I am very interested in fictional witches whose attitudes, characteristics and behaviour remind me of people I have encountered in real life, including energy vampires, horrible stepmothers, unpleasant teachers and negative colleagues.
Not only that, but I also have an unpleasant and unwelcome suspicion that some of these witches show and embody something of what I might have become by default if I had taken the path of least resistance and not faced reality, escaped the clutches of energy vampires, fought my fate, defeated my destiny and overcome many unseen influences.
Gwendolen Chant, who appears in Diana Wynne Jones’s Charmed Life, is yet another witch of interest. There are some scenes in this book that make me feel very uncomfortable, not only because of how I was treated but because of how I felt and behaved – or wanted to behave – when I was much younger than I am now.
Gwendolen’s life before Chrestomanci
Gwendolen Chant is around 12 years old; she is a very pretty and charming young girl, a golden haired, blue eyed princess; she has much innate magical ability; she is convinced she has great talents and will achieve future fame; she displays queenly behaviour, feels destined for great things and expects to rule the world.
The people around Gwendolen take her at her own estimation and greatly admire her; they give her many presents; they praise, support and encourage her and do whatever they can to help the golden girl in her studies of witchcraft.
She does not appear to be too bad a person in the earliest chapters of the book. She is usually kind to her little brother Cat, who clings to her because she is all the family he has – their parents died in an ‘accident’ so they are orphans. Her confidence in herself is based on actual achievements: she makes excellent progress in the study of magic and impresses the whole neighbourhood with a spell she casts.
Very ambitious people, those who sense that they will someday make a name for themselves, do sometimes behave the way Gwendolen does and display similar attitudes; being a self-centred, demanding, high maintenance person may be justifiable if many others will benefit from the achievements and single-minded dedication.
The children’s lives change when the enchanter Chrestomanci invites Gwendolen and her brother to come and live with him in his castle as part of his family.
Gwendolen had written to him in the hope that something like this would happen: she wants a better deal than what she already has and better people to live and study with. She thinks that he will be the means by which she moves forward even faster towards her rightful place in the world.
Gwendolen’s life in Chrestomanci Castle
Gwendolen is exultant and triumphant when things appear to be going her way; when events do not go according to her wishes and her expectations are disappointed, her real character becomes apparent and her behaviour changes for the worse.
Gwendolen is someone who takes offence very easily and is quick to take revenge. For example, when she feels cheated of a grand entry on arrival at Chrestomanci’s house she considers casting a spell on the man who leads her to a side door: she hates being ‘fobbed off’ with a mere housekeeper as opposed to being greeted by the top man.
She becomes furious when thwarted: she goes insane with rage when Chrestomanci tells her that she is not permitted to continue with her studies of witchcraft. Gwendolen’s attitude to life is summarised in something she says to Cat: “Why should those two fat little fools (Chrestomanci’s children, who are rather plump) learn witchcraft and not me? I’ve got twice their gifts.”
Gwendolen behaves very arrogantly indeed towards Chrestomanci. I would have expected her to be awed and overwhelmed by his powers, position, style and glamour and to hide her unpleasant side from him, but she shouts, “Here, you! Come here at once!” at him. She says he deserves being spoken to so rudely; after all, he has disappointed her expectations by not dancing to her tune and meeting all her requirements.
She decides to teach Chrestomanci a lesson: she is the sort of person who is determined to ‘show’ everyone. She performs some spectacular magical ‘stunts’ including some amusing practical jokes, but they fall flat and don’t cause the fear, anger and inconvenience or get her the attention that she was hoping for. Chrestomanci does not react the way she thought he would. She feels frustrated when she doesn’t get the attention she expects, wants and thinks she deserves; she demands acknowledgement of her actions and recognition of her magical powers.
Everything comes to a head when she receives a spanking and has her witchcraft taken away for practising magic despite having been forbidden from doing so.
She has a very strong sense of entitlement. If this is how they treat her and Chrestomanci won’t give her the appreciation and understanding she wants, she will go somewhere else to get them. She abandons her brother and disappears into another world where she actually becomes the Queen of her dreams.
The behaviour that Gwendolen has displayed up to this point is not necessarily connected to her being a witch, apart from the actual spell casting and the necromancy. She is often childish or even babyish; she is selfish, wilful, cross, rude and spiteful; she is also demanding and mean spirited. There is nothing very unusual in any of this: badly brought up children are everywhere; screaming, stamping temper tantrums are common in many children; feeling free to insult people yet being outraged when they insult you back is even more common.
However, the clash of wills involved in the fierce invisible struggles with fellow witches is very significant, as is the way she is obsessed with taking revenge: revenge is witches’ business.
Revelations after Gwendolen’s departure
Gwendolen has been using Cat’s powers to augment her own and work magic far beyond her natural capabilities.
The significance of some letters from Chrestomanci to the children’s parents becomes apparent, and the meaning of some cryptic comments made earlier by Gwendolen and her associates is revealed as are their ulterior motives and hidden agenda and some horrible truths.
Gwendolen has all along been part of a plan to destroy Chrestomanci so as to end his monopoly of exotic ingredients, magical supplies and entry to other worlds. The plot involves sacrificing Cat by putting him on a slab of stone and cutting his throat, and she has agreed to this.
Points of particular interest and significance
Gwendolen uses and abuses her brother’s magic. She had always used his magic and power, so it felt familiar and he barely noticed anything. This is similar to what happens to people who have always been in the power of energy vampires.
Although he misses Gwendolen, Cat feels ‘marvellously well after her departure, and even starts singing and dancing. This is similar to getting out from under the control of an energy vampire: the victim starts to revive.
Cat sees the seedy people who taught Gwendolen before they moved in with Chrestomanci as they really are after she leaves for the other universe. He notices weakness and dishonesty; he realises that certain big talk is just empty boasting. This often happens to people who escape from the force field of an energy vampire: it feels as though an evil spell has broken and a smokescreen dissolved.
I have encountered people who follow the same path over and over again: they are exultant over a wonderful new opportunity; they are going to get away from deadbeat people and places; their dreams are all going to come true. It all soon turns sour: expectations are disappointed; the new people let them down by departing from the scripts and scenarios that have been created for them without their knowledge; the dream world collapses and the exciting new people become the bunch of losers or horrible workmates who must be escaped from.
Gwendolen reminds me of this: she is overjoyed to get away from the “stupid and piffling” people and dead-and-alive town of her early years, but is not long before she feels much the same way about Chrestomanci and his family.
Gwendolen is extremely one-sided: she has concentrated on the study of magic to the exclusion of everything else. She is very ignorant of many academic subjects, but being way behind others of her age does not worry her. If she is not interested in something, it is because she considers it unimportant and not worth studying. This attitude is usually disastrous in the long run.
Gwendolen’s bad reputation rubs off on Cat: people avoid them and snatch children from their path, which embarrasses Cat but has no effect on Gwendolen, who barely notices. She is single-minded and intent on getting a magical item that she wants. Even when he is not in Gwendolen’s company, people are cool towards Cat. Being avoided by decent people and having unpleasant experiences after having been in the company of an energy vampire is very common.
The children’s father had written to Chrestomanci some years back saying that Gwendolen appeared to be using her brother in some way; she had also upset her parents by giving him cramps. It is a chilling thought that the parents’ death may have been connected to their suspicions. It certainly got them out of the way and left Gwendolen free to follow her path without interference.
She turns against and abandons her brother, using as a pretext one occasion when he did not immediately come when she wanted him – he was enjoying himself playing with toy soldiers. Some people habitually look for reasons to reject or attack someone, to avoid meeting family and social obligations and to justify treating others badly.
Gwendolen is not grateful for the past help and teachings that she has received. Her brother Cat misses the old witch they used to live with and is very touched to receive a letter from her, but Gwendolen is not interested. She does tell Cat to be sure to reply, but there is an ulterior motive for this.
She is amoral and heartless and despises many of the people she uses; they suspect that she is probably just passing through on her way to the top. She is the sort of person who throws people aside like old coats when something better comes along or they reach the top. It is interesting that C. S. Lewis’s witch Jadis is like that:
“In Charn she [Jadis] had taken no notice of Polly (till the very end) because Digory was the one she wanted to make use of. Now that she had Uncle Andrew, she took no notice of Digory. I expect most witches are like that. They are not interested in things or people unless they can use them; they are terribly practical.“
C. S. Lewis, The Magician’s Nephew
There are some ‘what ifs’ in this story. If only Chrestomanci had taken Gwendolen seriously, guided her and spoken to her about right and wrong and if only Gwendolen had been less arrogant and interested in power over people and accepted that Chrestomanci and his family had a lot to teach her about magic, the outcome might have been very different.
Possible inspirations for Harry Potter
Charmed Life was first published in 1977. There are some elements that remind me of the Harry Potter books: perhaps J. K. Rowling was inspired by Diana Wynne Jones’s work. In particular:
Gwendolen’s associates avoid saying Chrestomanci’s name, much as people are afraid to speak Lord Voldemort’s name aloud.
The scene where Miss Larkins, a clairvoyant, offers to tell Cat’s fortune, goes into a trance and speaks in a man’s voice reminds me of Professor Sybill Trelawney, who makes some predictions in a hoarse, altered voice. Neither can remember what they have said.
The scene in the church where Gwendolen brings stained glass people to life and they move into their neighbours’ windows reminds me of the portrait people in Harry Potter who can travel into other paintings.
Gwendolen has some equivalents who live in parallel universes. One is Janet, who is brought in to replace Gwendolen when she becomes a queen elsewhere. Romillia becomes Janet’s replacement, and Janet gives her a message by writing in Romillia’s diary. This reminds me of Harry Potter writing in Tom Riddle’s diary.
Cat’s nine lives and their disposition make me think of the Dark Lord and his seven horcruxes. Gwendolen put one of her brother’s lives into a violin/cat; Voldemort hid a fragment of his soul inside a huge snake.
Not only that, but I also have an unpleasant and unwelcome suspicion that some of these witches show and embody something of what I might have become by default if I had taken the path of least resistance and not faced reality, escaped the clutches of energy vampires, fought my fate, defeated my destiny and overcome many unseen influences.
Gwendolen Chant, who appears in Diana Wynne Jones’s Charmed Life, is yet another witch of interest. There are some scenes in this book that make me feel very uncomfortable, not only because of how I was treated but because of how I felt and behaved – or wanted to behave – when I was much younger than I am now.
Gwendolen’s life before Chrestomanci
Gwendolen Chant is around 12 years old; she is a very pretty and charming young girl, a golden haired, blue eyed princess; she has much innate magical ability; she is convinced she has great talents and will achieve future fame; she displays queenly behaviour, feels destined for great things and expects to rule the world.
The people around Gwendolen take her at her own estimation and greatly admire her; they give her many presents; they praise, support and encourage her and do whatever they can to help the golden girl in her studies of witchcraft.
She does not appear to be too bad a person in the earliest chapters of the book. She is usually kind to her little brother Cat, who clings to her because she is all the family he has – their parents died in an ‘accident’ so they are orphans. Her confidence in herself is based on actual achievements: she makes excellent progress in the study of magic and impresses the whole neighbourhood with a spell she casts.
Very ambitious people, those who sense that they will someday make a name for themselves, do sometimes behave the way Gwendolen does and display similar attitudes; being a self-centred, demanding, high maintenance person may be justifiable if many others will benefit from the achievements and single-minded dedication.
The children’s lives change when the enchanter Chrestomanci invites Gwendolen and her brother to come and live with him in his castle as part of his family.
Gwendolen had written to him in the hope that something like this would happen: she wants a better deal than what she already has and better people to live and study with. She thinks that he will be the means by which she moves forward even faster towards her rightful place in the world.
Gwendolen’s life in Chrestomanci Castle
Gwendolen is exultant and triumphant when things appear to be going her way; when events do not go according to her wishes and her expectations are disappointed, her real character becomes apparent and her behaviour changes for the worse.
Gwendolen is someone who takes offence very easily and is quick to take revenge. For example, when she feels cheated of a grand entry on arrival at Chrestomanci’s house she considers casting a spell on the man who leads her to a side door: she hates being ‘fobbed off’ with a mere housekeeper as opposed to being greeted by the top man.
She becomes furious when thwarted: she goes insane with rage when Chrestomanci tells her that she is not permitted to continue with her studies of witchcraft. Gwendolen’s attitude to life is summarised in something she says to Cat: “Why should those two fat little fools (Chrestomanci’s children, who are rather plump) learn witchcraft and not me? I’ve got twice their gifts.”
Gwendolen behaves very arrogantly indeed towards Chrestomanci. I would have expected her to be awed and overwhelmed by his powers, position, style and glamour and to hide her unpleasant side from him, but she shouts, “Here, you! Come here at once!” at him. She says he deserves being spoken to so rudely; after all, he has disappointed her expectations by not dancing to her tune and meeting all her requirements.
She decides to teach Chrestomanci a lesson: she is the sort of person who is determined to ‘show’ everyone. She performs some spectacular magical ‘stunts’ including some amusing practical jokes, but they fall flat and don’t cause the fear, anger and inconvenience or get her the attention that she was hoping for. Chrestomanci does not react the way she thought he would. She feels frustrated when she doesn’t get the attention she expects, wants and thinks she deserves; she demands acknowledgement of her actions and recognition of her magical powers.
Everything comes to a head when she receives a spanking and has her witchcraft taken away for practising magic despite having been forbidden from doing so.
She has a very strong sense of entitlement. If this is how they treat her and Chrestomanci won’t give her the appreciation and understanding she wants, she will go somewhere else to get them. She abandons her brother and disappears into another world where she actually becomes the Queen of her dreams.
The behaviour that Gwendolen has displayed up to this point is not necessarily connected to her being a witch, apart from the actual spell casting and the necromancy. She is often childish or even babyish; she is selfish, wilful, cross, rude and spiteful; she is also demanding and mean spirited. There is nothing very unusual in any of this: badly brought up children are everywhere; screaming, stamping temper tantrums are common in many children; feeling free to insult people yet being outraged when they insult you back is even more common.
However, the clash of wills involved in the fierce invisible struggles with fellow witches is very significant, as is the way she is obsessed with taking revenge: revenge is witches’ business.
Revelations after Gwendolen’s departure
Gwendolen has been using Cat’s powers to augment her own and work magic far beyond her natural capabilities.
The significance of some letters from Chrestomanci to the children’s parents becomes apparent, and the meaning of some cryptic comments made earlier by Gwendolen and her associates is revealed as are their ulterior motives and hidden agenda and some horrible truths.
Gwendolen has all along been part of a plan to destroy Chrestomanci so as to end his monopoly of exotic ingredients, magical supplies and entry to other worlds. The plot involves sacrificing Cat by putting him on a slab of stone and cutting his throat, and she has agreed to this.
Points of particular interest and significance
Gwendolen uses and abuses her brother’s magic. She had always used his magic and power, so it felt familiar and he barely noticed anything. This is similar to what happens to people who have always been in the power of energy vampires.
Although he misses Gwendolen, Cat feels ‘marvellously well after her departure, and even starts singing and dancing. This is similar to getting out from under the control of an energy vampire: the victim starts to revive.
Cat sees the seedy people who taught Gwendolen before they moved in with Chrestomanci as they really are after she leaves for the other universe. He notices weakness and dishonesty; he realises that certain big talk is just empty boasting. This often happens to people who escape from the force field of an energy vampire: it feels as though an evil spell has broken and a smokescreen dissolved.
I have encountered people who follow the same path over and over again: they are exultant over a wonderful new opportunity; they are going to get away from deadbeat people and places; their dreams are all going to come true. It all soon turns sour: expectations are disappointed; the new people let them down by departing from the scripts and scenarios that have been created for them without their knowledge; the dream world collapses and the exciting new people become the bunch of losers or horrible workmates who must be escaped from.
Gwendolen reminds me of this: she is overjoyed to get away from the “stupid and piffling” people and dead-and-alive town of her early years, but is not long before she feels much the same way about Chrestomanci and his family.
Gwendolen is extremely one-sided: she has concentrated on the study of magic to the exclusion of everything else. She is very ignorant of many academic subjects, but being way behind others of her age does not worry her. If she is not interested in something, it is because she considers it unimportant and not worth studying. This attitude is usually disastrous in the long run.
Gwendolen’s bad reputation rubs off on Cat: people avoid them and snatch children from their path, which embarrasses Cat but has no effect on Gwendolen, who barely notices. She is single-minded and intent on getting a magical item that she wants. Even when he is not in Gwendolen’s company, people are cool towards Cat. Being avoided by decent people and having unpleasant experiences after having been in the company of an energy vampire is very common.
The children’s father had written to Chrestomanci some years back saying that Gwendolen appeared to be using her brother in some way; she had also upset her parents by giving him cramps. It is a chilling thought that the parents’ death may have been connected to their suspicions. It certainly got them out of the way and left Gwendolen free to follow her path without interference.
She turns against and abandons her brother, using as a pretext one occasion when he did not immediately come when she wanted him – he was enjoying himself playing with toy soldiers. Some people habitually look for reasons to reject or attack someone, to avoid meeting family and social obligations and to justify treating others badly.
Gwendolen is not grateful for the past help and teachings that she has received. Her brother Cat misses the old witch they used to live with and is very touched to receive a letter from her, but Gwendolen is not interested. She does tell Cat to be sure to reply, but there is an ulterior motive for this.
She is amoral and heartless and despises many of the people she uses; they suspect that she is probably just passing through on her way to the top. She is the sort of person who throws people aside like old coats when something better comes along or they reach the top. It is interesting that C. S. Lewis’s witch Jadis is like that:
“In Charn she [Jadis] had taken no notice of Polly (till the very end) because Digory was the one she wanted to make use of. Now that she had Uncle Andrew, she took no notice of Digory. I expect most witches are like that. They are not interested in things or people unless they can use them; they are terribly practical.“
C. S. Lewis, The Magician’s Nephew
There are some ‘what ifs’ in this story. If only Chrestomanci had taken Gwendolen seriously, guided her and spoken to her about right and wrong and if only Gwendolen had been less arrogant and interested in power over people and accepted that Chrestomanci and his family had a lot to teach her about magic, the outcome might have been very different.
Possible inspirations for Harry Potter
Charmed Life was first published in 1977. There are some elements that remind me of the Harry Potter books: perhaps J. K. Rowling was inspired by Diana Wynne Jones’s work. In particular:
Gwendolen’s associates avoid saying Chrestomanci’s name, much as people are afraid to speak Lord Voldemort’s name aloud.
The scene where Miss Larkins, a clairvoyant, offers to tell Cat’s fortune, goes into a trance and speaks in a man’s voice reminds me of Professor Sybill Trelawney, who makes some predictions in a hoarse, altered voice. Neither can remember what they have said.
The scene in the church where Gwendolen brings stained glass people to life and they move into their neighbours’ windows reminds me of the portrait people in Harry Potter who can travel into other paintings.
Gwendolen has some equivalents who live in parallel universes. One is Janet, who is brought in to replace Gwendolen when she becomes a queen elsewhere. Romillia becomes Janet’s replacement, and Janet gives her a message by writing in Romillia’s diary. This reminds me of Harry Potter writing in Tom Riddle’s diary.
Cat’s nine lives and their disposition make me think of the Dark Lord and his seven horcruxes. Gwendolen put one of her brother’s lives into a violin/cat; Voldemort hid a fragment of his soul inside a huge snake.
