Highlights On:a YA Fantasy Novelby Diana Wynne Jones

Howl’s Moving Castle

Moving

The Book• First published in 1986

• Partly inspired by a little boy who asked the author for a book called The Moving Castle

• Won a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award

• Is an ALA (American Library Association) Notable Book

• Made ALA Best of the Best in YA

1. Sophie, a

solemn young hatter, is

mistaken for her more glamorous

sister.

2. She is cursed by the Witch of the

Waste, apparently for

stealing the latter’s

boyfriend.

3. Now she’s

transformed into a nonagenarian

version of herself and can’t

tell anyone.

4. Sophie must

venture out of her city for the first time ever and search for

a cure.

5. She ends up at the castle of said ex-boyfriend… the

mad, flamboyant, womanizing,

heartless wizard Howl.

6. Meanwhile, a Prince is missing, Sophie’s sisters have switched

places, and a war could break out,

among other things.

7. Naturally,

hilarity and drama

ensue.

The Story:

SophieThe protagonist of the story,

Sophie learns to take charge of

her own destiny. Originally

resigned to her boring fate as

the plain, oldest sister, she

becomes more outspoken and

develops her magical powers

while under a curse that leaves

her a 90-year-old version of

herself.

Howl Howl starts out with the

reputation of a literal lady-

killer. It’s true he’s a flashy

Romeo, but he doesn’t

devour the hearts of young

he seduces as rumored, and

is a genuinely talented

wizard. Howl tries to flirt

with Sophie to no success,

until he finally falls in love

for real.

Y Howl dewin yn Gymraeg*

* “The Wizard Howl is Welsh,” according to Google translate.

In the middle of the story the

protagonists travel to Howl’s original

home – Wales, Great Britain! Wizard

Howl, aka Howell Jenkins, grew up

in our world. We go from the

enchanted kingdom of Ingary to a

modern Welsh suburb where Howl’s

teenage nephew only wants to play

his video game.

YOU ARE IN AN ENCHANTED CASTLE WITH FOUR DOORS.Space spaceEACH OPENS ON A DIFFERENT DIMENSION.Space spaceIN DIMENSION ONE THE CASTLE IS MOVING CONSTANTLY AND MAY ARRIVE AT A HAZARD AT ANY TIME...space space(…YOU PROBABLY WON’T BE EATEN BY A GRUE.)

Literary In-Jokes

‘ “Busy old fool, unruly Sophie,” said Howl’

(Jones, pg 198). It’s a play on the first line of “The

Sun Rising,” another poem by John Donne: “Busy

old fool, unruly Sun[.]” Howl compares Sophie to

that sun, which was in turn anthropomorphized

into to an old and nosy being. This of course

makes Howl the narrator, a smug and alchemical

lover, arguing with the sun itself. Both

characterizations are spot on.

Jones, Diana Wynne. Howl's Moving Castle. New York, NY: Eos, 2008. Print.

Obviously, the John Donne poem “Song:

Go and Catch a Falling Star” is a major

influence on the book, partly serving as

inspiration for the plot, and completely

serving as the basis for the Witch’s fatal

curse on Howl. A poem lambasting the

dearth of good women in the world,

used to curse a philandering male ex –

the irony isn’t lost on Howl.

The Animated Adaptation

• Released in 2004

• Hayao Miyazaki, of Studio Ghibli, wrote the

screenplay and directed the film

• Won the 78th Academy Award for Best Animated

Feature

• English cast included: Emily Mortimer, Christian

Bale, Jean Simmons, Lauren Bacall, Billy Crystal, Josh

Hutcherson, and Blythe Danner

Vimeo – Video TrailerIn December 2011 the

Southwark Playhouse in

London performed a

theatrical adaptation of

“Howl’s Moving Castle,”

narrated by Stephen Fry.

Going just by the trailer, it

looks like the show was

amazing – wish I could have

seen it.

Before she passed away, Diana Wynne Jones wrote two more stories in the Wizard’s Castle universe:

“Castle in the Air,” published in 1990 (not to be confused with Studio Ghibli’s “Castle in the Sky”), and

finally “House of Many Ways,” published in 2008, over twenty years after the original novel.

I recommend them all wholeheartedly.

Sourceshttp://dianawynnejones.wikia.com/wiki/Diana_Wynne_Jones_Wiki

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/HowlsMovingCastle

http://evansheline.com/2010/12/beautiful-howls-moving-castle-art/

http://v10japan.com/2010/06/04/howls-moving-castle-review-2/

http://primetime.unrealitytv.co.uk/laura-carmichael-says-bbc-are-%E2%80%9Cmad

%E2%80%9D-for-airing-spooks-in-downton-abbey-timeslot/laura-carmichael/

http://www.thecultureconcept.com/circle/downton-abbey-castle-stylish-dramas-

capturing-our-hearts

http://photos.telestrekoza.com/British_shows/Casanova/Cast/Casanova_-_001

http://dianawynnejones.wikia.com/wiki/Castle_in_the_Air

http://dianawynnejones.wikia.com/wiki/House_of_Many_Ways