Where Seven-League Boots and Cloaks of Invisibility Really Exist
Diana Wynne Jones once admitted that writing was her means of escape from insanity. You may beg to disagree, citing Virginia Woolf. But the Londoner wrote fantasy novels and Children's books throughout her career. She thought of Edwardian society practicing magic. It would seem hard to believe, but Jones wasn't stretching her imagination. King Edward VII, the eldest child of Queen Victoria, saw the womenfolk becoming a political entity during his reign. Traveling was a fashionable thing to do. It wasn't a surprise that Adventure fiction became prominent during this period. What about magic?
Magic defined Medieval literature, with Arthurian romance standing out. But Jones wasn't thinking about this episode in English literature. She had fairy tales in mind, the dark stories that the Brothers Grimm made known to the world. The Chrestomanci series was her most memorable work, where a parallel world existed along ours. A king ruled a land, not so different from England, who must deal with wizards and witches.
The wizard, his castle, and a molded hat
"It is quite a misfortune to be born the eldest of three. Everyone knows you are the one who will fail first, and worst, if the three of you set out to see your fortunes."
Hayao Miyazaki adapted "Howl's Moving Castle" to the big screen in 2004. The filmmaker, who put Ghibli Studio on the world map, placed his trademark into a familiar English tale. And he somehow succeeded. (Nature was a major theme in Miyazaki's works, which Jones would relate.) But "Howl's Moving Castle" was set in Ingary. The inhabitants could see the moor from the distance. Emily Brontë might not like it, as she was rather emotional about the landscape. She saw its brooding nature, reminding her of her siblings. Jones might be thinking of the same thing, but she had younger readers in mind.
Sophie Hatter, dutiful daughter and caring sister, wondered if there was something more interesting than working in the ladies' hat shop. The residents of Market Chipping were fearful of the Witch of the Waste, who wasn't seen for decades. And then there was a moving castle in the moor, where a wizard named Howl lived. The girls were warned not to go near the place, as they described Howl as the reincarnation of Blackbeard. But Sophie saw differently.
It was too late for anger management
May Day was a huge event in Market Chipping, where the ladies were at their stunning best. It meant more orders to the shop, which turned Sophie into a jaded teenager. She vented out her frustration, and the Witch of the Waste came unexpectedly. She cursed the poor girl after being offended by the tone of her voice. The young lady became an old woman. This was her chance to leave the shop, which she should have done years before. And she didn't see any reason not to avoid the castle. A frail woman made a bargain with the wizard.
If you remember your fairy tales, then it's not difficult to figure out the series of events. And it would be better not to reveal it. Let's enumerate the morals of the story, though. Life is what you make of it. You'll never know until you'll find out. And every cloud has a silver lining. You wonder if Jones had "Beauty and the Beast" in mind. It depends on your imagination.
