Everyone has their own idea of ​​literature and what separates a work of literary fiction from a work of popular fiction. Generally speaking, a work must adhere to literary traditions, convey deeper meaning, and present conventional themes to be recognized as a work of literary fiction. To be recognized as young adult literary fiction, a work must meet all of the preceding requirements, and it must be appropriate in style and subject matter for the intended audience, provide the audience with a valuable moral lesson, and focus on a kind theme. revolving around the transition to adulthood or self-realization. However, a work may meet all of the preceding requirements while lacking the cohesion, harmony, and conciseness necessary to meet the standards of literary fiction. A literary work interweaves different aspects of a novel that may seem unrelated at first glance in an attempt to achieve a certain level of stylistic and technical aptitude. While a work of popular fiction is merely a source of entertainment that gratifies the masses without a meaningful end result, a work of literary fiction is a unified work of art with a purpose. Diana Wynne Jones's young adult novel Howl's Moving Castle is a fantasy work that meets all the requirements necessary to be considered a work of literature. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Howl's Moving Castle begins in "the land of Ingary, where such things as seven-league boots and invisibility cloaks actually exist" (Jones 1). The novel's protagonist, Sophie Hatter, is the eldest of three sisters, and this is seen as "a real misfortune" in Ingary (Jones 1). Both of Sophie's biological parents died before the story takes place and she is left in the care of her stepmother, Fanny Hatter. Being the eldest of three sisters, Sophie is destined to inherit the family hat business while her sisters continue to follow their dreams. Sophie is tired of living like an old maid working in a millinery, but she continues to do it because she feels like it's her destiny. Meanwhile, a magical war looms on the horizon in Ingary. Howl, a wizard renowned for stealing the hearts and souls of beautiful young women, wanders around Ingary in his enchanted castle, and the Witch of the Wastes, a powerful and dangerous witch who has been banished to the Wastes, a from the dismal lands outside Ingary, lie in wait. One day, the Witch of the Waste visits the Hatter's millinery and, by mistake, she turns Sophie into an old woman using a curse. Sophie, hoping to find a way to break the curse, sets out to visit the wizard Howl. Upon entering Howl's moving castle, Sophie meets Calcifer, a fire demon, and Michael, a young apprentice. Calcifer recognizes that Sophie has been cursed and he makes a deal with Sophie. If she can break the mysterious contract between Calcifer and Howl that keeps Calcifer bound to the castle hearth, it will undo the curse of the Witch of the Waste. Jones takes fantasy concepts and blends them with traditional aspects of young adult literature in a way that creates a stunning work of literary art. Seda Yavas, author of the scientific article “Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (1986) or the story of a new Mythology", notes: "The very title of the novel could be interpreted as a warning to readers that it will not be a typical fairy tale although all the elementsnecessary are present throughout the text, but in a completely different order in completely different associations and combinations. Jones explores traditional young adult themes of self-definition and coming of age while placing the novel's readers in unconventional but fully developed settings and situations by Charles Butler, author of the book Four British Fantasists: Place and.Culture in the Children's Fantasies of Penelope Lively, Alan Garner, Diana Wynne Jones, and Susan Cooper recognize this: "In recent years, Jones's critical fortunes have risen sharply, in part because of his exploitation of "postmodern" devices like multiple or fragmented devices subjectivities, alternative realities, self-altering narratives, intertextuality and generic hybridity made her a more fashionable writer in the theory-conscious academy of the 1990s and at beyond. Jones takes common motifs and simplistic themes used in young adult literature, and she incorporates aspects of high fantasy so that she can highlight or dramatize the actions that take place or the lessons taught in the novel. Jones didn't create a popular work of fiction with a flashy storyline and alternate realities purely for its entertainment value. She hasn't created a work of young adult literature that relies solely on fairy tale clichés to teach a lesson. Instead, Jones explores elements of fantasy to accentuate and complicate the young adult story of Howl's Howling Castle in a style befitting a work of literary fiction. One of Jones's most notable adherences to the young adult literary tradition is seen in the absence of Sophie's Parents. Absent parents are quite common in young adult literature. Removing parental figures from a novel allows the author to project the protagonists into worlds of their own. The absence of parents in young adult literature is a technique used by authors to make the novel focus on the ideals, choices, and actions of young people. It's the literary equivalent of a mother bird pushing her baby birds out of the nest and forcing them to live their own lives. The absence of parental figures advances the plot by forcing the protagonists to act on their own. Jones takes advantage of the absence of parents in Howl's Moving Castle to be able to promote the growth of Sophie's character. Jones also follows the young adult literary tradition of setting boundaries that Sophie must break during her character's growth. Because Sophie is the eldest of Ingary's three sisters, she is destined to lead an uneventful life. Her sisters could marry, learn magic and succeed, but Sophie knows she will have to live the life of an old woman in her millinery. A common motif in young adult literature is the violation of the rules or conditions of the setting, which is why Jones includes the boundaries of Sophie's identity in order to highlight Sophie's character development and self-definition . definition, Jones employs another common young adult literature through Sophie's attitude. Sophie is extremely unhappy in her situation at the beginning of the novel. She feels like her mother-in-law is taking advantage of her endless work in the hat shop and feels trapped in her reality. When cursed by the Witch of the Waste, she is able to seek another reality and escape her own. Escaping reality is a common theme in both young adult and fantasy literature, and Jones draws attention to and raises questions about this theme inas the novel progresses. In addition to blending aspects of the young adult literary tradition with the fantasy tradition, Jones uses several literary devices that complement the literary quality of the work. An example of this can be seen in the self-fulfilling prophecy regarding Sophie's age. When Sophie despairs about her identity at the beginning of the novel, she feels like "the last few months of sitting and sewing have turned her into an old woman" (Jones 17). Shortly after, the Witch of the Waste curses Sophie and turns her into an old woman, fulfilling the prophecy. The Waste Witch turned Sophie's fears of growing old in a hat store into reality. Age is an important topic in young adult literature, but Jones delves into the concept of age in a completely fantastical way. Deborah Kaplan, author of the article "Disrupted Expectations: Young/Old Protagonists in Diana Wynne Jones Novels," highlights the importance of age in the young adult literary tradition: "Issues of age confusion are particularly notable in works aimed at young readers, for whom age is considered a pressing concern). In addition to serving as a self-fulfilling prophecy, Sophie's age serves as an important turning point in her character development. As a young woman, Sophie was uncomfortable with her identity. As an old woman, Sophie becomes more open and comfortable. Because she does not feel confined by her identity as the eldest of three sisters as an old woman, she is able to overcome her unfortunate fate. Sophie's old age allows her to feel more comfortable with her identity and to understand the insignificance of the boundaries she once perceived as determining her destiny. What was meant to be a curse turns out to be a useful tool for character development. Another literary device employed by Jones is the use of allusions in Howl's Moving Castle. Jones uses many allusions in her work, but she uses them in a slightly unconventional way. Based on the idea that Ingary is a reality in which magic exists, Jones is able to mold literary allusions to fit his fantasy world. Allusions include references to Arthurian legend, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, JRR Tolkien's elven city of Rivendell, and Hamlet. Clearly, Jones understands the importance of drawing upon works of classic literature to develop one's own literary quality. One of the most striking allusions employed by Jones is the curse used on Howl by the Witch of the Waste. The curse is an allusion to John Donne's poem "Song: Go and Catch a Falling Star". In Ingary, John Donne's writing takes on a magical sense that moves away from reality. The poem functions as a curse, and it is able to do so successfully due to the fantastical alternate reality that removes the original or true meaning of the poem. In Ingary, magic is normal, so normal is alien. If magic is real in Ingary, then the poems can certainly be curses. Jones takes advantage of the opportunity to blend reality and fantasy in a way that helps the story generate its own form of credibility. Because of the fantastical structure of her novel, she is able to generate a suspension of disbelief in her audience in what Farah Mendlesohn, author of Diana Wynne Jones: The Fantasy Tradition and Children's Literature, calls "totally immersed fantasy." ". Jones allows his readers to fully immerse themselves in Ingary's country from the beginning of the novel. Sophie is never shocked by the magic she witnesses in the. 30-36.