Others and spaces in fantasy Otherworlds

Abstract

Fantasy is a literary genre in which authors freely construct entire worlds to suit their own ideological purposes. These Otherworlds often have implications for identity construction that need to be considered within the reading contexts of multicultural societies. In particular, awareness of the possible ways in which these narratives instantiate the difference between dominant and marginal cultures in their constructions of Self (subject identities) and Other is crucial. In this article I investigate the function of representations of the Other, specifically the Oriental Other, in fantasy literature for children. It is argued that fantasy literature, which is a genre that is intimately involved in the constructedness of strange and familiar categories, provides a useful venue for studying the reflection of the relationship between dominant and marginal cultures in literature.