Journey to another world

Looking back over all the fantasy I have read in my life time I find it hard to identify one single fantasy novel that does not include some kind of journey. Given that the journey can be seen as having paramount significance in a fantasy novel, establishing why this is so is of foremost importance.

Journey's occur for numerous reasons, not least of which is to accomplish some goal. Without the journey the protagonist will never reach the destination where some sort of confrontation must occur. Tools of some sort must be gathered along the journey, whatever the tools - be it people or items. They are essential to plot development, and allow the author to introduce the strange and unusual in stages rather than just throwing the reader headfirst into a complex and often contradictory universe.

Travelling across the world allows for an intimate knowledge of the geography of the world the writer is trying to make real to the reader. By crossing mountains and lakes we as readers are introduced to the nuances of the landscape, and also the tiny details that make it different from any other. It allows also for strategic planning in relation to wars that will be conducted, it makes the planning seem plausible.

There are other reasons behind the journey. It is not so much a physical journey but a psychological journey. Whilst traversing the countryside the protagonist will face her own demons. She will come face to face with her fears, and come to a realization of what she must do, and how she must change in order to win the day.

The journeyers will be faced with trials, and how the protagonists reacts in each trial, reflects on what to expect from her later. It also gives way for an understanding of the person, why they behave in certain ways and if the way they behave is reflective of their past.

In a lot of cases the main character is young, and during the process of the journey she will grow up, and attain adulthood. This type of novel is typically called a bildungsroman: which is concerned with the intellectual and psychological development of a youth. An example of a bildungsroman would be Tad Williams' The Dragonbone Chair, which follows the growth of Simon, who's learning is important to both him and the reader.

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