imminent danger. Lines 29 through 32 of “The Little Girl Lost” contain the pivotal point of interdiction where the tension mounts and it is apparent that Lyca is in trouble. Blake writes, “Frowning frowning night, O’er this desart bright, Let thy moon arise, While I close my eyes.” However, Lyca mustn’t close her eyes. She should leave the area as soon as possible because the beasts of prey come out in the evening. The third function is called violation and it occurs when the interdiction has been violated. Lyca does close her eyes and “Sleeping Lyca lay; While the beasts of prey, Come from caverns deep, View’d the maid asleep.” It is at the juncture that the villain usually appears. In “The Little Girl Lost” the lion is presumed to be the villain. “The kingly lion stood, And the virgin view’d, Then he gambold round, O’ver the hallowed ground” shows who the villain is and that he is potentially an immediate threat to the hero. The fourth function of the dramatis personae is called the reconnaissance. The villain tries to determine where to bring the victim. The lion watches Lyca while the leopards and tigers play around her. The fifth function is referred to as delivery and it is when the villain gets his or her answer. The lion gets his answer from the lioness in lines 49 through 51. The lines read, “While the lioness, Loos’d her slender dress, And naked they convey’d, To caves the sleeping maid.” The lion and the lioness are going to bring Lyca to their cave.The sixth function is called trickery and it is used by the villain to take possession of the hero or the hero’s belongings. The lion licks the neck and bosom of the child in a seemingly benevolent manner, but is he going to be gentle with her or is he going to eat her? This is where the pattern breaks. [Note: Propp’s functions continue u...
