For this week in Literature of Horror, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy- our class watched the first part of the movie “Coraline”. In addition, I also chose to finish the movie and also read the book written by Neil Gaiman. The story of “Coraline” is considered to be a contemporary urban fantasy, in which the story is relative to the present but also incorporate aspects from classic stories. Looking at the story at an analytical point of view, some key elements I saw that were worth pointing out are: witch tropes and a portal to another world.
Like I said before, in the world of “Coraline” the book pulls classical elements from urban legends, specifically witches. I can say that the character, Other Mother, acts as an all-powerful force in the story. This is one of the traits of a witch, how she is very strong and makes others feel submissive. Another trait is how the Other Mother uses magic and illusions. In the story, she makes an entire world for Coraline- which includes the environment and the people in it. Some other examples of witch tropes may include how the Other Mother eats children' souls, deception, etc.
My second point is how Gaiman uses the trope, a portal to another world. Coraline gets a “call to adventure” when she goes through the mysterious tunnel to the other world. Being inside a new world shows the theme of exploration. Similar to the “Hero’s Journey”, Coraline ventures to the unknown and faces many challenges to herself. Her primary goal was to escape the Other Mother’s world.
Overall, Coraline was a great read and was very interested in it being a contemporary story. I am hopeful to read more of Gaiman’s stories in the future!
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