Elizabeth Kowal

English 112B

Dr. Warner

May 12, 2005

 

Utopian Rites of Passage

This annotated bibliography is intended to provide resources for young adults from several forms of media.  All of the entries are in the fantasy genre, yet also include the search for a utopia and the passage into adulthood.  These themes are not only often enjoyable to read, watch, or hear about, but they are also extremely thought provoking.

 

Coleridge, Samuel Taylor.  "Xanadu."  Samuel Taylor Coleridge: Selected Poems.  New York: Penguin, 1996.

            This is a classic poem describing a Utopia.  Although it is basically just the description of a Utopia and does not delve into how the search for a Utopia can lead a person into adventures that will further his or her passage into adulthood, this poem is definitely worth reading before any unit that deals with Utopias.  This poem is also a great introduction to the poetry of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, a well-known poet who is reference often enough that everyone should have at least some exposure to his poetry.

 

Farmer, Nancy.  The House of the Scorpion.  New York: Simon and Schuster, 2002.

            Although this story could be classified as science fiction, it has enough fantastical elements to be categorized with other fantasies.  The main character lives in a Dystopia, yet searches for something better and more meaningful.  During this searching, he learns about life, love, friendship, and the process of growing up.   This book is fascinating, although somewhat dark in nature, and is likely to catch the attention of many adolescents.

 

Funke, Cornelia.  Inkheart.  New York: Scholastic, 2003.

            Although at first, this may seem to be just a wonderful fantasy about a girl who loves books, it has much more depth to it upon closer inspection.  The main character, an adolescent girl, learns a lot throughout the story.  As she is thrown into an unbelievable situation, she figures out how to cope with it.  She also learns the importance of love and sacrifice, and the courage to do what is right, even when it seems impossible.  All of these are great lessons and help her to live through her amazing life as a character who grows and learns, rather than one who is static.  This story is great for units on rites of passage to adulthood, and will likely charm anyone who has an overwhelming love for books and reading.

 

Funke, Cornelia.  The Thief Lord.  New York: Scholastic, 2001.

            The Thief Lord is basically a tale of growing up disguised as fantasy.  A group of kids in Venice must learn to trust and love each other to survive, but even that ends up not being enough.  They must eventually learn to trust other people as well.  This story also includes a sort of time machine that can change the age of the person who uses it.  Two people both seek for their own happiness from this machine.  An old man wishes to be a child, and a child wishes to be an adult.  Both must learn that happiness does not always come from where it is expected and that life can often have unexpected changes.  This is a great book to help young adults recognize the importance of being comfortable with whom they are.

 

L'Engle, Madeleine.  An Acceptable Time.  New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell, 1989.

 

L'Engle, Madeleine.  A Wrinkle in Time.  New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell, 1962.

            A Wrinkle in Time is a classic, canonical work that most people have heard of, even if they have not read it.  Many school children are required to read it.  At first, it might seem ridiculous to consider using such a well-known book for young adults, many who have already read it, but sometimes familiarity with a book helps people to better understand it when studying it more closely, and for those students who have not read it, it is worth reading a first time.  This book is a great resource for a unit on the rites of passage into adulthood.  The main character has a hard time with self-confidence, often doubting her great abilities and skills.  As the story unfolds, she learns to accept herself as she is and also learns a lot about the nature of love and sacrifice.  One other lesson she learns is that what can sound like a great idea can turn sour very quickly, and not all places claiming to be a Utopia really are.

 

Lewis, C.S.  The Horse and His Boy.  New York: MacMillan, 1954.

 

Logan's Run.  Dir. Michael Anderson.  Perf. Michael York, Jenny Agutter, Richard Jordan, Roscoe Lee Browne, Farrah Fawcett-Majors, and Peter Ustinov.  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1976.

 

Olivia Newton-John.  "Xanadu."  Magic.  Utv Records, 2001.

            This song by well-known singer Olivia Newton-John is a great way to introduce a unit on poetry or utopias.  "Xanadu" is based off of Coleridge's poem of the same name and is a fun, different, and light-hearted way to introduce Coleridge's work.  Newton-John's adaptation of this poem adds a sense of being up-to-date, while still being a good lead-in to a discussion of the poem or genre.

 

"Panda-La."  TaleSpin.  Disney Channel.  Disney Studios, 1991.

This Disney spin-off of the story of Shangri-La is a fun twist to an old classic.  The main character of TaleSpin, Baloo the Bear, wishes to do something that will make him famous enough to have a parade of his own.  He sets out to find Panda-La, the mythical land of Panda that nobody has ever seen.  Little does Baloo know that finding Panda-La may cause more trouble than he is ready for.  While searching for fame, Baloo learns that there are more important things in life, such as love and friendship.  This half-hour cartoon includes the search for a Utopia that leads to an important lesson and is a great way to introduce the theme or spark a previously lagging interest in it.

 

Rigoletto.  Dir. Leo Paur.  Perf. Joseph Paur, Ivey Lloyd, Cynthia Jump, and John Huntington.  Feature Films for Families, 1993.

 

Wizard of Oz, The.  Dir. Victor Fleming.  Perf. Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke, and Margaret Hamilton.  MGM/UA, 1939.

 

Wrede, Patricia.  Dealing with Dragons.  Orlando: Harcourt, 1990.

 

Wrede, Patricia.  Mairelon the Magician.  New York: Tom Doherty Associates, 1991.

 

Wrinkle in Time, A.  Ed. Susan Maggi.  Perf. Katie Stuart, Gregory Smith, and David Dorfman.  Buena Vista Home Entertainment, 2004.

            This is a film version of the well-known book of L'Engle's.  The adaptation is not perfect, and has some nuances that might annoy great fans of the book, one such example being that Calvin does not have red hair in the movie.  Although there are some disappointments of this kind, it is still a true representation of the themes of the book, especially the love that all must learn or foster.  This movie is a great treat for those who already love the book or as a way to introduce the book.  It has enough detail that it can also be used on its own if a form of media other than a book is needed.