The Neverending Story
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The Neverending Story (in German Die Unendliche Geschichte) is a fantasy novel by Michael Ende, first published in Germany in 1979. The standard English translation, by Ralph Manheim, was first published in 1983 as The Neverending Story. The novel was later adapted into several films.
Plot summary
The book centres on a boy, Bastian Balthazar Bux, who steals a book called The Neverending Story from a small antique bookstore. Bastian is initially presented as part of a frame tale in which he is merely the enthralled reader of the stolen book — an adventure story about the land of Fantastica[#endnote_Ende], the realm in which all human fantasies and stories are played out. As the book progresses, however, it becomes clear that some of the inhabitants of Fantastica are aware of Bastian, and that he is the key to the success of the quest about which he is reading. Halfway through the book, he enters Fantastica himself, and begins to take an active role in events there. Thus, for any avid reader, a large part of the appeal of the book is the way it dramatizes the experience of being "caught up" in a story.The first half of the book, while rich in images and characters, comprises a fairly conventional quest-adventure fairy tale. The second half, however, introduces a number of psychologically rich themes, as Bastian comes to terms with his selfhood, faces his dark side, and moves toward maturity in a world shaped by his wishes.
The overall theme of the book is the healing power of imagination, as represented by the way in which the world of Fantasia and the real world are presented as each vital to the other's survival. Each half of the book can also be viewed as an exemple of the Hero's Journey story outline.
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
The NeverEnding Story was the first film adaptation of the novel. It was released in 1984, directed by Wolfgang Petersen and starring Barret Oliver (as Bastian), Noah Hathaway (as Atreyu), and Tami Stronach (as the Childlike Empress). It covered only the first half of the book, ending at the point where Bastian enters Fantasia. Ende himself said he was sorely disappointed with the film.
, directed by George T. Miller and starring Jonathan Brandis, was released in 1990. It used a number of plot elements from the second half of Ende's novel, but told an essentially new tale.
The NeverEnding Story III, starring Jason James Richter, Melody Kay and Jack Black, was released in 1994. This film was based only upon the characters from the Ende book, with a completely new story.
The Neverending Story has also inspired two television series. The 1996 animated series was focused on Bastian's further adventures in Fantasia (not the same as his further adventures in the book), while the live-action Tales from the Neverending Story re-told the whole story as an ongoing series lasting 13 episodes.
The Neverending Story has also been adapted to the dramatic play, ballet, and operatic mediums in Germany. The scores to both the opera and the ballet versions were composed by Siegfried Matthus.
Trivia
- The original German novel, along with early English publications, utilized two font colors: red indicates scenes that take place in the real world, and green is for scenes in Fantastica.
- Each of the twenty-six chapters begins with a different letter of the alphabet in order, in other words the first chapter begins with the letter A, the second with B, and so on. The German subtitle of the book is Die unendliche Geschichte: Von A bis Z, literally "The Neverending Story: From A through Z." The introduction does not follow this format, instead starting with the mirror image of the bookstore window.
- The first letter of each chapter is featured in an image drawn in red and green ink by Roswitha Quadflieg. These images also depict characters and events that are featured in the chapter they introduce.
- Partway through the book, it breaks the fourth wall when The Childlike Empress orders the book to be read 'from the beginning'. A jumbled sentence is read - skooB dlO rednaeroC darnoC lraC, which makes no sense to Bastian at all. However, if you read the first page, and notice what is being read, it makes perfect, almost humorous sense... They're reading the mirrored text on the first page of YOUR book, but forgetting to reverse it!
Footnotes
- ↑ The English translation of the book calls the magic land "Fantastica," although "Fantasia" is a closer translation of the original German name (Phantásien). The film and television adaptations all use "Fantasia."
- ↑ The German word "Phantasien" simply means "fantasies" in English. Thus the name of the country, although pronounced with the stress on a different syllable than in the 'normal' word, means something to the effect of "The Land of Fantasies". Other German names for the characters include:
- Atreju = Atreyu
- Fuchur = Falkor
- Die Kindliche Kaiserin = The Childlike Empress
- Mondenkind = Moon Child
External links
- [Tales from the Neverending Story] by [Muse Entertainment Enterprises, Inc].
- [The Neverending Story fansite]
- [Neverending Story Pictures and Video Clips] - Includes information about the book and films
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