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Keywords
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“Neil Gaiman,” “Coraline,” “Freudian Psychoanalysis”, “Fantasy,” “Other World”.
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Abstract
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Fantasy is considered as a manifestation of our dreams, aspirations, hopes, and fears, fueled by the unconscious and flourishing in narratives within which the unsettling, the disturbing and the incomprehensible can be processed. The fantastical elements and the crossing over from the real world to that of fantasy via thresholds all resemble the act of dreaming, where one's fears or suppressed desires manifest themselves. Dreams allow the individual to reach a better understanding of the dynamics of the unconscious, thus achieving a better sense of self. Suggesting that fantasy functions in a similar fashion in dealing with the unconscious, this research proffers a different reading of a captivating instance of dark fantasy novel, Coraline by Neil Gaiman. Drawing on Freud’s theories about dreams, the unconscious and the uncanny, this study explores the dream-like other world in the novel, postulating that the Other world in Coraline offers the protagonist the possibility of coping with individual crisis.
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