Realidad y creación de mundos: Riddley Walker o el mito devaluado

Abstract

All narratives are organized according to a similar structure whose origins are rooted in ancient myths and rites. There are variations in the pattern, which do not affect the original structure, but can be meaningful in the sense that they provide clues for the interpretation of reality as seen by authors and readers. Fantasy fiction has usually been taken as the narrative least connected with reality. This is not so in a great many representatives of the genre, in which a description —often critical— of a segment of reality is to be found behind the fantastic. In Riddlej Walker, the game of fantasy is marked by a fine irony that contributes to show different levels of interpretation. The general air of the novel is that of comicity, but underneath can be found a criticism of the rules governing our present world through the destruction that it has provoked (the action of the novel takes place in the future) and an attempt to show a new way to civilization, represented by the Punch and Judy show and the forsaking of all destructive sciences.