Female liberation, male fear and witches in children’s fantasy literature

Abstract

This project investigates the presentation of male fear through villainous female witches in children's fantasy stories who emblematize various aspects of female liberation. Through stories by C.S. Lewis, Roald Dahl and Neil Gaiman, this paper traces the preservation of Early Modern witch beliefs in contemporary texts and how these beliefs lend themselves to modern anxieties over women gaining personal autonomy in a patriarchally organized social system. By delineating how children's fantasy literature appeals to young readers and disguises harmful ideological standpoints, close analysis of the aforementioned authors' narratives reveal how the male creation of irredeemable female villains transmits adult stereotypes and biases to child readers.