheart

What threatens the world of Fantasien within the reality of Die unendliche Geschichte is a formless void named „Nichts,“ that encroaches the kingdom and engulf the inhabitants. The cause of this “non-presence” is people’s waning creative imagination. For a resident in this world, entering the void implies that it will become a product of delusion, manipulation and lies, lacking any genuine creativity. Bastian’s realization that he should no longer be dismissive of the connection between the fantastic and the real triggers his creative effort to restore Fantasien. Bastian uses his gift of storytelling to create the kingdom anew and is hailed as a saviour; however, consumed by his new identity of a saviour and an unfettered creator with the ultimate power within Fantasien, Bastian becomes a tyrant who exert a ruthless unity upon the kingdom and isolate himself from all surroundings once more. For every power he exerts, he loses his memories, thus reading a state of complete amnesia. As a realm that utterly depends on ingenuity, having Bastian within the world only creates a circular reuse and reshuffling of the ideas. “Nichts” will happen again if the circle is not broken. In contrast to most cases of Romantic heroes who undergo a self-contemplating journey across the mystical landscape, Bastian was given the chance to go inward within Fantasien; however, Bastian must emerge out of the world to complete his journey. Only then he is capable of being a storyteller who brings out…

The book I have dissected and analyzed is Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. The book opens up in the third person narrative of a twelve year old bookworm named Meggie. She sees a rain-soaked, ominous man standing outside her house and immediately runs to her father, Mo. This is the point of the book where everything begins to change for Meggie. She constantly travels to different parts of the United States with her father, missing school, leaving behind friends, and only feeling close to Mo and her…

There are many passages in Inkheart, written by Cornelia Funke, that the author helps me feel as if I am actually in the book, experiencing what the characters are. One way the author does this is by including figurative language. Funke uses figurative language that help the reader visualize and compare how something might look like given the examples. Similies can give a comparison that will help the reader see the scene that is going on. On page 31 it states, “On the right of the road a…

“The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by Frank Baum, “His Dark Materials: The Subtle Knife” by Philip Pullman, “Reckless” by Cornelia Funke, and also by Funke “Inkheart.” I intend to delve into the history and meaning behind how and why they work. ROOTS OF PORTALS In 1858, George MacDonald wrote “Phantases.” Upon which it was thought that Carroll grounded…