49 pages • 1 hour read
Cressida CowellHow to Train Your Dragon
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2003A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Literary Devices
Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of a consonant sound on the first syllable (or the first major syllable) of a word. While much of modern English poetry rhymes, Old English speakers preferred alliteration. A line of poetry consisted of four major beats, of which at least three—often the first three—began with the same letter, such as the “f” sound in this (translated) line from Beowulf: “Since erst he lay / friendless, a foundling, fate repaid him” (Unknown. “Beowulf (Trans. by Francis B. Gummere)” Poetry Foundation, Lines 6-7).
In absence of surnames, Viking royalty would give their children names that alliterated with their own. The protagonist’s full name, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, follows the format of a line of poetry. Cowell furthers this, adding that he is “the Hope and Heir to the Tribe of the Hairy Hooligans” (2). Alliteration pops up often in the novel, with phrases such as “terrifying, toothless terrapin” (26) and “Dirty Danes and pirate princesses” (52).
Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing occurs when a story drops clues about something that will happen. Since Vikings practiced divination, it follows suit that the novel lets the reader glimpse into its own future as well. Snotlout sending Hiccup into the dragon lair first foreshadows the Vikings sending him to face the Green Death. Hiccup’s conversation with his soothsayer grandfather also outlines several ideas that appear later in the book, such as explaining the size of Sea Dragons, the uselessness of yelling at one, and the fact that an approach to brute-force violence will fail them in the end.
When Gobber offers the boys advice, readers can predict that the dragons will wake up: “In the unlikely event that you DO wake the dragons—and you would have to be IDIOTICALLY STUPID to do so—run like thunder for the entrance to the cave” (4). This type of foreshadowing is often called “Chekhov’s gun,” after Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, who stated that if a playwright placed a loaded gun in full view of the audience, that gun must be fired by the end of the play. The philosophy is that every element of a story is necessary to the story. When Gobber tells the boys what to do should the dragons wake up, readers know the information applies to future events.
Anachronism
A story element out of place for the time period of the setting is an anachronism. These elements are common in fiction, though not always intentional. In fantasy, labeling something as anachronistic is difficult, but Cowell sticks closely to a setting resembling the historical Viking era. Anything not belonging to Northern Europe of the Middle Ages stands as out-of-place.
How To Train Your Dragon contains one consistent anachronistic element—our modern culture of books and literacy. Medieval books were rare and extremely expensive, not something that would be left near fire. They did not have publishers or a copyright; instead, they would be copied by whoever owned them for whoever had enough money to pay for another book to be made. And while it was uncommon for warriors to know how to read, Cowell plays that off as a deficiency of intelligence in the Hairy Hooligan Tribe. The book’s anachronisms serve to connect readers to the story and to make the themes of literacy stand out and become more relevant.
Allusion
An allusion is a reference to a work of art or literature within another story. This could come in the form of a character mentioning or reading a book, or it can be a more subtle reference. Cowell makes subtle references to Medieval literature and other fantasy novels within How to Train Your Dragon. Gobber tells the boys, “The first and most dangerous part is a test of your courage and skill at burglary” (3). The unusual choice of the term “burglary” for entering a dragon’s den calls J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit to mind, in which the protagonist Bilbo Baggins is hired as a burglar to steal treasure from the dragon Smaug. Cowell’s Sea Dragon names himself the Green Death, just as Smaug, in a long passage identifying himself and his reputation, refers to his breath as death. However, this could also allude—as did Tolkien’s burglar—to the Viking poem Beowulf, in which a thief steals a cup from a dragon’s hoard, sending the beast into a rampage. Additionally, Cowell offers several mythological allusions throughout the book and frequently draws upon Norse mythology.
