"They lay that night in a grove of strawberry trees"
--THE WORM OUROBOROS , Chapter XXVIII, page 334
So, I'm nearing the end of my slow and careful re-read of THE WORM OUROBOROS. I first read this in the summer of 1980, which means that's probably when I managed to track down a copy,. I'd have been aware of it for several years before that via sources such as Lin Carter's LOOK BEHIND THE LORD OF THE RINGS (which I'd in turn come across at our local WalMart on 3/25-76, a Thursday).
This current reading is (I think) my fourth time through (at least).
My most recent reading had been for my CLASSICS OF FANTASY column on E.R.E. (March 2003. I found that reading it now I remembered the plot and characters and certain vivid details but had forgotten all the mountain climbing bits. They reminded me of all the whaling chapters in MOBY DICK. Is this how wrong-headed people who think THE LORD OF THE RINGS is too long feel about what they like to refer to as 'the walking bits'?
I did come to appreciate Eddison's descriptive passages when he lovingly describes natural scenes. And his skill with characterization is impressive: there aren't nearly as many spear-carriers as you'd expect in a book this long. Plus there are the two scenes where JRRT clearly borrowed from ERE. Speaking of which I knew about Eddison's borrowing the Induction that starts his book from Shakespeare's TAMING OF THE SHREW but had not fully appreciated how much ERE follows Elizabethan practice in having major events (say, ones that wd be difficult to stage, like a naval battle) take place offstage and be reported aafterwards by an eyewitness.
My conclusion: Eddison came closer than anyone else in the pre-Tolkien era in putting together the elements that, in Tolkien's hands, became the tropes of modern fantasy. All he's missing is hobbits. But that just confirms just how important hobbits are to the mix.
My second conclusion: any man who writes of strawberry trees either is presaging John Lennon by forty-five years or didn't do his own shopping down at the market. Perhaps both.
--John R.
current reading : THE WORM OUROBOROS (just finishing up).
They grow where I live (as well as in Europe), so I just assumed it meant Arbutus unedo.
ReplyDeleteSunuva Gun - There ARE things called Strawberry Trees - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbutus_unedo
ReplyDeleteDear Carolyn and Dear Jeff
ReplyDeleteI had belatedly thought this morning that just as mimosas are called 'silk trees' in some parts, so too there might be a 'strawberry tree' based on some perceived similarity to these berry-vines. And so proves to be the case.
So I leave the post up as a reminder to myself that sometimes I overlook the obvious.
Thanks to Carolyn and to Jeff for the fact-check, which is much appreciated.
--And now to get started on a new book now that I've finished the Eddison (#II.3652 on the reading list). Probably some manga as a change of pace, then perhaps a volume of Averoigne pastiche. We'll see.
--John R.
It could happen to anybody; botanical confusion is a fact of life. Where I grew up silk trees were always called mimosas. I never understood why the drink with orange juice and champagne was called a mimosa since mimosas are pink. Now that I'm on the Other Coast it always confuses me to see "mimosa" applied to some bright yellow-blossomed thing, but at least I now understand why the beverage is so named.
ReplyDeleteDear C P-D
ReplyDeleteYes, for me the tree is 'mimosa' and the drink the derivative. Though I have some friends out here (originating from the New Jersey/Pennsylvania area) who call the drink MEE-mosa not My-MOS-a.
--John R.