Reflective Journal 3 - Voyage & Return

 

The Voyage and Return plot type

What do stories like Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Orpheus and Eurydice, Peter Rabbit and Narnia have in common? They are all based on what Booker (2004) calls the Voyage and Return plot. The Voyage and Return involves the hero or heroine travelling beyond their everyday, familiar environment or home and into another world. Central to this plot is the idea that this new world is strange and different to the first setting. Think of Wonderland, a magical place inhabited by talking creatures and the Queen of Hearts. This new world may at first seem exciting, however a sense of threat builds, leaving our protagonist feeling trapped. Eventually, there is a thrilling escape, allowing the return home to safety and familiarity. For some characters, their voyage and return has left them transformed, often starting off as disconnected and self-serving. However, in other stories, the voyage and return was 'just a dream.' 

Teaching voyage and return stories

A key part of these stories is the new, unfamiliar and magical world. This provides great opportunities to teach children the importance of settings and how to effectively create and write their own using figurative language.