Coraline

Coraline (Original Title: Coraline ) is a fantasy and horror story by British author Neil Gaiman, published by Bloomsbury Publishing and Harper Collins, 2002. The illustrations in the book were produced by Dave McKean. The German language translation by Cornelia Krutz -Arnold first appeared in 2003 under the title Coraline. Trapped behind the mirror in the Arena Verlag, Wurzburg.

Action

As the story draws Coraline with her parents in a very old apartment to. Coraline's parents are always busy with their work and have little time for her daughter. In her boredom Coraline goes exploring and meets the other inhabitants of the house: Miss Miriam Forcible and Miss April Spink, two elderly actresses retired from the stage, and an old gentleman who pretends to train a mouse circus, which one never sees.

In the apartment you will find a locked door. When she opens it with a key, the passage is bricked up behind it. The next day, when both parents are absent, she opens the door again and finds a dark corridor leading to another apartment that looks just like her. This gives her the feeling of never having to leave home. This alternate world is inhabited by her " other mother " and her " other father ". Your " other parents " also look like their parents, except the button eyes. The " other mother " tells her that everyone has these "other parents " and these other parents first appear open-minded, more interested in her and also generally much more interesting than their own. At the end of the day, offers " other mother " Coraline, forever to stay in the other world, the only requirement would be to can also sew on buttons instead of eyes, it did not hurt. But Coraline decides that she would rather go home again, much to the disappointment of the other parent.

Once she arrives in their real home, their parents are gone. Do not come back the next day, and Coraline, who discovers that her parents have been kidnapped by the other parent, decides in spite of their fear, return to this parallel world. There she upset the other mother by completely rejecting their gifts and love, to which she is trapped behind a mirror. In this place, she meets three soulless children of different ages who have not escaped the other parent, have gradually lost their souls and have finally been jailed.

The other mother finally gets Coraline from the chamber behind the mirror. Coraline Other Mother calls out to a game to find the three souls and their parents in the other world or stay in case of loss forever - their only chance to save the parents. For this purpose, they used a stone with a hole, which she received from Miss Spinks before their trip, and their ingenuity. Coraline is sensible enough not to believe that holding the other parent to the rules. But Coraline is using the black cat, the three souls of the children and their parents who had hidden in a snow globe, the other mother. You can outwit the other mother and her barely escapes from the other world through the small door. This is the arm of the other mother who reaches for her, pinched and injured in the door. Her parents are back home. The next night, Coraline has a dream in which she meets the souls of the children before they go on to the afterlife. This they warn that the other mother's hand had come with their world and try to get the key of the door, Coraline wears on a ribbon around his neck. Coraline lures the hand into a deep well and provide it there a trap so that they coincide with the keys in the deep well, from which it can not escape. After Coraline goes back home back to their normal ordinary life she now accepts and loves.

Figures

• Coraline Jones: main character of the novel. Coraline is bored after moving into a new apartment and goes exploring. She finds a mysterious door that leads into the other world. There she meets the other mother and other father. My name is pronounced twisted out of the parents and the mice.
• Mrs. Jones: Coraline's mother. She works a lot at home on the computer and barely has time for her daughter.
• Mr. Jones: Coraline's father ( Charlie ). He spends most of the time as the mother of the day with his work on the computer.
• The Cat: A black cat from Coraline's world. They accompanied Coraline on their journey to the other world and acts there as Coraline's mentor. In contrast to the other figures, the cat has no counterpart in the other world. It remains the same in both worlds, with the difference that they can speak in the other world.
• The other mother: She has created another world. Externally, it is larger and thinner than Coraline's real mother. It has red, curved fingernails, button eyes and paper- white skin. She collects children, which it will soon weary of them sucks the life and imprisons behind a magic mirror. The other parent wants to keep in the other world and sew her button eyes, Coraline. The ghost children refer to them as Vettel.
• The other father: He is a creation of the other parent. She uses him to bring Coraline to stay in the other world. He told Coraline details about the other world and the other parent. As the other parent finds this, she locks him in a cellar, where he falls.
• Miss Miriam Forcible and Miss April Spink: You are actresses retired and living with her ​​beloved terriers in the flat below Coraline. In their daily lives they grieve for their former theater life. In the interpretation of Coraline's tea leaves they see danger and give Coraline as a protective stone with a hole. In the other world, they enter a never-ending time performance in a theater, which is located in her apartment. Moreover, they are younger and prettier in the other world and have a dog audience that behaves human.
• Mr. Bobinsky: A circus artist in retirement. He is Coraline's neighbor and lives upstairs in the house in an attic. Mr. Bobinsky trained mice for a mouse circus. He brings Coraline messages of the mice. This includes a warning not to go through the door. His opponent in the other world trained black red-eyed rats are spies of the other parent.
• The three ghost children: The two girls and the boy are former victims of the other parent. They were captured by her at different times and locked behind a magic mirror. After Coraline learns of the fate of the children, she promises to help them and recover the stolen them from the other parent souls.

Adaptations

Coraline has been adapted in many ways; 2009 was in the theaters at the stop-motion film Coraline from Henry Selick, who in some respects differs from the book in action and people. To the film was released a video game version in which Coraline interacts with other characters and small games releases. In the same year also launched an off-Broadway production with music and lyrics by Stephin Merritt and book by David Greenspan. Furthermore, already a comic book to the book of P. Craig Russell was born before the film adaptation.

Expenditure

• Coraline, illustrated by Dave McKean, HarperCollins, New York 2002, ISBN 0-380-97778-8.
• Coraline. Arena, German by Cornelia Krutz -Arnold, Würzburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-401-06445-1.