About book Tales Before Tolkien: The Roots Of Modern Fantasy (2005)
May 28, 2009In all, Anderson has collected 21 stories here, mostly by British authors --though American fantasy is represented, and Ludwig Tieck was of course German. The arrangement of the stories here is chronological, and the editor contributes a brief introduction to the book and short historical/ contextual notes prefacing each story. An appendix gives mini-bio/ bibliographical notes for each contributor, and for a few other genre writers from that era.Only two of the stories here are ones I've read before: Frank Stockton's "The Griffin and the Minor Canon," which I heartily like --he's best known for "The Lady or the Tiger?" (which I view as a gyp of the readers), but deserves to be better known for this one-- and Tieck's "The Elves," which in its tone and treatment of the theme reflects the fact that it was intended for children, but can hold the interest of adult readers, too. So I'm looking forward to the rest, several of which are by authors whose work I haven't read before. More later!Some of these stories, such as Stockton's, ostensibly take place in this world (or at least aren't explicitly set elsewhere). But (at least in the case of the ones I've read so far) the nature of the plots makes the setting, in effect, a fantasy world, without a clear context in the real world, and with creatures like griffins, ogres and fairies treated as matter-of-fact parts of the fauna.Interestingly, Tolkien read MacDonald's "The Golden Key" at least twice in his life, with a very different reaction. In "On Fairy-stories," he praised the tale as one "of power and beauty" which "succeeded" in making the genre "a vehicle of Mystery." Rereading the work in 1964 as an elderly man, however, his critical judgment of it was the opposite; he now found it "ill-written, incoherent, and bad." (By 1965, he deemed MacDonald's whole corpus unreadable, and faulted the author for excessive preachiness.) Arguably, such a drastic 180-degree turnabout in Tolkien's reaction may say more about changes in his taste over time than about the story (and MacDonald, like E. H. Knatchbull-Huggessen in the following story, "Puss-cat Mew," was writing for children, not for adults in their 70s; both tales are British versions of the German idea of kunstmarchen). But my own judgment of this story would come closer to Tolkien's final opinion than his first. It certainly offers beautiful language and imagery, and originality; and the plot is clearly intended to embody a journey symbolism akin to that of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. But the metaphors are murky, we never get to know and feel the two main characters from inside as real people, and the telescoping of time in the fairy realm detracts from character development and ultimately (to this reader) makes the character's lives seem pointless. IMO, it is not the equal of the author's Phantastes (which I would exempt from Tolkien's harsh dismissal)."Puss-cat Mew," on the other hand, struck me as quite an engaging and entertaining story. The idea was suggested by a 19th-century nursery rhyme (quoted at the outset), but the novel treatment was the author's own. There is definitely some mayhem here (and the hero doesn't object to dispatching man-eating ogres and dwarves while they're unconscious or otherwise helpless --in one case, by bashing the victim's brains out). If you can tolerate that, however, the story offers flashes of dry wit (the tone is firmly tongue-in-cheek --especially since the unnamed narrator supposedly overheard the tale being told to a kitten by an older cat; he speaks animal languages, a couple of generations before Dr. Doolittle. :-)), the triumph of pluck, loyalty and virtue over mean-spirited malevolence, and a chaste romance between a couple you can willingly root for. (Here, as often in the actual folklore of fairies, the latter can be romantically interested in humans, and vice versa.)June 23, 2009Since the last installment of this review, I've read 11 more of the stories. All of them are effective and well-written in their way.It could be argued that a few of these are out of place in a fantasy collection. Hodgson's surprisingly Christ-centered "The Baumoff Explosive" is science fiction --soft SF, but the agency of the protagonist's experience (which proves that it isn't wise for ordinary humans to try to relive Christ's spiritual-psychic experience on the Cross) is clearly natural science, not magic. And there is no clearly speculative element in Haggard's "Black Heart and White Heart: A Zulu Idyll," except for the minor one of a Zulu witch-doctoress who seems to wield some real powers; it's essentially a straightforward, excellent morality tale of adventure, rooted in a solid this-world historical context. (This was my first introduction to Haggard's work, though his major novels have been on my to-read list for a long time; I greatly appreciated his realistic evocation of his setting and his willingness to judge people by their character, not their skin color --the highly admirable hero and heroine here are black and the villain white.) "The Drawn Arrow" by Clemence Housman, though it's set in a historically and geographically unspecified ancient/medieval context, has no speculative element either; it's an emotionally harrowing tale of how absolute power and vanity can corrupt and warp a human being, but magic plays no part in the narrative. And Richard Garnett's "The Demon Pope" and Lord Dunsany's "Chu-bu and Sheemish" are set entirely in this world. In fact, though, this isn't strictly a fantasy collection --it's a collection representing works/writers who influenced (or may have influenced) Tolkien, who happened to write fantasy but whose reading was broader, and who was influenced in some ways by writings outside his own preferred genre. Understood that way, the selections make more sense.Andrew Lang's re-telling of "The Story of Sigurd" in modern English follows the outlines of the plot which I had read elsewhere; William Morris' "The Folk of the Mountain Door" (which is actually more of a vivid vignette than a plotted story with conflict and resolution) also evokes an early medieval, pre-Christian atmosphere, with the Old English-infuenced diction that characterizes his fantasy writings. "The Demon Pope" and "The Regent of the North" by Kenneth Morris also have a medieval setting. (The latter, set in Sweden on the cusp of the transition from paganism to Christianity, treats the former respectfully and sympathetically, while not denying the truth claims of the latter, and conveys an understanding of the psychology of some of the pagans who resisted the change, not necessarily for perverse reasons; his treatment of the Norse gods as real persons and Valhalla as a real place isn't incompatible with a Christian world-view, either --though his portrayal of healthy wolves attacking a human is incompatible with what we know about actual lupine behavior. :-)) On the other hand, Baum's "The Enchanted Buffalo," like all his fantasy, has a distinctly American --here, Native American-- flavor, bringing us into a realm of the supposed early world where anthropomorphic animals could talk, creating a tale reminiscent of the Indian mythology on which its clearly modeled; and Lord Dunsany's story takes place in an unspecified Third World milieu, probably Asian. (That story, too, presents pagan gods as "real" in a sense; the idols are sentient, and wield some power --but their power is so minute, and used in the service of such petty jealousy, that they come across as pathetic and ridiculous; and that's quite probably the perspective with which many ancient Hebrews, faithful to Yahweh, would have viewed them.) Buchan's "The Far Islands" (my first introduction to his work, too!) is set in the author's own time --but it suggests that beyond our everyday world, there are other dimensions that only some people are favored to see.Nov. 6, 2009Of the last six selections here, the one by E. A. Wyke-Smith proved to be an excerpt from his 1927 novel The Marvellous Land of Snergs. I didn't read it; but I've now read the remaining five, and was thoroughly pleased with most of them. "The Coming of the Terror" is actually a condensed version of Machen's novella The Terror (1916; original title, The Great Terror), the version Century Magazine created for the first American printing in 1917. Machen himself, however, allowed that their shortening of the original, which I haven't read, was done "with a skill that was really remarkable;" and I would say that for achieving the effect of concentrated terror (it's well-titled, believe me!), the length here is perfect. It's not really a work of fantasy (it's set in England, against the brooding, paranoid backdrop of World War I, mostly in the mountain-hemmed, lonely country valleys of a remote Welsh county), but since the lethal goings-on are never definitively explained --that's part of the horror, of course, as Machen well understood!-- it's hard to define the genre; the narrator's preferred psycho-spiritual explanation doesn't involve magic as such, but is so mystical that science-fiction purists wouldn't be apt to claim it either. (It's certainly not in the "hard" SF tradition.) What it is, though, is a very effective work (more effective, IMO, than the better-known "The Great God Pan," my only previous introduction to Machen's work) of mounting, claustrophobic horror, with a good philosophical point at the end.David Lindsay's "A Christmas Play" is indeed a play (though not really about Christmas --that day just happens to provide the setting), but it can be read like fiction; written apparently in the 1930s but never published or performed before, it's printed here for the first time. It's a sweet, delightful modern literary fairy tale of moral testing and virtue rewarded, perfectly crafted by the author. (I never got far into his novel A Voyage to Arcturus, being completely unable to get into it; but this shows a whole different side to his creativity.In their different ways, the remaining three works all treat the theme of human man encountering female elf, with resultant romantic interest; but the authors' ways of handling this theme are very different. "The Thin Queen of Elfhame," by James Branch Cabell, is by far the least satisfactory of the trio; it's basically an expression of jaded total cynicism about the very possibility of fulfilling romantic or family relations, because it views the male nature as too inherently flawed to sustain them. But A. Merritt's "The Woman of the Wood" and the Appalachian-set "The Elf Trap" by Francis Stevens (whose real name was Gertrude Barrows Bennett, and whose work I encountered here for the very first time --hopefully not the last!) are powerful, beautiful, poignant and bittersweet masterpieces that fully realize the emotional possibilities of the motif.Altogether, this is an outstanding collection that I'd enthusiastically recommend! There's also a companion volume, Tales Before Narnia, which collects fantasy that may have influenced C. S. Lewis; I'm hoping eventually to read (and review) it as well.
This anthology pulls together 21 short stories and one short play to explore the wide variety of influences on the writer who has long been regarded as the father of modern fantasy. Authors range from the iconic (L. Frank Baum) to the virtually unknown (Clemence Housman). Anderson includes commentary for each piece, highlighting possible connections with Tolkien's work."The Elves" by Ludwig Tieck >> A "literary fairy tale" in the German tradition and illustrates the dangers of visiting with fairies."The Golden Key" by George MacDonald >> A mystical tale of a boy and a girl who embark on a lifelong quest meeting several magical personages along the way. "Puss-Cat Mew" by E. H. Knatchbull-Hugessen >> A story of a young man and a cat (in reality the favorite daughter of the Fairy Queen) against evil ogres and dwarves. An added bonus is when the fairies deign to speak in prose rather than verse. "The Griffin and the Minor Canon" by Frank R. Stockton >> A delightful yarn about the friendship between a clergy man and a monster."The Demon Pope" by Richard Garnett >> A tongue-in-cheek story of Satan and the Sacred College. What would happen if the Wvil Prince becomes the Head of Vatican?"The Story of Sigurd" retold by Andrew Lang >> An abbreviated version of the Nibelungenlied."The Folk of the Mountain Door" by William Morris >> A mystical tale of a god and goddess attending a naming rite of a newborn prince in a Norse-like kingdom."Black Heart and White Heart" by H. Rider Haggard >> A story of an English gentleman who tries to steal the lover of a Zulu woman."The Dragon Tamers" by E. Nesbit >> Describes the trials of a poor dragon who is always outwitted by one family."The Far Islands" by John Buchan >> Tells of a boy whose family is obsessed by the Western Isles and uses vivid descriptions of landscapes strikingly similar to that of Middle Earth."The Drawn Arrow" by Clemence Housman >> A story of the gratitude of kings and the trials they delight in imposing upon others just to keep loyalty in check. "The Enchanted Buffalo" by L. Frank Baum >> A yarn about treachery and revenge within the Royal Tribe of the buffaloes."Chu-bu and Sheemish" by Lord Dunsany >> A fable about jealous petty gods."The Baumhoff Explosive" by William Hope Hodgson >> A cautionary tale about becoming too much like Christ."The Regent of the North" by Kenneth Morris >> A tale about a Viking who will not forswear his religion for Christianity."The Coming of the Terror" by Arthur Machen >> A suspense story about frightening events in England during World War I. "The Elf Trap" by Francis Stevens >> Relates the strange experiences of a Professor of Biology who meets a beautiful young lady in the back woods."The Thin Queen of Elfhame" by James Branch Cabell >> The story of a man who unintentionally finds true love."The Woman of the Wood" by A. Merritt >> Discloses the murderous actions of a man who loved a coppice. "Golithos the Ogre" by E. A. Wyke-Smith >> Tells of the vegetarian ogre who has two plump children as house guests."The Story of Alwina" by Austin Tappan Wright >> An excerpt about the history of Queen Alwina of Islandia. "A Christmas Play" by David Lindsay >> Recounts the efforts of the fairy Emerald to find husbands for three sisters when there are only two princes available.Some of these authors are known to have influenced Tolkien, but all wrote on themes which Tolkien would probably have admired. All the authors were chosen to be at least five years older than Tolkien. Others are not actually mentioned by Tolkien but possibly had an influence on him, while still others were probably not read by him but are indicative of the state of fantasy at the time he was active. None of these stories really measure up to Tolkien's standards (but then, what does?) but many are quite interesting and enjoyable to read.Book Details: Title Tales Before Tolkien: The Roots of Modern Fantasy Author Edited by Douglas A. AndersonReviewed By Purplycookie
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A great albeit (still) a flawed collection, but I'm giving this four stars because I enjoyed the stories so fully, and because I think it is a much needed book giving a look at pre-Tolkien Fantasy. Even though I have still to read the accompanying book Tales Before Narnia: The Roots of Modern Fantasy and Science Fiction, I have a gut feeling that it would make Tales Before Tolkien: The Roots of Modern Fantasy an even better collection. As a book looking at a selection of Fantasy short stories written before Tolkien, this is a truly great book and one I would definitely recommend, but as a book attempting to show the tales that have inspired Tolkien its (inevitably) a flawed collection. He was deeply passionate about ancient and medieval myth and legends; notably Finnish and Icelandic tales. This book only presents tales written during the 19th century, though does include Andrew Lang's beautiful re-telling of the classic The Story of Sigurd (which was first published in his The Red Fairy Book (1890) collection, part of his influential Fairy Books of Many Colors). But yes, Tolkien certainly read a lot of fiction in the genres that interested him (with an emphasis on ancient and medieval texts) - some he loved, some he liked, and some he did not... His tastes also changed over time. This book is a good indicator of some of the stories he might have absorbed.Full review to come. Essential Tolkien:
—ClassicMaiden
E, finalmente, após uma longa pausa, voltamos ao velho projeto dos Mestres da Fantasia antes de Tolkien! Ultimamente andei variando um pouco mais o cardápio de leituras (ou não..., depende do ponto de vista), de forma que deixei um pouco o gênero de lado... até decidir tirar da estante esse Tales before Tolkien, uma coletânea de contos fantásticos escritos antes da publicação de O Hobbit.Tinha comprado esse livro ano passado, como parte do meu presente de aniversário de mim para mim mesma, tencionando lê-lo como parte das pesquisas para o especial sobre Tolkien. Só que, quando ele veio chegar aqui em casa, eu já tinha terminado de publicar o especial, de forma que ele terminou entrando na lista de espera indefinidamente......ou até agora.Alguns dos autores apresentados na coletânea já me eram conhecidos e já passaram aqui pelo Coruja, como Lord Dunsany - que aqui nos é apresentado com o deliciosamente irônico Chu-bu and Sheemish e George MacDonald, cujo The Golden Key fez Tolkien começar uma introdução e terminar com uma história totalmente diversa, Smith of Wootton Major.Outros tantos eu nem sonhava que existiam, ou conhecia mas não os tinha associado a essa minha lista. Sabe deus porque nunca pensei em ver a data em que Frank Baum escreveu o seu O Mágico do Oz e como assim o Haggard de As Minas do Rei Salomão escreveu fantasia?Um leitor de Tolkien reconhecerá muitos personagens e situações ao longo das histórias que desfilam pelas páginas dessa antologia – reconhecimento que se completa com as pequenas introduções do editor, que observa quais desses autores sabidamente eram conhecidos do ourives do Anel. Há dragões, elfos, duendes, deuses e demônios, heróis e magos.Meus favoritos foram o já citado Chu-bu and Sheemish, em que dois deuses menores disputam seguidores tentando praticar milagres (que reiterou minha impressão de que Dunsany é melhor apreciado em pequenas doses); The Elf Trap, de Francis Steven, no qual um professor de biologia cético acaba por se apaixonar por uma princesa elfa que ecoa na tradição germânica desses seres; The Griffin and the Minor Canon, de Frank Stockton e The Dragon-tamers, de E. Nesbit – ambas histórias em que o fantástico colide com o mundano, o trivial e cotidiano e que por baixo do humor fácil apresentam uma bela moral.Não posso esquecer de citar também Richard Garnett e Arthur Machen (que influenciou grandemente ninguém menos que Lovecraft), cujos contos foram os que mais me deram pausa para reflexão – o primeiro com o seu The Demon Pope, onde um santo faz um acordo com o diabo e acaba por se tornar Papa e o segundo em The Coming of the Terror, que te mantém em suspense e paranóia no meio do caos de uma guerra silenciosa.É uma bela coleção de histórias, com estilos e vozes muito diferentes entre si – mas que se harmonizam na proposta do livro. Uma leitura bem interessante para quem quer que se interesse pela literatura fantástica – especialmente por nos apresentar o mundo de antes da Fantasia, tal como entendemos hoje, nascer.
—Luciana Darce
Although the cover says, "Classic stories that inspired the author of The Lord of the Rings." In fact, though, only some of the stories in this anthology are known for sure to have influenced Tolkien. The rest are stories by authors Tolkien liked or that were popular during Tolkien's life.Still, I understand much better the foundation Tolkien stood on, so I consider reading the book worthwhile for that alone.I would not recommend this book for pleasure reading. There are some good stories, particularly in the latter half of the book. My favorite was "Black Heart and White Heart: A Zulu Idyll" by H. Rider Haggard, which could hold its own in today's market, I think. On the other hand, the book contains fifty pages of the dreadful "Puss-cat Mew: by E.H. Knatchbull-Hugessen. This story was a favorite of Tolkien's when he was a child, and echoes of it show up in The Lord of the Rings, so it has a legitimate place in the anthology, but it's not a fun read.
—Shauna
