Line #27 Literature/TheRemarkableJourneyOfPrinceJen


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/prince_jen.png]]
2	''The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen'' is a fantasy novel by Creator/LloydAlexander. While it has similar ComingOfAge themes to his ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfPrydain'', it's wrapped in Chinese mythos and philosophy.
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4	Prince Jen agrees to go on a journey to find the legendary court of [[{{Utopia}} T'ien-Kuo]], seeking the wisdom there to govern properly. In exchange for the opportunity to obtain said wisdom, he carries six seemingly humble gifts: a saddle, a sword, a paint box, a bowl, a kite, and a flute. Setting out with his trusty servant Mafoo and loyal guardsman Li Kwang and his men, Jen discovers that the world is a far more harsh place than he thought, and that T'ien-Kuo might not be so easily reached.
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6	Along the way, he travels and meets various characters, including the brave but clever flute-girl Voyaging Moon, the robber (with peculiar standards) Moxa, and the bloodthirsty bandit lord Natha Yellow Scarf. As he and the others around him gradually find out, there is far more to the gifts than meets the eye, and some of them have the power to reshape the world...
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8	!!This book provides examples of:
9	* AnAesop: The final lesson of the book, delivered by Master Hu: [[spoiler:the ideal place to live is the one you build for yourself.]]
10	* AndIMustScream: Li Kwang and his men after falling victim for TakenForGranite. All can they do is slowly march forward inch by inch. [[spoiler:They march for months just so they can save Jen and thus break the curse.]]
11	* AndNowYouMustMarryMe: Natha to Voyaging Moon. [[spoiler:She agrees to buy time until Natha can be stopped.]]
12	* ArtInitiatesLife: The paint box gives the artist using it the power to do this. However, there is one caveat: a friendly tiger spirit named Lao-hu will always appear in one of the paintings. [[spoiler:Said tiger spirit is what kills Natha in the end.]]
13	* AxCrazy: Natha, [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation possibly]]. See MaybeMagicMaybeMundane.
14	* BigBad: Natha Yellow Scarf.
15	* BreakingTheFellowship: A rafting accident splits the group apart, leaving Jen and Voyaging Moon to fend for themselves while Moxa and Mafoo are together.
16	* EccentricMentor: Five of them: Master Hu, Master Wu, Master Fu, Master Shu, and Master Chu. All of them help or advise Jen at different points.
17	* EvenEvilHasStandards: Moxa humorously comments on this when he jokes that he should have been a merchant, as there are no standards there, unlike the ones he holds to as a robber.
18	** Natha is described as having some honour, despite his career as a bandit, before he got hold of the thirsty sword (or [[EmpathicWeapon it got hold of him]]).
19	* FromNobodyToNightmare: Natha Yellow Scarf was once an ordinary farmer who turned to banditry after being cheated out of his land by a greedy landlord and a bribed magistrate.
20	* GuileHeroine: Voyaging Moon. All she has is her own wits and her skill at flute playing, but she makes them work.
21	* HeroicBSOD:
22	** Fragrance of Orchid, due to her parents' deaths. Jen gives her the kite, which manages to break her out of it.
23	** Jen himself, courtesy of "Master Cangue" (an elaborate form of stocks he is forced to wear). Moxa and Mafoo find him and free him (both from "Master Cangue" and from the BSOD).
24	* IceCreamKoan: Master Shu indulges in these frequently, much to Mafoo's annoyance.
25	* InWhichATropeIsDescribed: A slight variant happens at the start of every chapter.
26	* KindheartedCatLover: Chen Cho, though his feline companion is a magical tiger named Lao-Hu who is capable of talking and occasionally gives Chen Cho advice, so Lao-Hu is less a pet and more a confidant/traveling companion.
27	* LossOfIdentity: Jen, after being broken by "Master Cangue".
28	* LovableRogue: Moxa, who follows the "Precepts of Honorable Robbery". These include rules never to rob from recent robbery victims or from royalty.
29	* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: It is very vague whether the sword itself is an EmpathicWeapon that urges Natha to commit so many atrocities after he takes it, or if he's just that AxCrazy and holding the sword brings his worst out.
30	* OnTheNext: Yes, this is a book invoking this, and it does so at the end of every chapter.
31	* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Prince Jen, obviously. According to the tales of T'ien-Kuo, its emperor Yuan-ming also falls under this.
32	* SanitySlippage: Jen gradually loses it as he tries to free himself from "Master Cangue". This leads to his LossOfIdentity.
33	* StageName: Voyaging Moon becomes Lady Shadow Behind a Screen. This is mainly done to [[spoiler:avoid drawing the attention of Natha while she searches for Jen]]. It doesn't work out.
34	* TakenForGranite: What happens to Li Kwang and his men, all because they slept in Wu-Shan. [[spoiler:They finally break the curse by helping to save Jen from Natha.]]
35	* ToBeLawfulOrGood: Jen runs into this problem when trying to decide whether to continue his journey to T'ien-Kuo or to search for Voyaging Moon. He decides that he's no longer worthy of being royalty anyway, and thus finding Voyaging Moon is more important.
36	* ToThePain: A mild version (given this is a children's novel, this is understandable):
37	-->'''Natha:''' Poor fools, both of you. Have you seen a man killed? A head roll in the dirt? Oh, you will. You'll smell real blood. Then find out how long your bravery lasts. I'll hear you scream for mercy.

Context Literature / TheRemarkableJourneyOfPrinceJen