In Conclusion...

White space is not a binary element - present or absent, nor is it a meaningless part of page design. The decision to include white space and in what capacity in a creative work is an intentional one, and informs how we the audience may interact with and understand a piece. For instance, in The Well at the World's End, there are full-page spreads which accompany the beginning of each chapter, whereas in The Language of Thorns, the spreads accompany the end of each chapter. Additionally, both The Well at the World's End and House of Ghosts allow illustrative elements to overlap and intersect with textual elements, unlike The Language of Thorns which always keeps text and image separated. The particular impact that these choices might have is outside the scope of this project, but the knowledge that we can take away from this relates more to white space as an idea: There is no one "default" way to use - or not use - white space, and every decision has meaning. Illustrations, too, are intentionally included or excluded. Both their content and their form, as well as how they may or may not interact with any text, are elements that can be used to communicate a message to the reader.