Cosmo’s Journey ; The paradox of fantasy, dreams, and trauma in fiction

Abstract

This critical commentary on my creative work begins by arguing that the literary genre of fantasy offers a profound insight into the meaning of the self. In particular, I maintain that fantasy reveals what I propose to call ‘The Paradox of the Self’. But this, I mean in the sense in which the self is both egotistical to service an individual’s own needs, and altruistic to help and service the needs of others. The aspect of my project will unfold in three parts. Firstly, I will focus on the act of play and how it provides an individual with the insight to remain curious about life, and how it plays a pivotal role in a child’s natural development into adulthood. Additionally, I will expand on how play encourages an individual to expose the vulnerable parts of their self within fictional realities, good and bad, to recreate their identity. Secondly, I will discuss how dreams share signs and symbols for the individual to interpret like Carl Jung proposes, not only to enrich a character’s journey, but also, simultaneously, gifting them with self-awareness and suffering. This is for the purpose of revealing a deeper understanding of the psychology of the individual’s self. Finally, I will highlight the significance of trauma and how it evokes illusions which can make an individual question their reality and alter their path forward, forcing them to accept both their dark side (ego) and benevolent (heroic) side as a part of their whole and true self. After outlining these three aspects of fantasy in general, I will show how all three also operate in my story Cosmo’s Journey, and particularly in my character Atlas, whose experiences of play, dreams, and trauma are explored throughout. These three concepts have the potential to dispel any misconceptions about fantasy being perceived as only childish and insignificant, or something less. Instead, they each represent something more meaningful and can inspire an individual’s creativity and overall purpose in life. This thesis will advocate the ways in which fantasy advances an individual’s understanding of their self and what it means to be alive. Something that some may call magic.

Date of Thesis submission	2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Western Sydney University
Supervisor	Mette Jakobsen (Supervisor)