Abstract of Paper to be Presented at Accio 2005

A comparison analysis of the boy mage in Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising; in Ursula K. LeGuin's A Wizard of Earthsea and in JK Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Wendy Richardson, Newton North High School Newtonville, Massachusetts, USA

Three boys from ordinary backgrounds are pitched headlong into wonderous and dangerous worlds. Each in their respective fantasy series will discover powers that amaze them and that stymie unconscionably evil adults. With the assistance of mentors and friends these young magi, Will Stanton, Ged of Gont and Harry Potter engage in a winding pathway to adulthood.

The pattern for this type of journey of self-discovery is a close reflection of the extraordinary work compiled by global mythologist Joseph Campbell. Campbell provided compelling insight into the cross-cultural design of the hero in his seminal work The Hero With a Thousand Faces. Campbell observed across a wide range of cultures that the starting point for the hero is often predictable: humble and naive he is introduced to his career path in a moment of puzling mystery; the hero engages his new surroundings with growing wonder; he makes dangerous gaffs in his new world , but escapes into life-saving power. Finally, the young hero becomes the acknowledged worthy defender of his community.

There are roughly 8 stepts in Campbell's hero's journey and with each defined step the hero will advance in the useful knowledge of magic and gain insight into the nature of evil. Through years of schooling and adventures the three youthful magi grow into their healthy manhood. That is principally why the journey of the boy wizards must be fashioned within a narrative series: it is the real-life pattern of developing complications and tests that human beings use on their journey to adulthood and the full discovery of their powers.

The focus of this proposal is to treat the character of the boy mage found in Cooper,LeGuin and Rowling as repeating the biography of the hero from around the globe and throughout the history of storytelling. This very paradigm of the journey and maturation of the hero in these three series is at the core of their continued popularity for readers. A centuries-long pedigree of what appeals to our dreams and struggles to grow up safely , whole and responsible can be found in these clever narratives. I have chosen Will Stanton, Ged of Gont and Harry Potter because they do, after all, share an uncommon heritage: Boy Mage and Savior to an entire Other World.

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