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The Hollow Kingdom by Clare B. Dunkle
Oct. 11th, 2009 09:27 amWhen I was 18, I saw this movie. It was about 12 years old and featured an extremely young Jennifer Connelly, singing and dancing muppets created by Wendy and Brian Froud, and David Bowie in a pair of pants so tight that they have their own fandom. In it, a rather silly and naïve young girl named Sarah foolishly wishes for her brother to be taken away by goblins, and he is. Jareth, the Goblin King, is in love with Sarah for some strange reason, and tells her she can have her brother back if she passes a test of the heroic quest sort. She takes the test, has adventures, makes friends, grows up, discovers her inner awesomeness, and in the climax, she basically says “Well yes, those pants are rather amazing and all, and I do love my daydreams, but screw you and your ever-so-appealing Other-ness you have no power over me. Whether it was “real” or a dream she had, there was more power in that scene than a lot of movies can dream of. I’ve always thought the ending was awesome, myself, but I understand that 19 out of 20 women who watch it between the ages of 13 and 18 are eternally devastated by it, which I rather get, even if it wasn’t my reaction.
Now, I wouldn’t go so far as to say The Hollow Kingdom began life as the AU historical fanfic of a frustrated Labyrinth fan (ok, except for the bit with the talking door) but I did spend a lot of the book thinking “I liked this better with the dancing muppets.”
Kate and her sister, Emily, move to Hallow Hill after the deaths of their parents to live with their elderly aunts. Their uncle and guardian hates them, and when they get lost in the woods, they’re guided home by a hooded name named Marak. Marak is the Goblin King, and soon declares that he has chosen Kate as his bride. Kate says no. He doesn’t really care.
The Abducted Bride trope can be interesting in the mythic sense, but Dunkle’s take on it falls more on the “romantic” Stockholm Syndrome side. Marak holds all the power in their relationship, and it’s Kate who makes all the adjustments and concessions. And the “marriage ceremony” not only completely strips Kate of her independence, but also makes her a slave in almost every possible way.
Despite the problems, the overall plotline is interesting, though both Kate and Marak remain more character types than characters, and I suspect I’d like Dunkle more with a different story. But, really, what's interesting in it is also interesting in other things, and I could always, say, rewatch Labyrinth and not deal with icky and/or enraging aspects.
Now, I wouldn’t go so far as to say The Hollow Kingdom began life as the AU historical fanfic of a frustrated Labyrinth fan (ok, except for the bit with the talking door) but I did spend a lot of the book thinking “I liked this better with the dancing muppets.”
Kate and her sister, Emily, move to Hallow Hill after the deaths of their parents to live with their elderly aunts. Their uncle and guardian hates them, and when they get lost in the woods, they’re guided home by a hooded name named Marak. Marak is the Goblin King, and soon declares that he has chosen Kate as his bride. Kate says no. He doesn’t really care.
The Abducted Bride trope can be interesting in the mythic sense, but Dunkle’s take on it falls more on the “romantic” Stockholm Syndrome side. Marak holds all the power in their relationship, and it’s Kate who makes all the adjustments and concessions. And the “marriage ceremony” not only completely strips Kate of her independence, but also makes her a slave in almost every possible way.
Despite the problems, the overall plotline is interesting, though both Kate and Marak remain more character types than characters, and I suspect I’d like Dunkle more with a different story. But, really, what's interesting in it is also interesting in other things, and I could always, say, rewatch Labyrinth and not deal with icky and/or enraging aspects.
