The Fantastic Literature in El Laberinto del Fauno

Abstract

Since 1950s, the fantastic literature has been one of the most inspirations for the film directors. A growing segment of the fantasy genre has taken the form of films, for example, Dracula and Frankenstein. However, most of the fantasy films which adapted from fantastic literature describe and provoke mainly the feeling of fear or horror. Mexican director, Guillermo del Toro is an exception: in his film El Laberinto del Fauno, he follows the aesthetic of the Fantasy and transforms it into the visual image of his personal style without adapting any literary works. His film presents not only the terrific effects, but also highlights the ambiguity, which is the essence of fantastic literature, to criticize the dehumanization of the fascism. Generally speaking, the Fantasy originates form the literary language, just like the uses of the sentences which present the probability, comparison, exaggeration and the figurative expression in order to indicate the frightening scene and the anguished feeling. However, the visual images substitute the mental images that are produced by the words, people are interested in knowing how Del Toro presents his fantastic history in accordance with the literary aesthetic of the Fantasy. In accordance to the above-stated statement, Introduccion a la literature fantastica of Tzvtan Todorov will be included, this study aims first to analyze the fantastic themes of El Laberinto del Fauna that characterize the fantastic literature and second, to investigate the structure of the Fantasy in this film.