Abstract
This article examines Diana Wynne Jones's novel from a post-structuralist, Derridean perspective, suggesting that she is always aware of the power of words to define and determine our reality. Concentrating on Howl's Moving Castle, it is shown that there is never a base reality that underpins Jones's fantastical forays into this imaginary, Ingary land; rather, her imaginative constructions proceed to undercut what we once thought was solid ground beneath our feet. In this particular novel, she pays especial attention to the way that words construct the reality of women who, too often, are enslaved by a patriarchal establishment that might not be as secure and overbearing as it first appears.