(6) Jones takes common motifs and simplistic themes that are used in young adult literature, and she weaves aspects of high fantasy within them so that she may highlight or dramatize the actions taking place or lessons being taught in the novel. Charles Butler, author of the book Four British Fantasists: Place and Culture in the ChildrenвЂ™s Fantasies of Penelope Lively, Alan Garner, Diana Wynne Jones, and Susan Cooper, recognizes: In recent years, JonesвЂ™s critical fortunes have risen sharply, in part because her exploitation of such вЂњpost-modernвЂќ devices as multiple or fragmented subjectivities, alternate realities, self-altering narratives, intertextuality, and generic hybridity have made her a more fashionable writer in the theory-conscious academy of the 1990s and beyond. Jones explores traditional young adult themes of self-definition and coming of age while placing the readers of the novel in unconventional yet fully developed settings and situations. Seda YavaЕџ, author of the scholarly article вЂњDiana Wynne JonesвЂ™s HowlвЂ™s Moving Castle (1986) Or The Story Of A New Mythology,вЂќ notes, вЂњThe very title of the novel could be interpreted as a warning for the readers that this is not going to be a typical fairy tale although all the necessary elements are present throughout the text, but in a completely different order in utterly different associations and combinationsвЂќ (31).

Jones takes fantastical concepts and blends them with traditional aspects of young adult literature in a manner that creates a stunning work of literary art. If she can break the mysterious contract between Calcifer and Howl that keeps Calcifer bound to the castleвЂ™s hearth, he will undo the Witch of the WasteвЂ™s curse. Calcifer recognizes that Sophie has been cursed, and he makes a deal with Sophie. Upon entering HowlвЂ™s moving castle, Sophie meets Calcifer, a fire demon, and Michael, a young apprentice. Sophie, in hopes of finding a way to break the curse, sets out to go visit Wizard Howl. One day, the Witch of the Waste visits the HatterвЂ™s hat shop, and by mistake, she turns Sophie into an old woman using a curse. Howl, a wizard with a reputation for stealing the hearts and souls of beautiful young women, roams around the areas surrounding Ingary in his enchanted castle, and the Witch of the Waste, a powerful and dangerous witch who has been banished to the Waste, a dismal land outside of Ingary, is on the prowl. Meanwhile, magical warfare is on the horizon in Ingary. Sophie grows tired of living like an old maid working at the hat shop, but she continues to do so because she feels as though it is her destiny. Being the eldest of the three sisters, Sophie is destined to inherit the family hat business while her sisters go on to fulfill their dreams. Both of SophieвЂ™s biological parents died before the story takes place, and she is left in the care of her step-mother, Fanny Hatter. The protagonist of the novel, Sophie Hatter, is the eldest of three sisters, and this is considered to be вЂњquite a misfortuneвЂќ in Ingary (Jones 1). HowlвЂ™s Moving Castle begins in вЂњthe land of Ingary, where such things as seven-league boots and cloaks of invisibility really existвЂќ (Jones 1). Diana Wynne JonesвЂ™s young adult novel HowlвЂ™s Moving Castle is a work of fantasy which meets all of the requirements that are necessary to be considered a work of literature. While a work of popular fiction is merely a source of entertainment that gratifies the masses with no significant end result, a work of literary fiction is a piece of unified art with a purpose.

A work of literature intertwines various aspects of a novel that may seem unrelated on the surface in the interest of attaining a certain level of stylistic and technical aptitude. However, a work can meet all of the previous requirements and still lack the necessary cohesion, harmony, and conciseness required to meet the literary fiction standards. To be recognized as young adult literary fiction, a work must meet all of the previous 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 some sort of theme revolving around coming-of-age or self-realization. Generally speaking, a work must adhere to literary traditions, convey a deeper meaning, and present conventional themes in order to be recognized as a work of literary fiction. Everyone has his or her own idea of literature and what separates a work of literary fiction from a work of popular fiction.

Sophie howls moving castle