Lynn Wallace
  • Home
  • Updates
  • Books
    • The Heart of Everything
    • Short Stories
  • Extras
  • Blog
  • Bio
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Updates
  • Books
    • The Heart of Everything
    • Short Stories
  • Extras
  • Blog
  • Bio
  • Contact

The Chronicles of Prydain: Fantasy Forever

7/5/2019

1 Comment

 
Picture
          The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander are classic fantasy books for kids.  They are fun, if a tad bit predictable – not many plot twists here.  But they make very good “teaching stories” as readers can watch the young characters growing up and learning life lessons.
           The novels follow the adventures of courageous Assistant Pig-Keeper Taran, the talkative and magically-talented Princess Eilonwy, the wild yet lovable Gurgi, and the slightly-prone-to-exaggeration bard Fflewddur as they fight against the various forces of evil in the land of Prydain.  My husband read these books aloud to me, and I must say, kids’ books or not, they are enjoyable :-).
        My favorite part of these books are the memorable characters: such as the old enchanter Dallben who often “meditates” in a napping position, or the feisty Gurgi who is always eager for “munchings and crunchings” (for the record, half of his vocabulary ends in the suffix “-ing”).  And of course, I love watching the friendship between our fearless hero and the opinionated princess.  Theirs has many of the “typical” male-female dynamics: poor Taran is the “dumb guy” who simply doesn’t understand women yet, and his blunders often produce the “indignant female” reaction in Eilonwy, who, as a princess, is a master of dramatic flair.
          Something I see in these stories is that memorable characters aren’t necessarily “new;” they can be based on stereotypes, and then tweaked in the direction of the author’s choosing.  The elderly but wise mentor, the annoying but good-hearted sidekick, the low-born, hot-headed hero, the independent and headstrong princess, etc.  (Any of those sound familiar? ;-P) There’s a reason why such characters are “classic:” we relate to them and we see them in the world all around us.
           I too use “stereotypes” in my work.  Jesse is our hot-blooded hero who struggles against the burden of his past and background.  Emer is the “princess” type: innocent, kind, and forgiving.  Even Alex functions as the classic “straight man” who reacts in such a way that makes Jesse’s antics that much funnier.  Of course, starting with a stereotype is one thing.  It’s taking it to the next level and developing fresh, unforgettable characters out of that stereotype that takes real skill – something I hope I am (or am someday!) able to do.
            What do you think?  Share your thoughts in the comments section!
            Until the next time, keep reading!
P.S. – If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends!  Here’s a link:
​http://www.lynnwallaceauthor.com/blog-on-books-and-writing/the-chronicles-of-prydain-fantasy-forever
P.P.S. – Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram, and sign up for my email list!
1 Comment
Kyndra Vu
7/6/2019 08:21:59 pm

I remember this series! So fun!! I cant wait until my kids are able to read all these books 😍

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    My Blog:

    I have two passions: reading and writing.  You can't write good stories without first reading good stories - that's my theory, anyway.  So this is where I'll share with you the depth of those passions: background on what and why I write, as well as talking about the books that I read and how they impact my writing.

    Archives

    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly