Oändliga möjligheter i en begränsad karneval : En analys av barnets makt i Michael Endes roman Den oändliga historien

Sammanfattning: There has always been some sort of power struggle between children and adults in children’s literature. My essay is an analysis of the German children’s fantasy novel The Neverending Story (swe. Den oändliga historien, ger. Die unendliche Geschichte) with focus on the child’s power and power related relationships between the child and adults. The power dynamics play a large part in the novel that is rarely, or never, talked about. I will use a close reading analysis regarding the main character Bastian’s relationship to different adult characters, his journey to power, how the novel fits Bachtin’s carnival theory and the true ruler of Bastian’s world as well as the world of Fantastica (swe. Fantásien, ger. Phantásien). The study shows among other things that while Bastian gains power throughout the novel, he is somewhat punished for using that power and ultimately loses it. He is subordinate to the adults around him; however, holds some sort of power over them at different points in the novel. His journey to power can be described with Clémentine Beauvais’ concepts of authority and might, where the mighty child gains authority in Fantastica. The journey can also be described as a carnival, though that can also be questioned regarding the fact that Bastian is punished for using his power. In my analysis, I also question who, or what, holds the mightiest position in Bastian’s world and Fantastica respectively. At the end of the day, Bastian is just a child with the potential of being mighty, but his age makes him subordinate to the adult world.