Now I’ve finished Stardust by Neil Gaiman and I liked it very much! As Eva writes, Tristran completes the hero’s journey. His coming of age is carried out through a rite of passage, as described by Van Gennep in Rites of Passage (1909). A rite of passage consists of these three components:

• Period of segregation from previous way of life (preliminary phase);
• State of transition from one status to another (liminal phase); and
• Process of introduction to the new social status and the new way of life (postliminal phase).

The segregation from Tristran’s previous way of life begins as he decides to fetch the fallen star for Victoria. The decision marks the start of his transition, and his father notices this: “But Dunstan Thorn saw the look in his son’s eyes” (p 50). His father seems to understand that this journey is inevitable for Tristran and sends him on his way. The segregation is marked by Tristran going through the wall and into Faerie, and the transformation continues as “the little hairy man” gets Tristran new clothes:

“These are your clothes now,” said the little hairy man, proudly. “I traded ‘em. This stuff’s better quality – see, it won’t rip and tear as easy – and it’s neither tattered nor torn, and withal, you’ll not stick out so much as a stranger. This is what people wears hereabouts, y’see.” (…)

And Tristran Thorn in crimson and canary was not the same man that Tristran Thorn in his overcoat and Sunday suit had been.

The liminal phase can be seen as the time Tristran spends in Faerie before returning to Wall, and the adventures and dangers he faces. When Tristran returns to Wall, he has clearly changed. The men at guard on the gap do not recognise him and do not wish to let him into Wall, but his father and sister make sure that he gets back. When Victoria sees Tristran, she says “Look at you (…). You became a man”, thereby beginning Tristran’s introduction to his new social status. What’s interesting is that Tristran does not stay in Wall, as would typically be the case. Instead, he goes on to lead the rest of his life (the postliminal phase) in Faerie.

A quick note on the sons of the eighty-first lord of Stormhold: the presence of both the dead and the living children reminded me of a painting from the 18th century by an artist named Jonas Dürch. It depicts the Hjortsberg family, and in the painting both the living and the dead children are present. The dead children are turned away, or half-hidden behind the living.

The Hjortsberg family, 18th century

Finally, I loved the short description of the star’s fall:

And there was a voice, a high clear, female voice which said, “Ow,” and then, very quietly, it said “Fuck,” and then it said “Ow,” once more.

The use of “Fuck” as an interjection does not seem quite congruous with the fact that the story is set in the 19th century. This makes me think that the star falls not only from the sky but also from another time, and therefore I do not feel quite as sad about the ending where she is all alone and watching the sky with sad eyes. Maybe when she gets to her time (the present?) she will not have to live alone and forever. But that’s just a thought.

Well, that’s enough for now.