In Chapter 2, his first encounter with Flower-in-the-Night-the literal woman of his dreams-sees him immediately execute revisions: “…nor were her huge dark eyes at all misty. His appreciation reads like an early model of the kind of appreciation (or the internal transformation of perspective) we’d want people to experience for, well, anyone who was an object of desire. It seems clear to me that Castle in the Air is intended as a response to less empowering narratives-if nothing else, the internal narrative of Abdullah, the novel’s primary point of view character, is remarkably fast at embracing and appreciating a more empowering perspective of the women around him. I’m unsure how to interpret this tension. There’s an odd tension in the story Jones works hard, scraping out space for her female characters to have agency even as she tells a story that entirely revolves around the damsel-ing trope. More could be said there, but I’ve got my brain stuck on another topic, which is… If you are willing to put up with my brief explorations, which I’ll keep as unspecific as I can, I’ve got a lot more to say.įirst, this book doesn’t do a good job with its portrayal of (or inclusion of) fat people. If you want to remain totally unspoiled, know that I recommend the book but have some critiques I’d love to explore. I don’t know how to talk about it without some thematic * SPOILERS*, so here’s your warning.

I wish that it had been part of my curriculum at some point, if only because there’s so much available to talk about. Perhaps more strangely, I haven’t found anything about the making of Aladdin that confirms that they were inspired by Castle in the Air… but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some cross pollination.Īs with Howl’s Moving Castle, perhaps even more so, this is a book that I want to discuss critically. You’d be forgiven for thinking that Diana Wynne Jones cribbed from Disney’s 1992 Aladdin, but Castle in the Air came out first (in 1990). At least this cover doesn’t make me want to devote another 500 words to critiquing it.

Castle in the sky diana wynne jones