Mythic Fiction & Contemporary Urban Fantasy

Week 8 “Lady in the Water” and “The Ocean at the End of the Lane”

            Contemporary Urban Fantasy - Going from the mundane world to the fantastical, the two worlds coexisting in the same realm or parallel realms.

Lady in the Water directed by M. Night Shamalan was a bit too corny for me. The main detractor for me was the overly self-indulgent role that Shamalan put himself in as the savior of the story. He plays a role he probably imagines mirroring his own life, a misunderstood author who will one day influence a boy destined to become the president of the United States. His acting in this role is unintentionally funny, with awkward and unbelievable reactions to the turning of events throughout the story. The fairy tale aspects of it are very interesting though, with a mystical woman (a Narf) being prevented from returning from her world by ferocious grass wolves (Scrunts). The music was really great, though.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman begins with the narrator returning to his now dilapidated and run-down childhood home for the first time since he left many years ago. He begins to remember parts of his childhood, when he was seven years old and his family was taking in boarders to help pay the rent. The narrator remembers one of these housemates, a miner, accidentally killing his kitten and later killing himself in his family’s car. This incident releases an ancient evil through a wormhole (a literal hole with a worm which he breaks off half of) in the narrator’s foot in the form of a woman named Ursula. Ursula seduces his family into trusting her, and soon begins a relationship with his father. Lettie Hempstock and the other Hempstocks help his family overcome Ursula’s evil, and have a very close encounter with death. Ursula is eaten by supernatural scavenging birds who also want to eat the narrators heart (because Ursula left a piece of her in him). While speaking with the Hempstocks in present time, the narrator finds out Lettie almost died saving the narrator, by jumping in front of the hunger birds when he tries to sacrifice himself. He finds out this is not the first time he’s returned to the property, and he comes to see Lettie. The narrator’s memory is extremely unreliable, but he asks the Hempstocks to tell Lettie he was there when she returns from Australia (she is actually recovering in another world). This story is very interestingly written, from the perspective of a grown man having flashbacks to when he was a child.

            The myth in this novel is very integrated into the contemporary world. Although it is not as realistic as some myths, it is very inspiring and heartwarming. A myth is defined as a traditional story concerning the early history of a people or an explanation of a natural or social phenomenon, typically involving supernatural aspects. This story definitely fits these criteria. It tells the history of a battle between good and evil and the history of the supernatural Hempstocks. It explains how evil is brought into this world (by suicide) with Ursula’s appearance (and spread with money) and how evil is eradicated with her downfall. This was a very enjoyable book, very interesting and smart and clever.