Undulating Ungulate

The moose recently had the pleasure to read The King of Elfland’s Daughter. Sort of a long overdue mental vacation, reading some fine fantasy. Regarded as Lord Dunsany’s finest novel, TKOED is pretty fine, and the influence on Lovecraft (especially the Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath) and Clark Ashton Smith is clear.

Were it written today it would be considered unconventional. Certainly there are some peculiar byways; but then Dunsany was writing before the conventions of modern fantasy were Tolkienised. He shares the majesterial narrative sweep of Eddison, though writes with a much lighter touch. The prose is fine and possesses its own magic; the power of repetition, an oral lore rekindled, as phrases grow and grow beyond their words, as we shift between “the fields we know” to the castle “which may only be spoken of in song”.

TKOED is thoroughly remarkable. The fiftieth page would see the end of most tales; the beautiful bride is won and returned from Elfland, wedded to the prince with the magic sword, and they have a child. What happens next is another 200 pages of the wholly unexpected. Dunsany writes as a pure fabulist. Fancy is his guide, wonder his touchstone, and a breathtaking sense of magic permeates the whole. This is fantasy of the purest sort. No good or evil or epic battles, no dragons or fat sequels. Just magic and aching beauty, with occasional deft illumination of human nature, and an enormous sense of fun.

I think I really needed that to remind me what fantasy can be.

Filed by billy at 3:39 am under reading
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