Questions on part-breaks and character introductions
Bardelys has begun a new Part to his tale, The Magic Key. This, the second part, he calls ‘Darkness over Dimmerthal.’ So let’s look at this chapter with the broader question of part-breaks in mind. Since Bardelys has also introduced several new characters, we can ask about character introductions in general as well.
The Parts of a Book
A ‘Book’ is a specific way of presenting a Tale. Over the centuries various divisions of a book have been used. There are the ‘books’ of a ‘volume’ and the ‘parts’ of a ‘book’ as well as ‘chapters’ and ‘sections’ of chapters and ‘subsections’ of ‘sections.’ Of course these are all artificial and arbitrary, and often (as in the case of the original ‘books’ which were the division of Homer’s epic poems into separate scrolls) done for technical reasons having more to do with the means of reproduction rather than any organic or logical grouping of the scenes and movements of the tale itself. It remains true, however, that most editors and publishers and authors will try to make the divisions of their books coincide with organic and logical divisions of the tales printed therein. And we can also say that almost all the great and conscientious editors, publishers, and authors do so.
With that in mind, let’s look at where Bardelys has broken his tale here.
The first strictly organic distinction between parts one and two involves location. Hans in part one lives at home. His home life is destroyed, he runs for his life, and is rescued. Part two has him going to the homestead of the Groening family, and so it seems as though part two will show us how Hans lives with the Groenings. The title of the part, ‘Darkness over Dimmerthal,’ also indicates that the part is organized around the setting of its scenes, which will broaden our perspective and show us more of the Dimmerthal valley, and not just the Groening family and folk.
Another possible logical distinction we might want to draw between parts one and two involves the basic logical movements of this or any tale. It could be that Bardelys considers (consciously or intuitively) that the end of part one coincides with his First Curtain, when the conflict is set and fully engaged-in by both parties. Or it could be that Bardelys looks on the end of part one as the end of the Summoning – maybe he looks on this whole Dreadful Night as the Inciting Incident that upends the world Hans lives in (it certainly does that) but that Hans may still withdraw from the lists and not take on his enemies to the full. Maybe Bardelys thinks his young hero still has some growing-up to do, or some hardening of his heart, or needs to commit further to this war.
(Bardelys has sketched out the further outlines of his tale to me enough so that I could make a case for either alternative.)
Character Introductions
Bardelys in this short chapter gives us several new faces to learn. Some of these may be more important than others. There are:
- Farmer Groening, the patriarch
- Mother Groening, his wife
- Bertie Groening their young son
- A fat, jolly fellow-farmer
- Anton, the foreman of the farmhands
- Otto, a slightly suspect farmhand, maybe a simpleton, maybe more dangerous, and maybe allied with the enemy
From the way Bardelys has treated these introductions, I would guess that Farmer Groening, Mother Groening, Bertie Groening, and Otto will all prove to be major characters. Anton the foreman is probably minor. The fat, jolly farmer may or may not be significant; it’s hard to tell. Oddly enough, the fact that Bardelys does not tell us what this man’s name is has me leaning toward betting that he will be a major character – but I can’t say why I lean that way, for normally the anonymous characters are minor all the way.
Otto has the best introduction. Bardelys shows us what he looks like and what he does before he lets us know what his name is. We wonder about him, along with Hans. And Otto seems ambiguous, and someone to watch out for. He may turn out to be a minor villain, but it seems that he has an important role to play at least in this Dimmerthal part of the tale.
Second to Otto stands Mother Groening’s introduction. She appears as a replacement for the Mother Hans has lost, right down to the smell of her apron. She offers Hans love, and it is only in her presence that he can feel vulnerable and weak. Thus it seems her part here will be to tempt Hans away from the Hero’s path, and encourage his desire to shrink back into childish dependency. We know, if we know anything about stories (and about stories of adventure most of all) that this is a bad thing! The Hero who shrinks from the Call flirts with disaster, and risks losing the entire struggle!
Farmer Groening (and Otto, oddly enough) are offered as replacements for the lost Father. Farmer Groening seems to stand in for the Father who was going to drag Hans against his will into the Black Forest. (And thus maybe Bardelys means the ‘fat, jolly’ farmer to be the other half of the missing Father, the more indulgent father-figure, and a complement to Mother Groening in excusing Hans from joining battle.) Otto might be a Father-replacement only because of the rather odd remark that Hans makes, in comparing the relative ages of Otto and Father. Only Otto is compared to Father at all, and since in all other ways the two are quite unlike, we must wonder. If Bardelys knows his business, this chance remark indicates more such comparisons to come.
(Composed on keyboard Tuesday 11 November 2008)
