I am currently reading "The Boxes" and "The Ordinary World" is pretty unique...
The actual ordinary world is sustained throughout the book (somewhat). The boxes are the "key" to the fantastical world. In fact the character has a very stressful family life... REALLY STRESSFUL http://www.ciprianginghina.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/stress-relief-2.jpg
So the main character's life isn't exactly exciting, far from it. But these boxes are an element of excitement in her life. She doesn't actually leave or "go" anywhere. All that happens is the boxes get opened and all hell breaks loose, but the main character doesn't leave what was previously her "Ordinary World". This is a surprisingly different spin on the journey that . Most "Journey" motifs involve the character going somewhere (even if it's just a dimension that exists within their world). It could be looked at in the way that her ordinary goes away from her. Her ordinary world is changed by these creatures. A very drastic change from the motif and yet it follows the motif so beautifully that there is no question on whether or not it is, in fact, a journey.
Hey Josh! I like your observation that the story never seems to leave the physical ordinary world, but that a new special world within the ordinary world opens up with the boxes. Indeed, old myths following the Journey archetype tend to take the "Journey" pretty literally: there's Odysseus and the Odyssey, Jason and his quest for the Golden Fleece, and Perseus's mission to go and slay Medusa. They all involve literally travelling. Modern stories often leave this motif-within-a-motif behind, focusing on a mental special world, like your book does.
ReplyDeleteOne thing, though. You use "actually" three times and "actual" an additional time. Search for synonyms or consider taking them out.
Also, there's a typo: "It's could be looked at in the way..." As I'm sure you realize after reading this, the "It's" should be "It".