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1 Podolsky Jennifer Podolsky Michael Joseph Materials for Children December 14, 2004 E.B. White s Stuart Little as Fantasy Stuart Little by E.B. White is not your typical fantasy story. [First you have to define what would be typical!] Yes, there are talking animals, and yes, there is a girl the size of a mouse. Fantasies, however, conjure up images of wizards and warlocks, battles of good versus evil, and lands that are far, far away.[ah, you are thinking about epic fantasy or high fantasy as the norm.] In Stuart Little, there are no warlocks or wizards and there is no far away land. Instead, we have a talking mouse (and a talking cat, bird, etc). While talking animals are most certainly fantasy, the journey Stuart embarks on is one that typifies the genre and makes Stuart more than just a talking mouse. Stuart s quest for Margalo takes the mouse on a most human journey- one of adventure and self discovery. [Adventure is a different fantasy it could overlap with fantasy, but it is not synonymous with it; it has its own generic markers.] Stuart Little tackles themes such as self-actualization and loyalty to a certain extent. Stuart proves his bravery and loyalty over and over again in the novel to almost everyone he comes in contact with. Stuart is a character who, although a mouse, is of high-moral character and is trustworthy. In the beginning of the novel, Stuart is loyal to Podolsky 2 his family when he goes down the drain to get the ring his mother lost- Oh, my brave little son said Mrs. Little (6) after Stuart retrieved the ring. Stuart then acts in a nonchalant manner about it, while to himself he admits he is slimy and that it was not as easy as he made it seem. Stuart also shows his loyalty to Dr. Carey, the dentist with whom Stuart teams up with to captain his ship. When Carey shows Stuart the ship he will be racing against, he says That s the Lillian B. Womrath and I hate her with all my heart. Then so do I cried Stuart, loyally (33). Finally, Stuart is loyal to his friend Margalo, who earlier saved his life when he runs away from home to find her, never to return. The predominant fantasy attribute in Stuart Little is the use of anthropomorphism of Stuart and the other animals in the story and thus make them the central characters. [This is a comma split (run on) as it stands; is something missing?] Certainly this is one criteria criterion of the fantasy genre that E.B. White typifies in this story, along with his second children s novel, Charlotte s Web. In Stuart Little, Stuart, Margalo, Snowbell, and the rest of the animals all talk and exhibit human behavior and characteristics. [This is where your essay should begin: name the fantasy element, identify its importance or relevance to SL, and then, either give examples (not necessary), or move on to the next element.] The humans are aware that the animals talk and this propels the human-animal relationship and storyline. Interestingly, Stuart and the narrator do not always call him a mouse, but rather he is described many times as mouse-like in appearance. In his own letter to Miss Ames, he says, my only drawback is that I look something like a mouse (109). The anthropomorphism depicted in the novel also is apparent in Stuart s human- Podolsky 3 like motivations. A mouse that does not have human emotions, intelligence and life experiences would not be concerned with finding a bird with whom he thought was beautiful. Nor would he be concerned with finding his fortune in the world. These are all human motivations, and Stuart is driven by human motivations throughout the story. The story of Stuart Little is an intriguing blend of the real and unreal, as described by Brian Atterbury. Good. But you are implying that Attebury (no r) is describing Stuart Little, though you mean to say that he is describing the nature of the fantasy. The real include: the humans and their human lifestyle, the Little family and their complex familial relationships, New York City, the sailboat race, Central Park, the schoolhouse, the school children and the post office at his next stop. All of these things are from a familiar time and place for the reader- not some alternate universe of some sort. Many points of the story describe a very normal day in New York City in the 1940 s. I notice that some older writers will use the apostrophe when pluralizing a date, although the style sheets, and The New York Times, advise no apostrophe, e.g. 1940s. In particular, the chapter entitled A Fair Breeze gives many examples of the blending of the real and unreal. On pages 28 and 29, Stuart catches a bus and has a brief encounter with the conductor. The conductor, who came to collect the fare, noticed Stuart was trying to give him a fake dime that was made just for him at his size. The conductor says What s that you re offering me? and Stuart replies it s one of my dimes. The conductor then answers Well, I d have a fine time explaining that to the bus company. Why you re no bigger than a dime yourself. This exchange tells the reader a few interesting things. Judging by the exchange, the reader gets the sense that the conductor is more amused Podolsky 4 than surprised by the fact that there is a mouse paying for a bus ride. Ah, this is a fine paragraph. Ideally, your first two paragraphs would be deleted (or rewritten and placed later in the paper), and the paragraphs about anthropomorphic animals and the conjunction of the realistic (not the real) and fantasy this paragraph - would be your first two paragraphs. Another example of the melding of real and unreal is the boat race at Central Park. Boat races at Central Park are a real aspect of the story and would have made a reader in the 1940 s familiar feel with that time and place. White takes that reality and adds his fantasy onto it, where Stuart the talking mouse approaches one of the boat owners and requests to be its captain and sail the boat for him. In the exchange that follows, the owner of that boat, Dr. Carey, discusses if Stuart would be fit to captain his boat. During that discussion, the narrator notes that the doctor was surprised to be addressed by a mouse in a sailor suit (32). This is the end of the mention of Stuart being a mouse though. The doctors Is there more than one doctor? dialogue goes from the one second unspoken thought that this is a mouse and then simply goes on to examine the sailors competence, as if being a mouse was a surprise but no big deal. White does an expert job in almost confusing the reader into believing the fantasy- as if the doctor is surprised- naturally and realistically- but then the story continues and the reader is also supposed to continue and not dwell on the fact that Stuart is a mouse. This transition and blending of real and unreal is what helps change the focus of the story. It helps to identify the story not only as a fantasy story but also as a quest story. Podolsky 5 Stuart Little is a not only a fantasy, but even more so should be recognized as a quest adventure story. Stuart runs away from home and embarks on a journey or quest to find his friend Margalo, but even more so his identity. Why not choose the more conservative argument, that SL also combines elements of the adventure genre, rather than suggesting something inadequate about fantasy? His journey takes him through interesting places where he is allowed to show his wit and character- the schoolhouse and the beautiful village of Ames Crossing. When he first gets to Ames Crossing, he talks fondly of Margalo as he says I m looking for a bird named Margalo. You haven t sighted her, have you? The storekeeper responds can t say that I have what does she look like? Stuart fondly remembers Margalo by saying Perfectly beautiful she s a remarkable bird anybody would notice her (103). Interestingly, Stuart seems to forget Margalo quickly afterward when he then asks out young Miss Ames, a human girl who happens to be Stuart s size shortly afterward. When the date fails, Stuart continues with his journey and the reader is left with Stuart talking to a telephone repairman about the direction north, where he is heading. The repairman says there s something about north something that sets it apart from all other directions. A person who is heading north is not making any mistake, in my opinion. (131) Stuart agrees and says that s the way I look at it I rather expect that from now on I will be traveling north until the end of my days. (129) Here Stuart does not mention that he will travel until he finds Margalo. Rather, Stuart expects this journey to go on indefinitely. If Stuart were still talking about finding Margalo, the journey would be anticipated to be over when the bird is found. Instead, Stuart is venturing north on a quest of undetermined time and no real destination. The only type of quest that it could mean for Stuart is one where he strives to finds his Podolsky 6 identity and look for something else in his life, perhaps self-actualization. You are bound to cite a source for the idea that this sort of journey is a quest and that quests have a goal of self-actualization. It s not something you can expect a reader to accept on your say so, as if it were a fact or a universally held principle or something self-evident. Regardless, the ending of the book leaves the reader with no resolution, but rather a glimpse of Stuart about to head north to embark on a quest. He does not know how long or where it leads, but Stuart is willing and brave enough to do it. As he peered ahead into the great land that stretched before him, the way seemed long. But the sky was bright and somehow he felt he was headed in the right direction (131). Jennifer, I like the parts of the discussion where you talk about fantasy markers and how they relate to SL. The latter part of the essay, dealing with the adventure/quest, has potential, but it just sits out there, with no support. Whose ideas of the quest are you referencing? How do the quest and the fantasy intersect? You clearly have read about the rudiments of the adventure, so why not cite one of your sources? Has anybody noted how the two are similar or different? The first part of the paper, in which you discuss epic fantasy and how SL diverges from that subgenre of fantasy, seems out of place, but I understand that you imagine your reader as somewhat unsophisticated, and you are seeking to provide a hook to get them interested. This approach isn t exactly suited to this sort of assignment, though, which really requires that you imagine your reader as someone capable of being interested in the markers of genre and able to understand the value of reading and applying literary analysis and scholarship. Someone with those capabilities would already understand that the field of fantasy is broader than sword and Podolsky 7 sorcery, and wouldn t respond to the more basic introduction you ve offered. Why didn t you consider some of the other markers of fantasy, such as the happy ending, the compatibility of fantasy with the Bildungsroman, the frequent conjunction of fantasy with satire or nonsense? These are all included in my lecture and emphasized in boldface not very hard to find! So, all in all, some nice material, very pleasant recounting of some of the scenes in the book, an insightful but slightly under-focused discussion of adventure or the quest, too many typos, and a beginning that starts you down the wrong path. B+

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