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Ang, Susan 2002 The Master of the Rings: Inside the World of J. R. R. Tolkien Icon books Ltd: Cambridge ISBN – 1-84046-423-2 Fox, Geoff 2004. Dear Mr. Morpingo: Inside the World of Michael Morpurgo . Icon books Ltd: Cambridge ISBN 1-84046-607-3 Tucker, Nicholas 2003. Inside the World of Philip Pullman: Darkness Visible Icon books Ltd: Cambridge Reviewed by Lydia Kokkola, Turku University & Åbo Akademi University, Finland. Small publishing houses are always worth watching: they cannot afford to take huge financial risks, but have to be innovative enough to find their own niche in the market. Wizard Books Ltd., an imprint of iconbooks, is a small publishing house which specialises in non-fiction writing for children and adolescents. Their products are distributed through Penguin Canada, Allen & Unwin in Australia and in Europe, South Africa and Asia through Faber & Faber. As a result, they are both reasonably priced and easily available. One of Wizard's recent innovations is a series of studies of individual authors and their works. At present the series is sporadic and the publishing director, Simon Flynn, freely acknowledges that it is not being consciously developed. This is slightly surprising since the three volumes in the series so far are written by critics whose names will be familiar to IRSCL members. They include: Susan Ang's The Master of the Rings: Inside the World of J. R. R. Tolkien (2002) , Nicholas Tucker's Inside the World of Philip Pullman: Darkness Visible (2003 ) and Geoff Fox's Dear Mr. Morpingo: Inside the World of Michael Morpurgo (2004). As the titles of these books suggest, they combine author biography with an overview of the literary works. They also take up some of the key themes, points of interest and/or background sources. When summarised in this way, the series sounds rather conventional, and perhaps not particularly interesting. In practice, however, these works are part of what I regard as an exciting new movement in the field of children's literature. These books are representatives of a new genre of literary criticism: texts which are specifically intended to be accessible to young readers . Most critics of children's literature are very aware that there is something rather odd about the way in which the criticism they write has taken the form of adults speaking to adults about works written for a different audience, namely children. Whilst I appreciate such forms of criticism, I am delighted to see the emergence of literary criticism which returns works of children's literature to their young readers. This shows not only an increased appreciation of the readers and their books, it also serves as a timely reminder that the marriage of pedagogical concerns and literary appreciation has spawned many healthy off-spring. Susan Ang's The Master of the Rings: The first book in the series, The Master of the Rings, is the least confident about its readership, perhaps because it is about Tolkien. Ang, like others, distinguishes between The Hobbit as a work of children's literature and The Lord of the Rings and Silmarillion as works intended for adults. Nevertheless, the publication format and Ang's tone of voice appear to acknowledge that The Lord of the Rings is widely read by adolescents, even though they were not Tolkien's target audience. Ang is self-confessed “Tolkienomanic” and The Master of the Rings is apparently addressed to other sufferers of this “most dangerous and communicable” disease (p.9). Readers will be left in no doubt about Ang's passion for Tolkien's writing. Unlike Tucker and Fox, who could draw on interviews with living authors, Ang's biography of Tolkien is based on previously published sources. The result is a perfectly reasonable overview, albeit not particularly engaging. It quotes quite a few of Tolkien's letters, describes the Inklings and comments on the rift that formed between Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. The biography is followed by chapters on The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings interspersed with a chapter on publishing history. These are followed by a chapter examining the influence of Tolkien on other writers, a chapter on the various film versions and four appendices (a brief history of Middle Earth prior to the time of The Lord of the Rings and three glossaries of characters, places and artefacts). Ang's book does not contain any plot summaries, but rather jumps directly into discussions such as the image of the maimed hand (p. 81-2) or more controversial issues such as the development of the character of Arwen in the film at the expense of Frodo (p. 108-9). This indicates that Ang expects her readers to be familiar with the works to which she refers. On the other hand, her discussion of hobbits (p. 58-60) seems to be addressed to a readership who lacks familiarity with these creatures. This uncertainty about how to pitch her comments results in quite a number of oddities. For instance, she explains the term “bildungsroman” in a manner that suggests her readers are wholly unfamiliar with literary terminology (as one might suppose most adolescent readers to be) (p. 50-1), but her discussion of canonicity (p. 59-60) contains no such helpful remarks. This uncertainty of voice is undoubtedly the work's greatest flaw. Fortunately, the other writers in the series are more consistent in their address, yet no less enthusiastic about the literature they discuss. Nicholas Tucker's Inside the World of Philip Pullman: Darkness Visible has three basic goals which do not quite map onto the formal chapter divisions. The first is to provide an author biography, the second a summary and commentary on each of Pullman's works and finally a discussion of sources of influence. The chapter divisions divide the information between the biography, the Sally Lockhart novels, other stories and His Dark Materials. This division is doubtless easier for novice critics to comprehend. The author biography unsurprisingly focuses on aspects of Pullman's life which find parallels in his novels. Some of these parallels are distinctly unhelpful in encouraging readers to recognise the fictionality of the work. For instance, Tucker argues that Mrs Coulter's ambiguity is a reflection of Pullman's feeling towards his mother after she returned to work, leaving her young sons with their grandparents. Encouraging young readers to view this magnificently complex character as some kind of therapeutic outpouring, rather than a further element in one of the main themes of His Dark Materials, namely the impossibility of distinguishing between good and evil, is unnecessarily reductionist. On the other hand, learning that Lyra's ability to climb about on the college roofs in Oxford was based on Pullman's student experiences adds not only credibility to this scene, but also to a greater sense of the playfulness of the author. As literary critic and former primary school teacher, the information I most valued in the biography section was the discussion of Pullman's frustration with his Oxford University education and learning that he received only a third class degree. Tucker concludes that: Pullman's often passionate engagement with educational issues since, and in particular his concern with what he sees as the dull and unimaginative ways of teaching the young now enshrined in the National Curriculum, could well date back to this time in his life. Excellent teaching at school which was then replaced by a university system where very little tuition of real value happened at all was enough to make anyone angry. (Tucker 2003: 15) This discussion shed light on Pullman's attitudes towards his young readers, particularly his respect for the intelligence of adolescent readers of works such as The Amber Spyglass . One of Pullman's greatest achievements is his ability to communicate with children and adolescents about issues that are usually deemed too adult. Like Pullman, Tucker has also found a voice in which to address less experienced readers which is neither condescending nor simplistic. This is particularly evident in the section which discusses various influences, but can also be seen in his willingness to criticise the British education system. After the author biography, Darkness Visible continues with a summary of each of Pullman's fictional texts interspersed with helpful comments which enable the child critic to see connections between Pullman's works and older works of literature. Parallels are drawn between Pullman's Sally Lockhart novels and the plays of G. B: Shaw (p. 38), penny dreadfuls (40-41) as well as classic works of children's literature such as Emil and the Detectives, Blyton's detective series and C. S. Lewis. Although I understand Valerie Krips' frustration on how limited some of these discussions are, for the intended reader of these works I think they offer an excellent introduction to the genre of the review, which provides young critics with a model of how to move beyond the book report which merely summarises the text and concludes “I like it because it is good.” Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy is inevitably, and rightly, placed centre stage. After the summary, which is illustrated with an engraving for Paradise Lost by Gustav Doré, Tucker provides brief sections in the style of a student guide on topics such as Parallel Worlds, What is Dust? and Daemons. Again, in addition to providing useful information for young critics, these serve as models on how to form a discussion about works of fiction. The final section, the discussion of influences, reveals Tucker at his best. In unpretentious, highly readable prose, Tucker summarises and explains Pullman's allusions to Milton, Blake, von Kleist and C. S. Lewis. von Kleist's essay is included in an appendix after a helpful bibliography of works which an adolescent could understand. Tucker, like Pullman, treats his readers respectfully and without condescension. He manages to make complex texts and ideas comprehensible, but he also provides quotations, illustrations and comments which will encourage the reader to go back to the original sources. Geoff Fox's Dear Mr Morpingo: Although now officially retired from his work in teacher education, Geoff Fox still spends a good deal of time in schools talking to children and telling them stories. This familiarity with talking to children about stories as well as telling stories results in an engaging style of writing which uncompromisingly addresses readers of the same age and reading ability as Morpurgo's novels. Given that readers of Morpurgo's works are considerably younger than those who read Pullman or Tolkien, this is an impressive feat. The author biography reveals Fox at his best as a storyteller in his own right. Opening with the exciting story of “how nothing nearly happened” (Morpurgo's near-death encounter whilst still in a pram), Fox draws his readers into the story of Morpurgo's life. Interesting details about life in post-war Britain, including explanations of rationing, the dangers and fun of playing in bomb-sites and single-sex boarding schools, are woven into Morpurgo's personal history making both the time period and the man seem more interesting. Delicate topics, such as parental divorce and Morpurgo's complex relationship with his stepfather, are handled with a sensitivity that respects both the reader and those written about. The two chapters following the author biography provide an insight into how a professional writer works. One of Fox's motivations for producing this book was to help children and their teachers understand the writing process. The first of these two chapters answers the question “where do you get your ideas from?” by showing how Morpurgo developed his ideas for some of his better known works. The discussions of Morpurgo's novels provide young readers with insights into both the composition process and the works themselves. Unlike Tucker, Fox does not provide plot summaries, but rather presents just enough information for readers to get the point without spoiling the fun of reading the original works themselves. The other chapter is concerned with the more formal aspects of a narrative such as focalisation, characterisation and plot tempo. Again, these points are couched in terms that will make sense to young readers, and are liberally illustrated with examples from Morpurgo's writing. As a result, the work is likely to prove an asset to teachers wondering how to encourage their pupils' writing skills. Dear Mr Morpingo concludes with a brief overview of various other aspects of Morpurgo's career (e.g. his work as children's laureate and a discussion of films and plays based on his works) and a short story by Morpurgo which was not been published before. Interesting as these sections are, the focus of work is clearly on helping young readers to appreciate the craft of storytelling in general and the works of Michael Morpurgo in particular. This didactic aim is realised in an appealing way that should strike a chord with its intended readers. As works of literary criticism, the books in this series are unlikely to prove useful to those members of the IRSCL who are solely concerned with literary topics. The many qualities of the author biographies, useful summaries in Darkness Visible and glossary in The Master of the Rings notwithstanding , purely academic scholars of children's literature are likely to find these books little more than useful aide memoires . For their intended readers - youngsters who have enjoyed reading something by Tolkien, Pullman or Morpurgo and who want to know more - the Inside the World series provides an excellent starting point. One minor criticism I have of Fox's and Tucker's books, however, is that they assume readers are familiar with the British education system, and this makes the works slightly less accessible to readers from other countries. Ang, who teaches at the University of Singapore, is more international, but, as I say, less consistent in her address. I sincerely hope that IRSCL members working in teacher training establishments or, like myself, teaching students who are likely to become teachers will draw their students' attention to these materials. Works like those reviewed above enable young readers to become better, more fully informed, critical readers of fiction. At the very least, they are educating the future generation of literary scholars. At best, they may go some way towards keeping the focus on children in children's literature. References Krips, Valerie 2005. Inside the World of Philip Pullman: Darkness Visible by Nicholas Tucker . (www.irscl.ac.uk) Lydia Kokkola |