Comparison Of Charlie Among The Elves And At The Back Of The North Wind

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In Edward Knatchbull-Hugessen's "Charlie Among the Elves" and George MacDonald's At the Back of the North Wind, the authors artfully blend elements of fairytale and social realism to create narratives that transcend mere escapism; instead, storytelling and fairytales manifest into a conduit for recovery and renewal. Through the texts themselves as well as the embedded stories contained within them, Knatchbull-Hugessen and Macdonald advocate for reclamation of clarity and perspective, not merely by presenting a mimetic reflection of reality, but by engaging with the world as it ought to be perceived– imbued with wonder, beauty, and truth. An amalgamation of the fantastical with philosophical underpinnings and the depiction of the playful with …show more content…

In doing so, Knatchbull-Hugessen and MacDonald underscore the inherent value of storytelling as a means of entertaining, educating, consoling, and ultimately fostering a process of recovery. For one, both texts implicate the audience through authoritative measures; in doing so, Knatchbull-Hugessen and George MacDonald address adults while substantiating the truthfulness of fantastical realms and whatever they might implicate. The role of story-telling, in this light, is bridging the child-like appeal to stories with the sophistication of adults, wherein adults are encouraged to embrace the child-like mind. Knatchbull-Hugessen directly asserts children in his narratives, such as in the preface of Moonshine, in which “Charlie Among the Elves” was first published. “My dear children,” he states; “at all these times we know that the Fairies are abroad, tender and sprightly little Elves, who put merry thoughts into our hearts, tempered always by kind and loving feelings. Let us love the little Elves still, my children, and keep our childish fondness for them as long as we may” (Knatchbull-Hugessen, …show more content…

The song emphasizes the pointlessness of human endeavours, comparing them to "empty bubbles," transient and unsatisfactory. The radically different Elfin life is devoid of the unending conflict and trivial goals that define human society. Insisting that readers consider what genuinely makes a meaningful existence, the poem criticizes materialism and the unrelenting chase of status. While the song is presented as a playful and whimsical interruption to Charlie and the child reader alike, the embedded verses might garner more attention from the adult reader. By alluding to the flaws of the human world and substantiating the allure of the fairy world, Knatchbull-Hugessen encourages readers to reconsider their perceptions of reality and fantasy, inviting them to find value and meaning in the imaginative and the magical as a way to enrich their understanding of life and its possibilities. Moreover, Charlie experiences a profound sense of peace and tranquillity as he listens to the song, finding himself in a unique state of being simultaneously asleep and awake. This delicate balance allows him to remain cognizant, for he is “awake enough to understand perfectly well all that was going on” (Knatchbull-Hugessen ch. 10. The aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid

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