Mice Moods: Part One in a Case Study of Worldbuilding in the Redwall Series

 Hello everyone!

One of my favorite book series is Redwall by Brian Jacques. It has shaped my style for worldbuilding, which all of my friends tell me is my strong-suit. Because I am passionate about worldbuilding, I thought I would analyze this series in depth. This article is the beginning of a series that will cover what influenced Jacques' worldbuilding style and will break down various portions of text from the books to see what makes it so strong. All citations will be in APA style for this article.

WARNING: This series will contain blurbs from the actual books, so there will be multiple spoilers in this series. If you are planning on reading this series and want to avoid spoilers, please proceed with caution.

What Were the Factors that Influenced Jacques' Worldbuilding Style?

When Jacques began writing the Redwall series, he worked as a milkman who delivered to a school for the blind in England. Moved by his audience's disability, he sought to put much care into his writing so the children at the school could form an accurate image of what he was describing. He claimed he wanted to "paint a picture with words" (Redwall Abbey, para. 8).

Breakdown of Worldbuilding: Mood

I will now be breaking down multiple examples of mood from two of the books in the series: Lord Brocktree and Martin the Warrior.

Example One

Loneliness was everywhere. Hopelessness and an air of foreboding had settled over the western shores, casting their pall over land, sea, and the mountain of Salamandastron. Yet nobeast knew the cause of it.

A pale moon of early spring cast its wan light down upon the face of the mighty deeps, touching each wind-driven wavetop with the flecks of cold silver. Soughing breakers crashed endlessly upon the strand, weary after their journey from the corners of the earth. Above the tideline, gales chased dry sand against the rocks, forcing each particle to sing part of the keening dirge that blended with the sounds of the dark ocean (Jacques, Lord Brocktree, 2000, p. 3).

Wow! Those two paragraphs were a direct quote from the first chapter of Lord Brocktree. This is just a small taste of the worldbuilding in the series.

Through word choice, one gets the impression that the beach is lonely. Not only that, but the time it takes place is subtly woven into the description. One comprehends the depth of the sea and visualizes the silver crests of the dark blue waves. One also can hear the sounds of waves crashing into each other before they make landfall and feel the frigidity of the water and wind. (As I'm writing this and analyzing the paragraphs, I'm noticing new things pop out at me!)

Let's continue to the third paragraph:

In his chamber overlooking the scene, Lord Stonepaw sat in his great chair, feeling as ancient as the mountain he ruled. In one corner, his bed stood neatly made, unused now for a score of seasons. He was far too old; the ritual of lying down each night and rising the next day had become painful for his bones. Drawing his cloak tight against vagrant night chills, the once mighty Badger Lord squinted rheumily out to sea, worrying constantly about his domain (Jacques, Lord Brocktree, 2000, p. 3).

We can feel Lord Stonepaw's age. He is withering away. Combined with the two paragraphs analyzing the beach in his domain, we can almost feel a melancholy air surrounding him as he wards off the cold. Not only that, but there is also a use of metaphor in referring to waking up each morning and going to bed as a ritual.

Example Two

Dawn came pearly grey, shot with shafts of peach and dusty pink as the sun broke the eastern horizon in the wake of the night storm. The sea was a dim shade of oily turquoise, with cream-crested waves in the middle distance. Badrang the Tyrant had his carved throne chair brought out on to the courtyard, where he could watch the fun. Gurrad the rat and Skalrag the fox stood along with two weasels called Lumpback and Stiffear, awaiting orders as the Tyrant stoat pointed to Martin's limp figure with his sword...

Chancing a glance upwards, Martin could see a great gannet preparing to dive. Two other grey gulls were beginning to swoop low, and others rushed to join them in the descent for food. His paws were swollen by the wet ropes that held him tightly. He struggled wildly, shutting his eyes tight after Gurrad's cruel remark (Jacques, Martin the Warrior, 1993, pp. 24-25).

Not only can the colors of the clouds be visualized, but one can also see specific colors. One does not see pink; one sees a beige-pink color like peach. The texture of the ocean can be conjectured, and the sunlight reflecting off gives it the color the ocean described in Lord Brocktree lacks at night. One can also feel that something bad is about to happen. I mean, when someone whose epithet is "tyrant" is pointing to the unconscious figure of one of his slaves, everyone knows that trouble awaits!One gets a taste of this trouble a few paragraphs later, when Martin is struggling to break free of his bonds as Badrang watches in amusement. The reader feels the despair Martin faces when a flock of hungry seabirds tries to make a meal out of him and the harsh words spoken to him by one of Badrang's minions.

How Should One Utilize This Analysis of Mood to Enhance Their Own Writing?

For aspiring authors out there, I recommend using a thesaurus and imagining what a particular scene would be like in the real world. Try to imagine the colors of each item. Don't use simple colors with broad definitions though. If describing an item that is red, use a word that matches the shade of red you are picturing. I would also recommend using adjectives and situations to create a particular mood in a scene. If conveying happiness, use words like invigorating, vibrant, carefree.

This is where the thesaurus comes in handy, as there are many options, such as print or online at your disposal. I would also recommend using the internet and a dictionary to get a better sense of each synonym listed under a thesaurus entry.

Well, that's a good start to an analysis of the series. Please follow my blog for more additions to this series, book reviews, and analyses of other books and series in the fantasy and sci-fi genres.

-Alex Russo

References

About Brian. (n.d.). Redwall Abbey: The Official Brian Jacques Site. https://www.redwallabbey.com/

Brian Jacques. (2000). Lord Brocktree. Firebird Fantasy.

Brian Jacques. (1993). Martin the Warrior. Firebird Fantasy.