NetNews Usenet Archive 1993 #3/NN_1993_3.iso/spool/alt/fan/tolkien/2071

Text File | 1993-01-27 | 3.6 KB | 66 lines

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From: [e-mail] (Rich Alderson)
Subject: Re: Fandom
In-Reply-To: [e-mail] (Joseph Dzikiewicz)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
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Sender: [e-mail] (Mr News)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Rich Alderson)
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Date: Tue, 26 Jan 93 15:52:55 GMT
Lines: 51

In article <[e-mail]>, dzik@access (Joseph Dzikiewicz) writes:
>In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Stephen Watson) writes:

>>Note that "Earthsea" (with the possible exception of the 4th book) was, like
>>the Hobbit, intended as children's literature (at least so I believe).
>
>My impression is that "Earthsea" is more for what is called the "young adult"
>market then as children's literature.  A fine distinction, I know.
>
>In any event, whether for children, young adults, or adults, "Earthsea" is
>excellent.  And, in fact, there are many other fantasy gems that can be found
>in the young adult section of the bookstore.  I'd also recommend "The
>Chronicles of Prydain", five books by Lloyd Alexander starting with "The book
>of three" and proceeding through four others.  Highly recommended, and
>excellent fantasy with the emphasis being the coming of age of the central
>character, Taran the assistant pig-keeper.

There is apparently a sixth volume that collects some short stories set in the
same milieu, that of the _Mabinogion_.  I've only seen it mentioned in offers
from the Science Fiction Book Club, so I don't know about its general availa-
bility.

However, these have almost no sense of history behind them, are rather simply
rollicking good tales based on Welsh myth and legend.

>Also, as long as we're talking about fantasy novels, how about the spate of
>books based on the Arthur legends?  My favorites are "The Once and Future
>King" and "The Mists of Avalon".  I find that these have a significant amount
>of depth, perhaps because they are based on real legends.  (Although the
>things TH White does to history in "The Once and Future King" are a bit of a
>stretch.  He replaces William the Conqueror with Uther Pendragon and proceeds
>to make Arthur an early Norman.)

Well, White simply made explicit what the usual treatments of Arthurian legend
did anyway, which is to say, he moved it out of the darkness of 4th century
Britain into the light of 12th century troubadours' songs of chivalry.  (I
liked the dates assigned to Uther Pendragon:  1066-1215.)

Most of what we think of as Arthurian is derived from Chretien de Troyes and
his confreres, based in turn on Geoffry of Monmouth, rather than on the
_Mabinogion_.  I can't address the Bradley book, since I still haven't gotten
around to it, but Stewart's books were very interesting--G of M, Layamon, and
_Mabinogion_.

But again, none of them answer to the question posed originally:  A single
author's invention with the same feel of long history behind it, all invented.
--
Rich Alderson   'I wish life was not so short,' he thought.  'Languages take
                such a time, and so do all the things one wants to know about.'
                                                        --J. R. R. Tolkien,
[e-mail]                              _The Lost Road_