Cardiff University | Prifysgol Caerdydd ORCA
Online Research @ Cardiff 
WelshClear Cookie - decide language by browser settings

”Blue skies, green grass”: is the Redemption of Althalus a reliable biological record?

Raye, Lee ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6001-9916 2016. ”Blue skies, green grass”: is the Redemption of Althalus a reliable biological record? Fafnir – Nordic Journal of Science Fiction and Fantasy Research 3 (2) , pp. 25-38.

[thumbnail of Raye - Blue Skies, Green Grass.pdf]
Preview
PDF - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial.

Download (473kB) | Preview

Abstract

This paper investigates whether high fantasy worlds can be naturalistic. After a brief introductory analysis of the Lonely Mountain in The Hobbit, discussion turns to The Redemption of Althalus by David and Leigh Eddings. References were collected to flora and fauna from the secondary world of the novel. These references were tested as a collection in terms of: (i) whether they have internal coherence (i.e. verisimilitude) and (ii) whether the observations are likely to be based on primary world experience. The study found that, in general, the species actually observed by characters in the text passed both these tests. Species used only for figurative reference (i.e. not actually observed by any character) failed these tests. The biology of Althalus’ secondary world is predominantly based on the primary world western forested mountain ecoregion of the United States, where Eddings & Eddings lived.

Item Type: Article
Date Type: Publication
Status: Published
Schools: English, Communication and Philosophy
Subjects: G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GF Human ecology. Anthropogeography
P Language and Literature > PR English literature
P Language and Literature > PS American literature
P Language and Literature > PZ Childrens literature
Uncontrolled Keywords: Ecocriticism, digital humanities, naturalistic, Eddings, Althalus
Additional Information: Copyright Notice Content in Fafnir is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 3.0 Unported License. Fafnir, not the author, retains copyright. Anyone seeking to reproduce content for profit, including authors, must obtain permission from Fafnir. Submit queries to the editors. Fafnir retains copyright for three reasons: (1) because this is standard in the academic journal industry; (2) because we are committed to open access, and our policy ensures that authors cannot abrogate this; and (3) because it permits us the ability to grant reprint requests if the author becomes unreachable. Publication and Open Access Policy Fafnir is published four times a year. The journal appears online only, but the articles are also available in PDF format. Fafnir provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available both the researchers and public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. Fafnir endorses the definition of open access laid out in Bethesda Meeting on Open Access Publishing: The author(s) and copyright holder(s) grant(s) to all users a free, irrevocable, worldwide, perpetual right of access to, and a license to copy, use, distribute, transmit and display the work publicly and to make and distribute derivative works, in any digital medium for any responsible purpose, subject to proper attribution of authorship,[1] as well as the right to make small numbers of printed copies for their personal use. A complete version of the work and all supplemental materials, including a copy of the permission as stated above, in a suitable standard electronic format is deposited immediately upon initial publication in at least one online repository that is supported by an academic institution, scholarly society, government agency, or other well-established organization that seeks to enable open access, unrestricted distribution, interoperability, and long-term archiving. Note: [1] Community standards, rather than copyright law, will continue to provide the mechanism for enforcement of proper attribution and responsible use of the published work, as they do now.
Publisher: The Finnish Society for Science Fiction and Fantasy Research
ISSN: 2342-2009
Date of First Compliant Deposit: 8 July 2016
Last Modified: 08 Nov 2023 07:15
URI: https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/92407

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item Edit Item

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

View more statistics