Megan's in my homework!

[ninedaysaqueen.livejournal.com]

Can't believe it took me this long to check, but Megan Whalen Turner is indeed mentioned in my children's lit text! Under modern fantasy, The King of Attolia is listed as a good example of a Quest Story. What's a Quest Story you ask?

Quest Stories are adventure stories with a search motif. The quest may be for a lofty purpose, such as justice or love, or for rich reward, such as a magical power or a hidden treasure. Quest stories that are serious in tone are called high fantasy. In these high fantasies, an imaginary otherworld is fully portrayed: the society, its history, family tree, geographic locations, population, religion, customs, and traditions. The conflict in these tales usually centers on the struggle between good and evil.

- Essentials of Children's Literature, p139 

Also on this list? The Hobbit, Harry Potter, His Dark Materials, Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood, Wolf Tower, Narnia, The Lightning Thief, Sword of the Rightful King, and The Black Caldron. 
Also, it ranks The King of Attolia for ages 11-18. The Thief, which simply appears on the Newbery Honor list is ranked 12-16. 

Thoughts?

Comments

[bluestalking.livejournal.com]

I am trying to figure out what anyone in KoA is questing for, unless it's Costis questing for a good night's sleep.

[ninedaysaqueen.livejournal.com]

Dah! You make me laugh!

There's actually a lot of emotional quests in KoA--Gen searching for his place at court and by Irene's side, Costis searching for his lost honor, and Irene searching for her king inside Gen and her lost ability to trust and love. Though it really could just be Costis searching for his pillow! Maybe Gen lost his cufflinks... Hmm...

[tiegirl.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, not really buying it. I buy TT as a Quest story, but not KoA. Although I like your emotional quests. And I like any time MWT is mentioned in a good way.

[ninedaysaqueen.livejournal.com]

I know... It is a bit odd. TT is definitely a quest story, but I think they only put KoA down because it fits in well with high fantasy, which is the sub-genre. I do see some emotional quests but no physical ones.

[ladyelysia.livejournal.com]

I would have said that Costis questing for a better grasp of the Mede language/keep Gen from falling off walls, but I like bluestalking's suggestion of questing for a good night's sleep better. SLEEEEEEP!

The conflict in these tales usually centers on the struggle between good and evil.
I would think that QoA would be a better match for that part. Attolia vs. Mede, Attolia vs. Eddis, except you wouldn't have realized the depth of the conflict with the Mede until the end. And then, of course, there's Gen's quest to steal peace...

[ninedaysaqueen.livejournal.com]

I think their genre classification is a pretty broad and generalized, because QT can't really have traditional good vs. evil struggles when most of the main characters are pretty evil themselves! XD

[ladyelysia.livejournal.com]

Oh! Clare Dunkle said kinda the same thing about her Hollow Kingdom Trilogy. Except she was talking about why her series would probably never become a movie.
The Hollow Kingdom books are all about ambiguity, prejudice, and perception. No one in the trilogy is completely good, and very few people are thoroughly bad, either. I wanted to make readers think about that. I didn’t want to give you easy answers about who to like and who to hate.

[agentmaly.livejournal.com]

Most of the characters are evil? Other than Nahuseresh, I can't think of any.

[ninedaysaqueen.livejournal.com]

Ha, ha... I was mostly joking, but characters in high fantasy are usually pretty straight-laced, like Costis or Sophos. Characters like Gen and Irene live in a morally grey area and are more unusual. I just can't see Gen or Irene representing the goodie in a typical Tolkien good vs. evil fight to save the world.

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I love the moral ambiguity (such a nice phrase) of nearly all the characters; they operate from such realistic, mixed motives. Eddis points that out when she examines her own reasons for starting a war over Gen, and rationalizing Attolia's actions.

I can see ACoK as a quest story (in addition to TT) much more easily than KoA. Weird.

[agentmaly.livejournal.com]

I agree that the classification of KoA as a quest story is odd. I think labelling high fantasy in general as a subset of 'quest' is odd - it's such an oversimplification, and I feel certain that I've read high fantasy which does not have a quest. The Silmarillion, for instance. I don't think it gets higher than that, and there's no particular quest - certain stories within the history are quests for things, most commonly the Silmarils, but the book taken as a whole is simply a history of the Elves through the First Age of the world (and some of what came before).


I also think it's weird that the age range for KoA reaches lower than The Thief. Certainly there's no harm in an eleven-year-old reading it, but I doubt they would understand it. It's funny me saying that, because I was a very perceptive child, which has always led me to allow for children doing and understanding things much earlier than most people assume they can. But as a young adult, I'm going through a stage in my life where I can't really get into the minds of children anymore, and I'm realising how many things I didn't understand as a child. Because no matter how intelligent, well-read, and mature you are for eleven, there are so many things you just can't possibly appreciate fully, because you've never experienced them. That doesn't mean that reading a book like The King of Attolia would be wasted on you (though I don't discount the idea that some books can be read too soon, or too late), but if you've never been in love, never been betrayed, never been out on your own and afraid - could you really understand it? Megan's books are rich in emotional nuance, and some of it I don't pick up on now.

[ninedaysaqueen.livejournal.com]

Yeah, many of the genres are over simplified, which I guess isn't a horrible thing for a text teaching someone who is unfamiliar with modern fantasy.

You noticed that? I'd label QT ages 14+. Younger children can still enjoy the book, but it's harder for them to understand it like you said. Mostly, I'm just happy to see Megan on a list with such other big names!

[hazelwillow.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'd call KoA a court drama, not a quest. Maybe they made a mistake :P It should be The Thief on there as a quest. That would definitely qualify.

If there's any questing in KoA, maybe it's to get to know Eugenides? But Costis doesn't really quest for that, it just kind of happens to him. Maybe it's Gen's quest to halve the guard? A quest in retrospect...?

[ninedaysaqueen.livejournal.com]

TT would make a lot more sense. *agrees*

Questions

Useless

Estranged

Static

Trust

Maybe, it's the progression of Costis feelings towards Gen? XD

[elle-winters.livejournal.com]

Ahh, this is so cool LJ!! Except I definitely agree, TT is the Quest, maybe KoA was someone's favorite and they just snuck it in, and hoped that the reader would read the whole series? l

[ninedaysaqueen.livejournal.com]

Ha! I like this theory above all the rest!

[(Anonymous)]

KoA is someones favorite!!!

also,11-12 year olds reading the series for the first time can mostly understand it by the third time through.just saying.

[ninedaysaqueen.livejournal.com]

I'd say so!

Oh, of course. Age ranking is just the recommended age rang. Doesn't mean someone younger can't still enjoy and understand the story!

[lizzyazula.livejournal.com]

I wish I studied stuff like this! Although I agree with what everyone is saying - KOA is oddly placed as a quest story, and the age recommendations are a bit off. I'd recommend TT for lower ages than KOA, but they did the opposite here. Strange...