Genres in Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson & the Olympians Series

master's thesis

• Author: Marija Paljuši
• Mentor: Smiljana Narančić-Kovač (mentor)
• Mentor: Nikola Novaković (sumentor)
• Committee member: Ivana Milković (predsjednik povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Smiljana Narančić-Kovač (član povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Nikola Novaković (član povjerenstva)
• Granter: University of Zagreb; Faculty of Teacher Education; Zagreb
• Defense date and country: 2022-07-08, Croatia
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: HUMANISTIC SCIENCES; Philology; Comparative Literature

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to identify the genres which Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson & the Olympians (2005-2009), a series of five novels (Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (2005), Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters (2006), Percy Jackson and the Titan’s Curse (2007), Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth (2008), Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian (2009)) incorporates, and to ascertain to what extent individual genres are represented in the series. The thesis distinguishes six genres as the most prominent in the novels: the family story, the school story, Bildungsroman, myth, fantasy and the adventure story. Each of these genres will be examined and viewed in the context of the series. The family and the school story, as well as Bildungsroman, are manifested in some aspects of the series. The three genres have many more attributes which cannot be detected as significant. However, as is stated in this thesis, there is no need for every attribute to be incorporated into the story for it to establish relationships with a certain genre. Three other genres, myth, fantasy and the adventure story genre, are prominent in Riordan’s series. The myths that Riordan uses in his novels are those of Greek gods and heroes and mythological creatures such as the Medusa, Calypso and Polyphemus. Fantasy, a genre closely associated with myth, is divided into numerous categories, and Rick Riordan’s works reflect some of them. The series is recognized as a work that falls within the category of mixed fantasy, more specifically journey fantasy, and within the category of heroic-ethical fantasy. This thesis shows that Rick Riordan largely based his novels on myth, thus creating a modern-day mythological fantasy amply interwoven with elements of the adventure story.

Abstract (croatian)

Cilj ovog diplomskog rada je razlučiti kojim žanrovima pripada serijal Ricka Riordana Percy Jackson & the Olympians (2005-2009) (Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (2005), Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters (2006), Percy Jackson and the Titan’s Curse (2007), Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth (2008), Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian (2009)) te u kojoj su mjeri tradicionalni žanrovi dječje književnosti i druge književne vrste uočljive u serijalu. U navedenim je romanima prepoznato šest najzastupljenijih žanrova i vrsta: obiteljska priča, školska priča, Bildungsroman, mit, fantastika i pustolovna priča. Neki od njih, poput žanra obiteljske i školske priče, zajedno s Bildungsromanom, očituju se samo u nekim aspektima romana. Navedena tri žanra imaju brojne karakteristike koje se ne mogu pronaći u Riordanovu serijalu. No, kako ovaj diplomski rad i zaključuje, ne moraju sve karakteristike nekoga žanra biti zastupljene u djelu kako bi mu to djelo pripadalo. Nadalje, tri preostala žanra, mit, fantastika i pustolovna priča također su istaknuti u serijalu. Mitovi koje Riordan koristi vezani su uz grčke bogove i mitološka stvorenja kao što su Meduza, Kalipso i Polifem. Fantastika, žanr koji je usko povezan s mitom, dijeli se na brojne podkategorije, a djela Ricka Riordana mogu se povezati s nekima od njih. Primjerice, to su kategorije mješovite fantastike koja uključuje fantastiku putovanja, te tzv. kategorija herojsko-etičke fantastike. Ovaj diplomski rad pokazuje da je Rick Riordan romane o Percyju Jacksonu temeljio na mitu te da je time stvorio modernu mitološku, fantastičnu i pustolovnu priču.

• Keywords: school story; family story/domestic tale; Bildungsroman; myth; fantasy; adventure story
• Keywords (croatian): školska priča; obiteljska priča; Bildungsroman; mit; fantastika; pustolovna priča
• Language: english
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:147:152292
• Study programme: Title: Integrated undergraduated university study with english language and german language; specializations in: English language, Deutsche sprache; Course: English language; Study programme type: university; Study level: integrated undergraduate and graduate; Academic / professional title: magistar/magistra primarnog obrazovanja (magistar/magistra primarnog obrazovanja)
• Type of resource: Text
• File origin: Born digital
• Access conditions: Open access
• Created on: 2022-07-25 11:04:55