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RIP, Diana Wynne Jones
Mar. 27th, 2011 11:42 am
One of the great novelists of the 20th century has passed on.
More than merely a fantasist, Diana Wynne Jones had a keen grasp of human nature and the dysfunctions that can happen in addition to, not in spite of love. She also taught that one can survive such dysfunctions, even as she showed that story resolutions could be ambiguous as far as happy endings- bittersweet or simply a new phase of life. The young adult genre helped, not hindered her work; it allowed her a format for crisp dialogue and complex personalities, free of the fluff and padding adult novels require. She was absolutely brilliant at conveying exactly the amount of information the reader needed through dialogue and description, allowing readers to exercise their imaginations. Many writers (besides Rowling) owe a debt to her; I know that on rereading many of her novels as an adult part of my brain marvels at and analyzes her perfect, unpretentious style.
Diana Wynne Jones deeply influenced my life and my writing. My future wife and I grew closer as I recommended DWJ books to her. Today my wife was crying as she told me the news-which itself was like an ice-cold dagger through my chest. I wish I could have met her and thanked her in person, but at least I have her books.
For those of you who have not read her works, here's some recommendations:
The Homeward Bounders: a young boy sees what he shouldn't, and is put into The Game, wandering through parallel worlds, trying to find a way home. Possibly one of the best fantasy novels I've ever read.
Howl's Moving Castle: Made into a Miyazaki movie, the novel has far more depth of personality to it. Sophie, aged before her time deals with the notorious wizard Howl.
The Dalemark Quartet: the four novels span the history of Dalemark and it's hidden magic, while also being a meditation on family and the lies and truths behind heroism.
Time of the Ghost: informed by DWJ's own childhood, it speaks of neglectful parents, children surviving as best they can, and the hunger of ancient gods.
Fire and Hemlock: Possibly DWJ's most complex book, following a young woman as she tries to piece together her childhood memories of trying to help a man trapped in a terrible web of magic.
Tough Guide to Fantasyland: in this helpful guidebook for tourists, DWJ merclessly skewers fantasy cliches and tropes, from horses (evidently atomic powered), color coded eyes and hair, the evident lack of an economy for fantasyland, to the omnipresent stew and cloaks.
Dark Lord of Derkholm: Wizard Derk would rather be left in peace with his experiments, but it's his turn to play the Dark Lord. And as he finds out, meeting the expectations of fantasy tour groups isn't good for his family, or the land in general.
More than merely a fantasist, Diana Wynne Jones had a keen grasp of human nature and the dysfunctions that can happen in addition to, not in spite of love. She also taught that one can survive such dysfunctions, even as she showed that story resolutions could be ambiguous as far as happy endings- bittersweet or simply a new phase of life. The young adult genre helped, not hindered her work; it allowed her a format for crisp dialogue and complex personalities, free of the fluff and padding adult novels require. She was absolutely brilliant at conveying exactly the amount of information the reader needed through dialogue and description, allowing readers to exercise their imaginations. Many writers (besides Rowling) owe a debt to her; I know that on rereading many of her novels as an adult part of my brain marvels at and analyzes her perfect, unpretentious style.
Diana Wynne Jones deeply influenced my life and my writing. My future wife and I grew closer as I recommended DWJ books to her. Today my wife was crying as she told me the news-which itself was like an ice-cold dagger through my chest. I wish I could have met her and thanked her in person, but at least I have her books.
For those of you who have not read her works, here's some recommendations:
The Homeward Bounders: a young boy sees what he shouldn't, and is put into The Game, wandering through parallel worlds, trying to find a way home. Possibly one of the best fantasy novels I've ever read.
Howl's Moving Castle: Made into a Miyazaki movie, the novel has far more depth of personality to it. Sophie, aged before her time deals with the notorious wizard Howl.
The Dalemark Quartet: the four novels span the history of Dalemark and it's hidden magic, while also being a meditation on family and the lies and truths behind heroism.
Time of the Ghost: informed by DWJ's own childhood, it speaks of neglectful parents, children surviving as best they can, and the hunger of ancient gods.
Fire and Hemlock: Possibly DWJ's most complex book, following a young woman as she tries to piece together her childhood memories of trying to help a man trapped in a terrible web of magic.
Tough Guide to Fantasyland: in this helpful guidebook for tourists, DWJ merclessly skewers fantasy cliches and tropes, from horses (evidently atomic powered), color coded eyes and hair, the evident lack of an economy for fantasyland, to the omnipresent stew and cloaks.
Dark Lord of Derkholm: Wizard Derk would rather be left in peace with his experiments, but it's his turn to play the Dark Lord. And as he finds out, meeting the expectations of fantasy tour groups isn't good for his family, or the land in general.
