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FANTASTIC GEOGRAPHIES
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PORTFOLIO BY MAIYA LETOURNEAU

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LIST OF FAIRY TALES, FOLK TALES, AND NOVELS FOR PORTFOLIO:!

- A Game of Thrones - GEORGE R.R MARTIN - American Fantasy !

- Alices Adventures in Wonderland - LEWIS CARROLL - British fantasy!
- Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - American Science Fiction !
- East of the Sun and West of the Moon - Norwegian Folk Tale!
- Hansel and Gretel - BROTHERS GRIMM - German Fairy Tale!
- Harry Potter Series - J.K ROWLING - British fantasy series !
- How Glooscap Made the Birds - Native American Folk Tale !
- Little Red Cap - German adaptation !
- Le Petite Chaperon Rouge - French Fairy Tale!
- One Thousand and One Nights - Arabian folk tale !
- Peter Pan - British fantasy novel

- The Lord of the Rings - British Fantasy !

- The Little Mermaid - Hans Christian Anderson - Danish Fairy Tale !
- The Hobbit - British Fantasy !
- The Sun and the Moon - Korean Fairy Tale!
- The Snow Queen - Danish Fairy Tale !
- Snow White - Walt Disney - American Adaptation !
- Vasilissa the Beautiful - Russian adaptation of Cinderella !

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Introduction!

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Literature and Geography are inextricably linked. All stories are

fixed in a given space; a key component of storytelling is providing a

setting for the story to unfold, and often the more connected the
reader feels to the various settings in a story, the stronger their
reaction to the story will be. I have always loved fantasy and science
fiction because although they provide a means of momentary escape from
the real world, they are deeply rooted in reality. The real comfort of
reading a fairy tale therefore comes not from the ability to escape,
but the ability to recognize that many of the struggles we face are
universal. For these reasons, I have chosen to base my portfolio on
the connection between fantastic geography and real-world geography.
Even students who are not fans of fantasy as a genre are likely to
find the vast amount of history and evolving interpretations of these
tales informative and engaging.!
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This portfolio is organized into three parts:!

1) Folk and fairy tales

2) Mapping Fantastic Geographies
3) Fantastic Environments
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Each part contains multiple sections. The first part addresses

primarily fairy and folk tales and is organized into four sections:!

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Section 1: Introduction to folk and fairy tales
Section 2: Mythological creatures
Section 3: Imagined Geographies
Section 4: Nationalism in Fairy Tales

Though fairy and folk tales are not synonymous, most fairy tales have
evolved from old folk tales, and folk tales spring from cultural and
national values. The most well-known fairy tale authors, the Grimm
Brothers, never actually considered themselves to be childrens
authors but were instead patriotic nationalists who believed it was
their duty to collect traditional German folk tales, in the hopes of
doing their part to unite Germany. Other famous fairy tale authors
like Hans Christian Anderson and Charles Perrault set about collecting
fairy tales and rewriting them to make them distinctly Danish or
distinctly French. Even J.R.R Tolkien believed in the power of myth
and folktales to unite a nation, and after World War 2 he sought to
recreate a world that emphasized the values and ideologies of a
forgotten English culture. Indeed, countless essays have been written
about the cultural and national importance of fairy tales. On the one
hand, this portfolio explores how fairy tales celebrate different
cultures, and how students can gain a deeper appreciation for cultures
through a cross-cultural analysis of fairy tales. The portfolio also
contains a section on learning about the origins of different

mythological creatures in fairy and folk tales. On the other hand, the
portfolio explores the dangers of imagined geographies and
nationalistic ideologies, as many fairy tales have had alarming and
treacherous influences on societal ideologies.!
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The second section of this portfolio addresses fantastic cartography.

This part is organized into the following sections:!

1) Cartography
2) Mapping and Storytelling
3) Mapping and Perception
4) Mapping and Political Geography!

Normally, the first page of a fantasy novel provides a map of the

authors imagined world. Mapping the imagined world fixes the world in
time and space, giving the space both meaning and history. These maps
can influence the readers perception of the authors world before
they even begin to read the story. Studying fantastic maps can teach
students aspects of cartography (such as how to incorporate style,
symbols, a legend, etc) but it can also teach students how maps can be
used to navigate a space, how they can apply meaning to a space, how
they can be politically persuasive, and how they can influence the
readers perception of the mapmakers world. !
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Finally, fantasy novels are a fantastic way to teach students how
physical and environmental geography impact peoples behaviour and
vice versa. The environmental part of this portfolio will address the
following sections:!

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1) Environmental awareness/appreciation
2) The Heros Journey !

For one, fantasy novels often explore humanitys connection with

nature. It is no coincidence that most fantasy novels take place in a

world that is largely rural. The exception tends to be dark futuristic
novels that address the terrible impact of urbanization. Many have
said that The Lord of the Rings was written as a rejection to the
Industrial Revolution, while novels like Androids Dream of Electric
Sheep (later adapted for film as Bladerunner) question our humanity
in the face of rapid industrialization. Second, since fantasy novels
are often grounded in rural areas, many of the obstacles they face are
environmental; characters often have to undergo a long journey where
they battle their way over mountains, through forests, and across
deserts. While reading fantasy novels can build an appreciation for
nature and our relationship with nature, studying the environmental
terrains of different fantasy worlds can provide an interesting
framework for studying physical and environmental geography.!

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PART 1 : FAIRY AND FOLK TALES
Section 1: Introduction to folk and fairy tales
Section 2: Mythological creatures
Section 3: Imagined Geographies - Constructing places
Section 4: Nationalism in Fairy Tales

Section 1: Introduction to folk and fairy tales

Why are fairy tales so popular? When you consider that in the past couple of years the
movie theatres have been spewing out films like Malificent, Tangled, Jack the Giant
Slayer, The Red Shoes, The Princess and the Frog, and Hoodwinked, or that Once Upon
a Time is one of the most popular shows on television today, you have to pause and wonder
how stories like Little Red Riding Hood are still being retold four centuries after it was
written. Many have suggested that fairy tales are so popular because their messages are
universal. They address issues that most people experience at least once in their lives, whether it
be fear of loss or abandonment, a search for love, or the weight of growing up, and in doing so
they become relatable everywhere. In the first section of this portfolio, students become familiar
with the most prominent fairy tale authors, as well as popular fairy tales that have been retold
globally. The objective of this section is to learn how different cultures are portrayed and
celebrated in different fairy tales, how the themes addressed in fairy tales often transcend cultural
differences, and to question how fairy tales often build on cultural stereotypes.

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RESOURCES
Books
Little Red Cap
Le petite Chaperon Rouge
Graudant Tigre
Glass Slipper, Gold Scandal
One Thousand and One Nights

Websites
World of Tales: Stories for Children, Folktales Fairy Tales and Fables from Around the World
http://www.worldoftales.com/Chinese_folktales.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWtxeTDBOHw

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Films
Alice in Wonderland
Spirited Away

Essays
A Truth About Fairy Tales behind Japanese Social Reflection and Culture Awakens
HOW RESOURCES CAN BE USED:
BOOKS
Little Red Riding Hood is perhaps one of the most readapted fairy tales of all time. Graudant
Rouge is a Chinese fairy tale that presumably inspired Perrault to write Le Petite Chaperon
Rouge. As the title suggests, Le Petite Chaperon Rouge (Little Red Riding Hood) is a french tale,
and was told as a warning to young ladies to be wary of men pretending to be lords in order to
lure them into bed. The Brothers Grimm readapted the tale, swapping the french red hood for a
red cap, and also changing the ending of the tale to be more suitable for children. These three
renditions of the fairy tale provide a good introduction to showing students how fairy tales have
evolved over time and across cultures. Although small changes are constantly made to fairy tales,
the root of the story essentially stays the same. Students should read these three tales then discuss
with a partner what they noticed about the differences and similarities between all three stories,
and what these differences say about the time and place they were written in.
Glass Slipper, Gold Scandal is a picture book that combines different version of Cinderella from
across the world into one coherent tale. Students can read this story and discuss how different
cultures are celebrated or stereotyped in this story. Students can choose to rewrite their own fairy
tale trying to incorporate different cultures into the story. What types of stereotypes might
emerge? How can we respect and celebrate peoples traditions without stereotyping? While
reading fairy tales from across the globe is a fantastic way to learn about the values and

ideologies of different cultures, they also stereotype other cultures. Disney provides many
examples of how stereotyping like this can be dangerous. Use the example of Arabian nights
from Alladin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqElJnsUvtE) and discuss how the lyrics I
come from a place where they cut of your ears if they dont like your face, its barbaric but hey
its home! is an example of Orientalism.

Website World of Tales

This website lists popular fairy tales from around the world. Students can use this website
to draw comparisons between fairy and folk tales in different cultures. For instance, they can
explore what types of creatures or characters are used in different tales, question whether religion
is more prevalent in certain cultures than others, look at what form the villain usually takes on (is
it a spirit, an old hag, a wicked witch, an evil stepmother) and ask if there are similarities or
differences in the morals of the tales. Students can choose to do a research project on an area and
create a visual presentation on how each culture influences the fairy tale.

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FILM
SPIRITED AWAY

Spirited Away is an award-winning Chinese film about a young girl who is travelling
with her parents when suddenly she enters a magic world full of both good and evil spirits. The
film provides a fascinating look at Chinese folklore but it shares many similarities with Lewis
Carrolls tales of Alice in Wonderland. For instance, both tales are about a young girls journey
to discover and understand her identity, and both address issues surrounding growing up. The
essay A Truth About Fairy Tale behind Japanese Social Reflection and Culture Awakens should
be read along with a viewing of both films, and students should be prepared to draw more
comparisons between both films. The object of this lesson would be to explore Chinese folklore
and to further examine how fairy tales often address issues that transcend multiple cultures. I
chose both of these movies partly because of they are hugely popular films that would likely
attract a grade 12 audience, and because these themes of self identity and growing up are themes
that mature students may be grappling with.

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photo taken from mashable.com

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This is a fan-made map that nicely summarizes how all of these stories celebrate different
cultures while also producing stereotypes. This provides a strong visualization for how fairy tales
are rooted in different cultures, but one interesting question would be to ask students how
westernized all of these fairy tales are when they are Disneyfied. Students can pick their
favorite disney movie from the picture, and the teacher should read to them the original version
of the story to see if it is drastically different from the disney version. Good stories to choose for
this assignment would be Pocahontas, Pinnochio, Frozen (originally the Snow Queen), or the
Little Mermaid, as the original versions of these stories are drastically different from their disney
version.

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Section 2: Folklore characters/Mythological creatures

Resources
Books:
1) The Sorcerers Companion: A Guide to the Magical World of Harry Potter by Allan Sola
Kronzek and Elizabeth Kronzek
2) The Mythical Creatures Bible: Brenda Rosen

Youtube videos:
1) 25 Craziest Mythical Creatures Ever Conceived

2) 25 Mythological Creatures That Never Existed But People Believe In Anyway

Websites:

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1) Ancient Origins: Reconstructing the story of humanitys past http://www.timelessmyths.com/

celtic/faeries.html

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These resources can all be used to further explore how fairy tales are rooted in cultural folk tales.
For instance, students can learn how dragons originated from Chinese folk tales, while Griffins
originated from Ancient Greek mythology. Students can choose their favourite mythological
creature and conduct a research project on where it originated, and how it evolved. An
assignment like this would allow students to look closer at a culture they might otherwise have
little connection to. For instance, students might not know that the ghoul was first mentioned in
the Arabian folk tale One thousand and One Nights. A closer look at the ghoul and its
relevance for Arabian folklore would provide an interesting lens to exam arabian culture. A great
classroom project would be to gather the different places people researched and create a map of
the geographical locations of mythological creatures.

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LIST OF MYTHOLOGICAL CREATURES TO INSPIRE STUDENTS FOR PROJECT:

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SPHYNX - Ancient Egypt
PHOENIX - Ancient Egypt
BANSHEES - Ireland
FAIRIES - The British Isles
CENTAURS - Greek Mythology
GRIFFINS - Greek Mythology
PIXIES - Devon and Cornwall
DRAGONS - European and Chinese origins
THE WEREWOLF - European folklore
FAIRIES - come from the old French word faerie
DOMOVOI (House spirit in Slavic folklore)
DOPPELGNGERS - German

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SECTION 3: IMAGINED GEOGRAPHIES
PART 3: Imagined Geographies: Places and Place-making
Countries and nations are essentially social constructs. We feel like we belong somewhere when
our values and ideologies are shared or accepted by those surrounding us. But boundaries and
nations are not natural phenomenon. In this section students learn how places are socially
constructed, first in fairy tales, folk tales, and fantasy, and then they will begin to connect these
concepts to the real world.

The Enchanted Forest

In fairy tales (and often in longer works of fiction) the forest is a dark, foreboding place where
characters get lost or encounter dangerous creatures. Where did this threatening perception of the
forest originate? Folk tales started off as oral stories that spread throughout the peasantry and
rural villages, where parents would threaten to abandon their children in the forest and leave
them for the wolves if they misbehaved. In stories like Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding
Hood, and Snow White, the forest represents anxiety and a fear of childhood abandonment, but
this fear was arguably created and strengthened by threats and rumours. The forest as dark or
forbidden can arguably be considered an imagined place and can provide a strong framework
for examining how our attitudes towards different places are influenced by societal ideologies.
Students can examine the various representations of the forest in fairy tales and question whether
these representations of the forest reflect their own experiences of being in the woods. They will
also explore places that they fear and question where this fear comes from.

RESOURCES
Books
1) Hansel and Gretel - Brothers Grimm
2) Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone - JK Rowling
3) Orientalism - Edward Said

Youtube Clips:
1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9N-_KmZmV20!
2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ec85tp-M9FY!
3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2zrs7Irzuw!
4) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uQ_3X0bf0c!

* portrayals of the forest as dark in fairy tales

5) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcCwpQkkTSY
* fanmade video of orientalism in film

Song:
James Vincent McMorrow : From the Woods (see lyrics on final page)

Musical:
Into the Woods

How Resources Can be Used:

Hansel and Gretel provides a good example of how the forest often represents a fear of
childhood abandonment in fairy tales. Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone provides an
example of how this fear has carried on all the way to contemporary literature. The youtube clips
I have included show different clips of the forest as it is portrayed in films (Harry Potter, Lord of
the Rings, Snow White, and The Princess Bride). The song From the Woods is a very beautiful,
eerie, dark and violent song about a beast coming out of the woods. The purpose of showing
these different examples of how the forest is portrayed across different forms of media is to show
that we have a very powerful cultural perception of the woods as a dark place, but not all of us
have necessarily had negative experiences in the woods (in fact most of us have probably had
very pleasant experiences going for hikes or walks in the forest). This is a very simple way to
introduce the ways in which our attitudes towards places are influenced by other people, stories,
forms of media, and so on.

The novel Orientalism discusses how the western portrayal of the middle east as a dark, barbaric,
and exotic place, have lead to a socially constructed fear of an eastern alien other. The teacher
can lead a class discussion in which students compare our perception to the forbidden forest to
the western perception of the east. Students can write a reflection on a place that they are afraid
of and explore the different aspects of their lives that have contributed to this fear (is it a fear of
the unknown, have they heard rumours about this place, have they had a negative experience
there, have they heard about it in the news?)

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SECTION 4: NATIONALISM AND XENOPHOBIA IN BROTHERS GRIMM

Resources

Stories
1) Hansel and Gretel
2) Briar Rose
3) Rumplestiltskin
4) A Jew in the Brambles
5) A Good Bargain

Websites
National Geographic
http://www.google.ca/url?
sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=11&sqi=2&ved=0CGIQ1ScwCg&url=http%3A%2F
%2Fwww.nationalgeographic.com%2Fgrimm%2Farticle.html&ei=-aI6VJ3bIcaiyASPoKgDA&usg=AFQjCNGfedftCqxZ3ilpnvJxG3SN3a5TVg!

Essays
1) Phantoms of Romantic Nationalism in Folkloristics!

QUOTE: The argument focuses on how folkloristic thinking has encouraged nationalistic
movements, and on how folklorists might begin to think about a new politics of culture, one
based on pluralists rather than nationalist perspectives (Abstract) !
Grimm and Grimmer: Hansel and Gretel and Fairy Tale Nationalism!
This essay questions the influence fairy tales can have on nationalist ideologies!

2) Folklore and Nationalism in Europe During the Long Nineteenth Century !

3) Creating a Mythological Identity for England!
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngbeyond/rings/myth.html!
QUOTE: Tolkien created the mythology and history of Middle-earth to serve as the poetic
legend he felt his homeland, England, lacked.!

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HOW RESOURCES CAN BE USED !
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Many theorists have suggested that the Grimm fairy tales convey a degree of
xenophobia, anti-semitism, and nationalist ideologies. Xenophobia is particularly prevalent in
Hansel and Gretel, Briar Rose, and Rumplestiltskin, where the villain always takes the form of
an alien foreigner that does not belong to the family or nation of the hero. All of the essays that
have been included in this section discuss how the Grimm fairy tales express xenophobia and
anti-semitism. A Jew in the Brambles, as one can guess from the title, is a clear example of antiSemitic attitudes, and in A Good Bargain a Jew who is portrayed as greedy is hung for stealing.
This section deals with a much darker side of fairy tales, but provides an important framework
for understanding how nationalism can be dangerous and can create discrimination or
alienation. A good exercise would be to have students read these essays (I found Grimm and
Grimmer to be the most informative essay of the list) and to hold a class discussion where
students question what nationalism is, how it can be seen in a positive way, and what the

dangers associated with nationalism might be. Students can then analyze one of the stories
listed and write a short reflection on which aspects of the fairy tale express nationalist
ideologies. If students are studying Shakespeare at the same time, it could be a good idea for
them to relate xenophobia in the Grimm tales to xenophobia in Othello, Titus Andronicus, or The
Merchant of Venice.!

QUOTE FROM ARTICLES FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION: Jacob and Wilhelm viewed
themselves as patriotic folklorists, not as entertainers of children. They began their work at a
time when Germany, a messy patchwork of fiefdoms and principalities, had been overrun by the
French under Napoleon. The new rulers were intent on suppressing local culture. As young,
workaholic scholars, single and sharing a cramped flat, the Brothers Grimm undertook the fairytale collection with the goal of saving the endangered oral tradition of Germany (from http://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brothers_Grimm)!
Although Wikipedia is not a reliable source, this article provides a good foundation for doing
further research and introduces a perspective examining the Brothers Grimm that I would not
have thought to examine, so I have included it in the portfolio. !

QUOTE: The brothers strongly believed the dream of national unity and independence relied
on a full knowledge of the cultural past that was reflected in folklore.[36] They worked to
discover and crystallize a kind of Germanness in the stories they collected because they
believed that folklore contained kernels of ancient mythologies and beliefs, crucial to
understanding the essence of German culture,[15] and by examining culture from a philological
point-of-view they sought to establish connections between German law, culture and local
beliefs.[35]!

QUOTE: The Grimms considered the tales to have origins in traditional Germanic folklore,
which they thought had been "contaminated" by later literary tradition.[15] In the shift from the
oral tradition to the printed book, tales were translated from regional dialects to Standard
German (Hochdeutsch or High German),[37] however, over the course of the many
modifications and revisions, the Grimms sought to reintroduce regionalisms, dialects and Low
German to the talesto re-introduce the language of the original form of the oral tale.[38]!

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PART 2: MAPPING
1) Cartography
2) Mapping and Storytelling
3) Mapping and Perception
4) Mapping and Political Geography

WHY STUDY MAPS? !

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Maps can be useful tools for navigating through space but maps can have political
importance as well, and can tell us a lot about the values and ideologies of the mapmaker. In
fantasy novels, many authors make maps for the worlds they have created, and the decisions
they make about the style and content of their maps can inform the readers perception of the
imagined world. For instance, the style of J.R.R Tolkeins map of Middle Earth immediately
transports the reader back in time, perhaps because it looks to be drawn or painted by hand
rather than created digitally through a GIS mapping system. In Harry Potter, the Mauraders
map gives Harry a lot of political power because it enables him to defy his teachers and sneak
out of school through the hidden passageways listed on the map. In this section students can
learn about the many uses and impacts of maps. This includes learning about the navigational
and informative uses of a map and the potential for maps to be politically persuasive. !
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Section 1) Cartography!
This does not necessarily need to be a lesson on GIS or mapping, but geography students
should be aware of the various uses of a map as well as the social and/or political impacts maps
can have. !
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Resources !
Books!
1) Dyanna Wynn Jones : The Tough Guide to Fantasyland !

Boardgames!
1) Lord of the Rings Risk!
2) A Game of Thrones !

Websites !
GIS LOUNGE http://www.gislounge.com/whats-in-a-map/!

Dyanna Wynn Jones book talks about the necessity for fantasy novelists to create maps of their
world in order to help the reader navigate their way through the story, and in order to make the
imagined place more concrete. The boardgames offer a fun and interactive way for students to
familiarize themselves with fantasy maps. These boardgames have everything that a map

should include (a title, legend, compass, and scale) and would be a fun way for students to
become familiar with the elements of a map. !

Website !
Section 2) MAPPING AND STORYTELLING !
RESOURCES http://www.geog.ubc.ca/geob-472-cartography-game-of-thrones/!

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Teachers can use this resource to
inspire students to make their
own story map of a novel they are
struggling with or one they are
passionate about and want to
explain to others in a visual way.
This assignment would show
students how maps can be useful
tools for navigation. It would also
generate more enthusiasm for
cartography, and could show
students how interdisciplinary
Geography is.

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MAPS AND PLACE-MAKING !

The map on the left is a road map of Washington, while the one on the right is a map of
Washington in the style of a map of Middle Earth. These maps show the power of representation
maps have. Although both maps show the same space, they provide two entirely different
representations of this space: the map of on the left shows a representation of a very urban,
organized space while the map on the right represents a more natural, mountainous region.

Students can use these materials to do a map-making activity where they create a map keeping in
mind how they want the place to be perceived by whoever is reading the map. For instance, they
can choose to create a map of their school and highlight their favourite places in bright colours,
while using darker colours for their least favourite place. What effect would this have on the
person reading the map? Would they avoid the darker areas and be attracted to the brighter areas?
This activity would teach students how maps can be manipulated to reflect the cartographers
attitude towards a place.

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Section 3) Mapping and Perception (see final page for a list of where the maps are from)!
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Another aspect of mapping is that maps can inform our perception of place. When we
see a map at the beginning of a novel, we create a visual for the authors world in our heads.

This world we imagine is strongly influenced by the authors image of his world. The above
maps can be shown to give students an idea of how this is achieved. !
Without knowing anything about these places, what assumptions or predictions can we make
about them? Are they rooted in modern times, in the past, or the future? Are they rural or urban?
Are they on land, in the sea, or in the sky? Is the land segregated by borders and different
nations, or is it united? Are certain areas at a greater disadvantage than others (are they

isolated, cut off from water, surrounded by mountains?) Are there varying terrains that the
characters will have to navigate? Is it obvious where the good characters dwell versus where
the evil characters live? In other words, how does the author influence our understanding or
expectation of the story without actually saying anything?!

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SECTION 4) MAPS AND POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY !

RESOURCES: !
Essays !
1) ON THE MARAUDERS MAP: THE POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY OF HARRY POTTER!

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Videos!
1) JANE JACOBS VS ROBERT MOSES: URBAN FIGHT OF THE CENTURY http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUeuQT6t7kg!

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Abstract for On the Marauders Map: !
In interviews about the composition of her Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling has said that the
geography of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was her first focus. That's no
surprise, since the books' places are just as captivating as their characters. The landscape of
Rowling's wizard world defines the power relationships and political associations allowed its
residents. For instance, Hogwarts is a place where - since doors and stairways and rooms move
around unpredictably - the youngest children have equal navigational footing to the most
experienced teachers. There's a fundamental equality, then, inherent in wizard geography that
doesn't exist in the non-magical "muggle" realm. This paper argues that by comparison with the
familiar geography of our own experience, Rowling's magical landscape offers an alternative
political vision - it is a place designed so that political success comes from friendships more
than monetary or physical or hereditary advantage, so that equity is more a reality than a word
or an aspiration, so that knowledge of the past is the only way to rescue the future. Rowling's
wizard territories de-emphasize real-world understandings of political life, and they construct,
literally, another option - an option that challenges our own political landscape.!

You can pose this question to your students for a group discussion: How does the landscape of
your school define power relationships and political associations? !

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Abstract for JANE JACOBS VS ROBERT MOSES !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUeuQT6t7kg !
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Abstract: This video looks at a section of a documentary about two well known urban
geographers who had very different values and visions for how society should function. Robert
Moses believed that New York needed to cater to traffic; he tore down buildings, displaced
hundreds of people, and built a huge bridge through New York that had devastating
consequences on the neighbourhoods that once occupied the area. Jane Jacobs had a different
vision and believed that cities needed to be built for people and relationships. In other words,
she believed that people needed to be brought back onto the streets, and needed to come
before cars. Both urban planners exemplify how space can be manipulated to achieve their own
visions for how society should run. !

ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS !
Students should read the Harry Potter essay first and have a class discussion about the
reading. After discussing the reading, the teacher should ask students if they can think of a
place that has recently undergone construction. They should think about what the purpose of
the construction was, and whether they think these aims were achieved. Next, the teacher
should show students the documentary. Ask students to work with a partner to compare the
reading with the documentary. Then the teacher can ask students to think of a place that they
would like to change and why. Alternatively, the teacher can provide the place and ask the
students what changes they would make. For instance, you could ask what alterations could
be made to the school in order to make social/political changes. Perhaps students feel that
there school is very cliquey and segregated - what geographical changes could be made to
the school to change this? Teachers can give students a mini-project where they collect the
maps/blueprints for a space and make alterations to the blueprint and discuss how the
changes they made will impact the ways in which the space is used. !

Have students cut out a map and rearrange it and discuss how the rearrangement would
change their day-to-day life. Perhaps theyve chosen to reorganize the layout of their home so
that the kitchen was now the centre of the home rather than the living room. Maybe this would
encourage their family to spend more time in the kitchen cooking and eating and less time on
the couch or in front of the television. !

Have students rearrange a map from a fantasy novel of their choice. How would changing the
map effect the plot of the story? !

!
PART 3: ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS / APPRECIATION !
!

An important aspect of geography is learning how to appreciate and take care of the
environment. Fantasy and science fiction novels have a way of building an appreciation for
nature without lecturing, reprimanding or boring the reader. The object of this section is not to
teach students specific aspects of environmental sciences, but to build an awareness and
appreciation for our relationship with the environment.
!

Books!
1) Dune!

Dune raises the question of whether humans should exercise their power to manipulate the
environment, but lack of opposition from any character in the novel leaves no firm
conclusion. (Sparknotes)

2) The Lost Years of Merlin !

As the wind swelled, my tree started to sway. Almost like a human body it swung back and
around, gently at first, then more and more wildly. While the swaying intensified, so did my fears
that the trunk might snap and hurl me to the ground. But in time my confidence returned.
Amazed at how the tree could be at once so flexible and so sturdy, I held on tight as it bent and
waved, twisted and swirled, slicing curves and arcs through the air. With each graceful swing, I
felt less a creature of the land and more a part of the wind itself.!
"The rain began falling, it's sound merging with the splashing river and the singing trees.
Branches streamed like waterfalls of green. Tiny rivers cascaded down every trunk, twisting
through moss meadows and bark canyons. All the while, I rode out the gale. I could not have felt
wetter. I could not have felt freer.!
"When, at last, the storm subsided, the entire world seemed newly born. Sunbeams danced on
rain-washed leaves. Curling columns of mist rose from every glade. The forest's colors shown
more vivid, its smells struck more fresh. And I understood, for the first time in my life, that the
Earth was always being remade, that life was always being renewed.!
T.A. Barron, The Lost Years !
3) The Lorax !
Videos !

1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hcWjl1ATuY - a student made mockmuntary on how

Lord of the Rings connects to the Industrial Revolution - fun and engaging video that can inspire
students to make their own mockmumentary. Students can make a mock Planet Earth
Documentary using their favourite fantasy or science fiction film for inspiration.

Bladerunner: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-qLglKXme8!
Lord of the Rings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOomDInRR1o!
!
These two videos show completely opposing perceptions of the state of the world. The
Bladerunner depicts an apocalyptic vision of the future. Students can analyze how LA is
perceived in the future. Specific things to note are:!

!-

congestion!

- pollution!
- multiculturalism !
- money (technological advancements) !

Is this a realistic portrayal of the future? Why or why not? Are we heading in this direction or
away from it?!

The second video shows a landscape montage from the Lord of the Rings. What types of things
did J.R.R Tolkien seem to value when he created Middle Earth? What were the inhabitants of
middle earth trying to protect? Does our world look anything like this? !

The objective of this lesson is not necessarily to teach specific aspects of environmental science
but to build an awareness of how urbanization effects the environment, and to build an interest
and appreciation for the environment. Other questions that the teacher can ask include: !

Have you ever had an experience where you felt strongly connected to nature? !
Are we ever really immersed in nature, or has society become too urbanized?!
Do you prefer living in an urban area or in the wilderness? What does the wilderness mean to
you?!

Ask students to draw (or write about) an ideal neighbourhood, keeping in mind what they liked
or disliked about the environments depicted in the videos. What would their neighbourhood look
like? Would it be mostly rural or mostly urban? Could it have a good balance of both? How
would their day to day lives be effected?!

SECTION 2: THE HEROS JOURNEY !

* This would be an excellent section to wrap up a fantasy-themed geography class. In this

section, students will analyze the heros journey and how it is used in almost all works of
fantasy. They can then create their own short story, using all of the elements of the heros
journey, and as a final project they can create a map (a story map or a geographical map) to go
at the front of their story.

Resources: !
Books!

1)
2)
3)
4)

The Hobbit
Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone
Matilda
The Writers Journey: Mythic Structures for Writers

For this section I chose books that exemplify a strong structure for the heros journey. All of
these novels very clearly follow the steps to a Heros Journey, as outlined in the final book on the
list, The Writers Journey: Mythic Structures for Writers. The Heros Journey is as follows:

1) The Ordinary World- the hero is seen in his/her everyday life!

2) The Call to Adventure- the initiating incident of the story!

3) Refusal of the Call- the hero experiences some hesitation to answer the call!
4) Meeting with the Mentor- the hero gains the supplies, knowledge, and confidence needed to
commence the adventure!
5) Crossing the First Threshold- the hero commits wholeheartedly to the adventure!
6) Tests, Allies and Enemies- the hero explores the special world, faces trial, and makes friends
and enemies!
7) Approach to the Innermost Cave- the hero nears the centre of the story and the special world!
8) The Ordeal- the hero faces the greatest challenge yet and experiences death and rebirth!
9) Reward- the hero experiences the consequences of surviving death!
10) The Road Back- the hero returns to the ordinary world or continues to an ultimate
destination!
11) The Resurrection- the hero experiences a final moment of death and rebirth so they are pure
when they reenter the ordinary world!
12) Return with the Elixir- the hero returns with something to improve the ordinary world!

!
Students should read one of the books on the list (or may choose their own if they wish) and
briefly indicate which part of the story falls under which category. This will help them recognize
how the steps apply to novels. Then students should create their own fairy tale or short fantasy
story in which they include all of the steps of the heros journey. Before beginning their story,
students should create a map outlining the world the hero will occupy, being mindful of the
types of landscapes the hero will have to cross in order to complete his task. !

!
!
!
!
!
!

MUSIC LYRICS FROM JAMES VINCENT MCMORROWS FROM THE WOODS (pg 14)
From the woods, from the woods
They are coming from the woods

Riding horses cloaked in gray

Make their way, to my door
Lay their boots upon the floor
Wash their hands and start to pray
But I am gone, I am not there
I have followed mountain bears
To a cave of deepest home
Now I wait, by the mouth
As the smoke it flushes out
Then I'll slowly drag one home

!
!

All these things are ever lost

Stillness has brought my love to cost
From the woods, from the woods
Once a vision from the woods
At a point between two tracks
Bound by tape, and by wire
Bruised and beaten in the fire
So the metals faded black
Newer ropes, stronger nets
Have us plumbing further depths
For the wolves we'll never be
Should we go, would we die
If the weight it was to slide
Drag our secrets to the sea

!
!

All these things are ever lost

Stillness has brought my love to cost
And I taste the sulfur on my breath
And I see the blood pool on the step
The moon so thick, the wounds so fresh
And all is well...

From the woods, from the woods,

They are coming from the woods! (Ahhh)
[x6]

!
!

MAPS FROM PAGE 20

map 1 - Star Wars - The Galaxy
map 2 - The Hobbit - Middle Earth
map 3 - The Princess Bride - Florian
map 4 - Peter Pan - Neverland
map 5 - The Lost Years of Merlin - The Isle of Fincayra
map 6 - A Game of Thrones - Westeros

!
!
!

CONCLUSION !
!

Not everybody loves fairy tales, but a fairy tale is something that everyone can identify

with. Moreover, fairy tales, fantasy novels, and science fiction novels are all deeply rooted in
place, whether they are linked to real places, moments in history, or in an imagined world that
has been influenced by reality. These stories address universal themes, making them the
perfect framework for studying global relationships. Yet while fairy tales can celebrate and
express the values and ideologies of a culture, they can also create misleading stereotypes or
alienate other cultures. !
!

Fantasy novels in particular provide a fun and engaging framework for studying map-

making, and can broaden a students understanding of the political power of maps. By studying
the maps of fantastic geographies, students can gain a deeper understanding of how maps can
influence our perception of a place and can understand how changing or manipulating a space
will effect those who occupy that space. !
!

Finally, fantasy and science fiction novels are deeply concerned with humankinds

relationship with the environment. By highlighting the ways in which the environment is
portrayed in an ideal world, we can perhaps gain a stronger understanding of how we should be
organizing, planning, and taking care of our own world.!

!
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