In chapter one of How to Read Literature Like a Professor, by Thomas C. Foster we look at how universal the quest is as a plot device. Foster proves that even a “trip to the store for some white bread,” can be a quest. His one paragraph quest involving Kip, the sixteen-year-old who goes to the store, is broken down to (a) a quester, (b) a place to go, (c) a stated reason to go there, (d) challenges and trials en route, and (e) a real reason to go there. He uses examples spanning from 1596 to 1965 and dissects an unconventional quest in The Crying of Lot 49, with a deeper focus on the real reason to go. He explains it nicely in only six pages. Humans are attracted to quests whether it’s The Epic of Gilgamesh, or The Goonies, or The Lion King, or Don Quixote.
This summer I was at a friend’s house and I uncovered a relic from the early 1990’s, a Super Nintendo Entertainment System. I plugged in the RCA cable, put in the Super Mario World cartridge and drifted away to Yoshi’s Island. The pixelated graphics and 16-bit soundtrack captured my heart and with some smart talking, I arranged to borrow the game while she was out of town. I was too excited. And so lately my cohort, Adam Nguyen, and I have been spending many a summer night “nerding out” in 1991 Nintendo ecstasy.
When I read the first chapter of How to Read Literature Like a Professor, in which Foster looks at the quest, my mind jumped a bit too quickly to my newly found, pixelated love. I generally boycott video games as many are completely pointless but this one was somehow different. There was something so noble and beautiful about Mario; something universal but personal, ridiculous but somehow not too far-fetched. This was the quest. The story takes place in Dinosaur Land where the Koopa King wreaks havoc, shutting Yoshi, a green dinosaur, and his friends in eggs. Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach are on vacation after defeating Bowser and are not aware of the evildoings of the Koopalings. While the citizens of Dinosaur Land are trapped, the Koopa Troop Army kidnaps Princess Toadstool. Mario and Luigi (the questers) are then called to defeat Bowser and free the princess (the stated reason to go) from his castle (the place to go). The road is long and hard with subjects of Bowser at every turn. Mario and Luigi jump, dash, and fight their way through seven worlds (challenges and trials en route), and in the end the princess is freed and the vacation continues with newly found courage and adventure. After Bowser’s defeat, Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach go to see Yoshi at his home, where Yoshi eggs are hatching into baby dinosaurs, reversing the curse on Dinosaur Land (the real reason to go). The road might be a bit too long and hard as we’ve been stuck in our quest for quite some time but good will prevail and I hope that we find a real reason for the journey.
The point of that Nintendo rant is, quests are everywhere and humans are drawn to them. Whether it’s a book by J.R.R. Tolkien, Miguel de Cervantes, or an absurd detour in Dinosaur Land directed by Takashi Tezuka, we become attached to the quester.
And thus begins my blog. Welcome to Schwall Lagoon, land of enchantment. Happy summer. Happy questing.
