Portal narrative’s are stories that include two worlds and characters which travel between them. The primary world (which the characters at the outset of the story) is often our world or a realist/mundane world while the world they travel to is exotic, magical or fantastical in some way. The characters reach the second world be a variety of means (wardrobes, doorways, technology) it doesn’t have to be a literal portal. Portal narratives vary widely in content, setting, themes etc. They can be obvious to spot, like Narnia, or a bit more subtle, like The Hunger Games in which The Capital and the arena serve as secondary worlds dues to their stark contrast to District 12. Portal narratives frequently follow the heroes journey plot structure, concluding with a return to the primary world, although this rule can be broken, such as in Poison by Chris Wooding.
Below are 10 examples of portal narratives:
- Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carol
Artwork by Cory Godbey - Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
Book Cover - Coraline by Neil Gaiman
- The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Artwork by Taryn Knight - Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
- Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
Artwork by Karl James Mountford - Shalott (series) by Felicity Pulman
Artwork by John William Waterhouse - A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Artwork by Erin Kubo - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Artwork by Patrick Awa - The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donaldson
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