Speaking of Marina Warner (as we were yesterday), it always amazes me what this indefatigable woman produces each year by way of books, essays, lectures, and numerous other projects besides. Friends of Jane Yolen (another wildly prolific writer) used to speculate that Jane had a magic watch capable of stopping time, putting everyone else in suspended animation while she obtained a few extra hours for herself each day. It was the only way we could account for the amount (and quality) of her creative output. Clearly Ms. Warner has one of those watches too. (Now if I only knew where to find one myself...)
Among Warner's recent publications, I particularly recommend Phantasmagoria: Spirit Visions, Metaphors, Media --which I received as a Christmas present and recently devoured. In previous books, Warner had looked at the cultural history of fairy tales, the dark imagination, and mythic metamorphosis, among other subjects. Now she mediates on the spirit and the soul -- a broad subject indeed! As The Washington Post noted, "In these dense pages, she ranges from Platonic appearances to Philip K. Dick's replicants, from the camera obscura to the Internet; she cites the work of contemporary writers, artists and filmmakers on one page and the speculations of Renaissance polymaths and Victorian scientists on another. While Warner always writes clearly, she nonetheless demands attention: Her diction will test your vocabulary even as her anecdotes, illustrations and ideas will stretch your mind."
In Gothic Nightmares: Fuseli, Blake and the Gothic Imagination, Warner joins Christopher Frayling and Martin Myrone to examine the influence of Gothic literature and fantasy on visual art. It's an absolutely delicious look at these themes.
Warner has contributed a fabulous introductory essay to a new edition of The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns, and Fairies, an absolutely classic work about the fairy folklore of the Scottish highlands, collected by Robert Kirk in the 17th century, first published by Sir Walter Scott in 1815, and re-edited by Andrew Lang in 1893. Great stuff here.
Equally riveting are two essay collections published in the UK in 2004 that a lot of American readers seem to have missed: Fantastic Metamorphoses, Other Worlds, a terrific collection of essays (originally lectures) on the subject of metamorphoses -- from Ovid to the fantasies of Philip Pullman; and Signs and Wonders, essays exploring images of the miraculous in myth, religion, fantastic literature, fairy tales, and more.
And coming up soon is Monsters of Our Own Making: The Peculiar Pleasure of Fear, which will be released by the University of Kentucky Press next month. (I've already got my pre-order in....) Visit Warner's website for futher information on her publications, projects, lecture dates, book signings, and other news.
I'm glad you all caught the release of the new edition of Robert Kirk's book. I nearly fell over when I saw it in Borders. I tried to mention this on the Surlalune board, but after spending about an hour trying to find out why I couldn't log in on the EZboard system anymore, I gave up.
Posted by: Mark S. | February 28, 2007 at 09:07 PM