A start that reminded me of a Fawlty Towers episode where Basil is trying to hang a picture and keeps getting interrupted with various other jobs, theA start that reminded me of a Fawlty Towers episode where Basil is trying to hang a picture and keeps getting interrupted with various other jobs, then it completely switches to a kafkaesque style, reminding me heavily of The Trial: Franz Kafka. Then we end with something like Little, Big or Narnia.
A delightful little tale. How much more Tolkien is there outside Middle Earth?...more
I've never read a book by Donaldson. I've certainly seen them, pretty much everywhere I go. After reading this essay I'm now very keen to give him a gI've never read a book by Donaldson. I've certainly seen them, pretty much everywhere I go. After reading this essay I'm now very keen to give him a go.
Donaldson's analysis is superb. In searching for why his book was so successful he questions first what Epic Fantasy is and then why it is so popular. I can't summarise his points better than he can. So here are some of them.
Donaldson on what fantasy is
Fantasy is a form of fiction in which the internal crises or conflicts or processes of the characters are dramatized as if they were external individuals or events.
Crudely stated, this means that in fantasy the characters meet themselves - or parts of themselves, their own needs/problems/exigencies - as actors on the stage of the story, and so the internal struggle to deal with those needs/problems/exigencies is played out as an external struggle in the action of the story.
A comparison between fantasy and realistic fiction.
A somewhat oversimplified way to make the same point is by comparing fantasy to realistic, mainstream fiction. In realistic fiction, the characters are expressions of their world, whereas in fantasy the world is an expressions of the characters. Even if you argue that realistic fiction is about the characters, and that the world they live in is just one tool to express them, it remains true that the details which make up their world come from a recognized body of reality – tables, chairs, jobs, stresses which we all acknowledge as being external and real, forceful on their own terms. In fantasy, however, the ultimate justification for all the external details arises from the characters themselves. The characters confer reality on their surroundings.
Why the "epic" has changed in scope over time
What I'm getting at is probably obvious by now. The history of the "epic" is a history of the shrinking perception of what it means to be human. Century after century, as we become more sophisticated, and our communicative and technological and societal tools become more complex, our perception of ourselves becomes smaller and smaller. In Beowulf's time, people themselves had the capacity for "epic" achievements. By Milton's time, people had become virtually irrelevant to the "epic."
You can read the whole thing for free on Donaldson's website and if you read fantasy you definitely should.
While trying to do Penelope right I feel like Atwood still does her dirty. By bringing the maids in as the real victims she minimises Penelope's own sWhile trying to do Penelope right I feel like Atwood still does her dirty. By bringing the maids in as the real victims she minimises Penelope's own struggles. I also think she undermines Penelope's cleverness and competency with self-doubt and anxiety. It was hard to tell if Atwood sees Penelope as actually in love with Odysseus, that relationship and in some ways the whole book feels undercooked. It's almost as if Atwood can't stand the fact that Penelope might have been in love with Odysseus.
The contemporary position from which Penelope tells the story also didn't sit well with me, even though I accept futurism/sci-fi is part of Atwood's jam. The explicit insertion of feminism into the text is an example of the jarring juxtaposition of modern values and ancient times. I just think the retelling didn't gain anything by having Penelope placed in contemporary times. She could still discuss feminist themes and modern sentiments but tell them from an ancient perspective, describe but not name.
Helen's depiction as a high school mean girl was funny but not particularly nuanced.
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