INKHEART

Setting the Scene

Inkheart takes place in Italy and the story is mostly developed in two places:
Elinor’s house and Capricorn’s village.

The story begins when Dustfinger enters in Mo’s house to visit him. Then
Mo and his daughter, Maggie, travel to Elinor´s house which is located in the north
of Italy:

“For a moment she thought he was going to tell her everything — whatever
there was to tell. But then he shook his head. "No, of course not," he said,
putting the sandwiches he had made into a plastic bag. "Your mother has an
aunt called Elinor. We visited her once, when you were very small. She's
been wanting me to come and put her books in order for a long time. She
lives beside a lake in the north of Italy, I always forget which lake, but it's a
lovely place, a day's drive away." He did not look at her as he spoke.”
(Chapter 2, pp.11)

Maggie’s aunt’s house is behind an iron gate flanked on both sides by

thorny hedges. Right beside the gate, there is a sign which states: PRIVATE
PROPERTY. NO UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY. According to Mo, Elinor copied this
entrance from a picture in a book. Though Meggie said that it reminds her of a
children story, The Selfish Giant.

"Where does she live, then?" asked Meggie, stifling a yawn. "Not behind that
spiky gate?" "Actually, yes. This is the entrance to her property. Not very
inviting, is it?" Mo laughed and led Meggie across the road. "Elinor is very
proud of this gate. She had it specially made. It's copied from a picture in a
book. […]

Actually, yes. This is the entrance to her property. Not very inviting, is it?"
Mo laughed and led Meggie across the road. "Elinor is very proud of this
gate. She had it specially made. It's copied from a picture in a book." "A
picture of the Selfish Giant's garden?" murmured Meggie, peering through
the intricately twining iron bars. "The Selfish Giant?" Mo laughed. "No, I
think it was another story. (Chapter 4, pp.21)

"What are you doing?" asked Meggie in alarm. "We can't just drive in." For
there was a sign beside the door, still clearly legible even if some of the
letters were partly hidden by the leaves of the hedge: PRIVATE PROPERTY.
NO UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY. Meggie didn't think it sounded very inviting.
(Chapter 4, pp.22)

As for Elinor’s house, Meggie describes it as beautiful but somewhat dark.

The house has light yellow plaster and green shutters. It is suggested that the
house is so big that Meggie could not count its windows. Inside, there are many
rooms filled with books:

“She tried to count the windows, but soon gave up.” (Chapter 4, pp.22)

"How many books do you have?" asked Meggie. She had grown up among
piles of books, but even she couldn't imagine there were books behind all
the windows of this huge house. Elinor inspected her again, this time with
unconcealed contempt. "How many?" she repeated. "Do you think I count
them like buttons or peas? A very, very great many. There are probably more
books in every single room of this house than you will ever read...” (Chapter
4, pp.24)

The second part of the story takes place in Capricorn’s village which is an
imaginary set located in Liguria, a coastal region of north-western Italy, whose
Capital City is Genoa:

"There," he said. "Capricorn's village is right there." Elinor looked over his
shoulder. "Liguria," she said. "Aha. And what is the name of this village, if I
may ask? Capricornia?" She was examining Dustfinger's face as if tracing
his scars with her eyes.” (Chapter 12, pp.58)
 Capricorn’s village is a small and abandoned town somewhere in Italy
conquered by Capricorn, upon arriving to the world where the story takes place. It
seems to be a dark place where evil things may happen. This village, is the place
where he takes Mo, Elinor and Meggie as prisoners. It is also where the final battle
against the Shadow began. Funke gives us a description of Capricorn's village
through Maggie’s eyes:

“Meggie saw old houses of gray, rough-hewn stone, with a pale church
tower rising above the rooftops. Many of the houses looked empty as they
passed, going down alleys so narrow that Meggie felt they could close in on
her. Some of the houses had no roofs, others were little more than a couple
of walls partly fallen in. It was dark in Capricorn's village. Only a few lamps
were on in the streets, hanging from masonry arches above the alleyways. At
last they reached a small square. The church with the tower they had seen
from a distance stood on one side of the square, and not far away, divided
from it by a narrow hallway, there was a large two-story house, which did not
look at all derelict. This square was better lit than the rest of the village, with
four lanterns casting menacing shadows on the paving stones.” (Chapter
13, pp.69)
 INKHEART

Plot
Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart is a novel of magic realism which takes place in
an imaginary world. In 2007, based on an online poll, the National Education
Association named the book one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children"

This story is about a twelve years old girl, Maggie, who lives with her father
Mo, a book doctor, and her mother Teresa who disappeared when she was a baby.
One night, Meggie sees a stranger who is staring at her from outside her window
so she tells her father about it. Then, Mo invites the stranger who introduces
himself as Dustfinger, to enter in the house which makes Meggie realizes that Mo
and Dustfinger already know each other. This man warns Mo that Capricorn and
his followers are looking for him and his Inkheart book copy. So, he advices Mo to
flee from his house. Consequently, in the next morning, Mortimer takes his
daughter and the strange man and go where Elinor, Meggie’s aunt, lives. At that
time, Meggie does not know exactly why they are scaping and why Dustfinger calls
his father Silvertongue.

As the story continues, at Elinor’s House, she discovers that her aunt has a
big passion for books which she calls her “children”. Elinor lives in a big house and
has many rooms which are filled with books. Then, Mo asks her to hide the book
Inkheart for him. That night, Dustfinger betrays them because Capricorns promised
him he would help him go back home. So, Capricorns’ army break into the house
and take Mo as a prisoner and a book they though was Inkheart.

After that, Dustfinger returns to Elinor’s house under Capricorn’s orders and
convinces Meggie and Elinor to try to rescue Mo from Capricorn's hidden village in
the Italian foothills. Then, Meggie pulls out the real Inkheart book, which was only
there because Elinor had switched Inkheart with another book, making Mo take the
wrong book when captured. When they arrive at Capricorn’s village, they are
caught sneaking into the village and Capricorn sends them into the cell where Mo
is held.

Later, Meggie encourages Mo to tell the truth about Inkheart book. So she
discovers that his father has an unusual talent which consists of bringing
characters out of book by reading aloud. She also discovers that Mo accidentally
had sent his wife Teresa into the book called Inkheart. At the same time, he reads
three characters out of the book: Dustfinger with his pet Gwin, the evil Capricorn
and Basta, a knives master.

Surprisingly, with Dustfinger’s help, they scape from Capricorn and travel to
a nearby village where Fenoglio, the author of Inkheart, lives. Unfortunately, Basta
recaptures Meggie and Fenoglio. Moreover, Meggie realizes that she shares her
father’s gift bringing a character out of the book Peter Pan. Consequently,
Capricorn discovers Meggie’s talent and want to use her instead his father, to bring
an evil character out of the book Inkheart: the Shadow. This evil creature will
execute Dustfinger, the maid Resa and Basta, who is captured after failing to follow
Capricorn’s commands. Furthermore, Meggie realizes that the maid Resa is
actually her mother Teresa.

Finally, Fenoglio writes a different ending for the book Inkheart and gives it
Meggie to read loudly in the execution ceremony. While the ceremony is taking
place, Mo sets fire to the village with the aid of a young man, Farid, whom he read
out from another book. After that, Meggie starts to read and the Shadow appears in
front of her, but fortunately she reads Fenoglio’s ending and put an end to
Capricorn and all his men, except Basta. As for the Shadow, it vanishes slowly and
all people and creatures who once were killed appeared again. So now, Meggie
reunites with Mo and her Mother Teresa and of course her aunt Elinor.