Endicott Redux

The Light-Bearer's Daughter: O. R. Melling

I am a huge fan of Irish author O. R. Melling's The Chronicles of Faerie, a series of young adult novels set in a landscape that shifts between contemporary Ireland and the half-hidden world of faerie. Melling's latest novel, The Light-Bearer's Daughter, centers on Dana, a young girl whose mother mysteriously disappeared when Dana was a toddler. Her father, a Canadian musician of traditional Irish music, has decided he needs help raising his daughter and plans to move them to Canada -- much to Dana's dismay, for she secretly believes that her mother may yet return.

A chance meeting in the forest with a handsome, pale stranger (who quietly exhorts her to "follow the greenway") starts Dana on a perilous journey. Something dark has entered the forest, bent on the destruction of faerie. Dana is the only one who can cross the boundaries of Ireland's faerie kingdoms to deliver a cryptic message to the Mountain King, second-in-command to the High King. Her reward for completion of this quest is not only hoped-for salvation of the faerie kingdoms, but also the gift of Dana's "heart's desire" -- the return of her long lost mother.

And what a journey it is! Dana travels across an Irish landscape transformed by myth and folklore, with gorgeous descriptions of the land's natural beauty alongside sumptuous scenes of the fairy world. There is also page-turning suspense and danger (such as being buried alive in a bog), along with threads of music, myth and poetry as every familiar Irish location is re-imagined from faerie's perspective. And then, of course, there are the faeries themselves who accompany Dana on her journey -- a dazzling cast from high kings and queens to wise-cracking cluricans, tricksterish boggles, a powerful she-wolf and shape shifting ravens.

Although they need not be read in any specific order, I highly recommend the other two novels in the series, The Hunter's Moon and The Summer King.  There is adventure, romance, and danger enough for any young adult reader. Plus, a few of my favorite characters from those books make cameo appearances in the new novel.

We invite you to stop in at the Summer 2007 Young Adult Fiction issue of the Journal of Mythic Arts to read a faerie tale excerpted from The Light-Bearer's Daughter: "The Tale of the Mountain King and His Sky Bride." In Melling's novel, the tale is interwoven with the narrative of Dana's quest, each story sharing timeless mythic themes of love and loss.

Metamorphosis #6: Madeline von Foerster

To continue our focus on artists who work with animal and nature imagery in magical, mythical, or surrealistic ways, today I'd like to spotlight the extraordinary paintings of Madeline von Foerster, whose "Self-portait" you see above.

Born in San Francisco to a family of German, Austrian and Russian heritage, von Foerster attended art school in Mannheim, Germany, and the California College of Arts and Crafts in the Bay Area. She now lives and works in Brooklyn. For many years she thought that her career would be in writing, and she still writes in addition to painting. Her major artistic influences include the works of the Flemish Masters, the art & ideas of the Pre-Raphaelites and Surrealists, alchemy, mythology, symbology, dreams, and the writings of Carl Jung.

Interviewed by Gilles de Montmorency in The Sentamentalist, von Foester discusses the politics of her art, referencing the work of Pre-Raphaelite writer/ designer/socialist William Morris -- who was, she says "was one of the reasons I orginally wanted to work as an illustrator rather than a fine artist. Morris realized that the changing economy had rendered his creations unaffordable to the common people...and he actually quit making art in order to devote the rest of his life to social activism. I'm very glad that advances in mechanical and digital reproduction obviate this necessity for myself. At one point...I made only political art, which I stenciled and wheat-pasted around my hometown. However, seldom was it beautiful art. Now I'm trying to learn how to make something beautiful, and the 'message' therein is usually far subtler than my earlier agitprop. I haven't lost my ideals. I think beauty affects people in important ways. Attempting to create beauty in contemporary American culture, where aesthetic needs, human needs, are always given a back seat to profit and the bottom line, is meaningful....

   

"I'm also obsessed with Jung, who is a huge inspiration to me. I'm obsessed with dreams, and monsters. Just recently I noticed how many of my pieces have monsters in them. I don't see them as evil. In my work they are usually messengers from the collective unconscious, or other parts of ourselves. I relate thusly to the early Alchemists, who were also trying to make sense of the universe through symbolism (as well as hermetic processes). Their art is very Jungian to me, in the way that every imaginary model of micro or macro cosmos can symbolize the Self."

Regarding the picture below, she explains: "The pregnant queen...represents potentiality and promise. The Sphinx  adjacent to her symbolizes destruction and ruin. I have always loved the Sphinx, formidably guarding her path by means of riddles issued on carrion-scented breath. Mythologically, I think this kind of creature represents the need for us to confront our own most ugly selves, our own unanswerable questions, as we proceed towards enlightenment. Probably no one will notice this, but at the stage of the chess game in which my painting is set, the outcome is not yet knowable. Both players have a chance yet to win the battle, though the war, of couse, belongs to Saturn (Father Time)."

 

You can see more of von Foerster's gorgeous work on her website and her MySpace page, as well as on the FluxEuropa, beinArt Surreal Art Collective, and Society for Art of Imagination websites.

Masculinity and Disney...

From Feministing comes a link to this interesting little video, "Sexism, Strength, and Dominance: Masculinity in Disney Films" by Sanjay Newton. Newton's point would be strengthened had he an understanding of the history of fairy tales and the ways the gender roles in these narratives have been altered by Disney Studios, the Brothers Grimm, and others. (Gaston in Disney's Beauty and the Beast, for example, is a character that didn't even exist prior to the film.) Articles touching on this subject can be found in Endicott's Journal of Mythic Arts here, here, and here .

The Sunday Poem

Our Sunday Poem today is "Pan" by Stuart Dybek (from the Poetry Daily website), in which the author examines mythic archetypes in modern American life. (For another take on this theme, see Neil Gaiman's novel American Gods.)

Stuart Dybek was born in Chicago in 1943, studied at Loyola University Chicago and the University of Iowa, and currently teaches at Northwestern University. He is best known for his masterful short stories (which sometimes draw on surrealistic and fantastical themes), but he is also a widely published poet, with works collected in Streets in Their Own Ink and other volumes.

The art above is a sculpture of the Greek god Pan by Wendy Froud. The image comes from her enchanting new book: The Art of Wendy Froud.

Dante's Self-Help Book

Here's a  fascinating article on Dante's The Divine Comedy, written by Harriet Rubin for the Arts and Leisure section of today's Wall Street Journal. (The daily paper is free online -- but after a few days it will only be available through subscription.)

Rubin begins with a very succinct explanation of Dante's life and the unusual circumstances which led him to write The Divine Comedy while in exile and, at times, on the run.

She then focuses her remarks on how the work became a transformative text: "Unlike most world's classics, The Divine Comedy is a self-help book. People read Shakespeare with no expectation that they will become Shakespeare. But many read Dante expecting to mimic his results and transform themselves from seekers, lost in their own questions, into poets, certain and transcendent."  It's really a terrific article -- whether you're familiar with Dante or not (in which case, the article might well inspire you to take a look).

The image above is by William Blake, a depiction of "Inferno 26"  -- the meeting with Ulysses.

Metamorphosis #5: Paul Barnes

Paul Barnes is a Scottish artist who playfully manipulates forms from nature, creating portraits of fantastical animals, birds and other creatures. "I am concerned," he says, "with capturing the personality of the subject, often displaying human-like characteristics, both emotionally and physically. Using a limited palette, paint is applied in transluscent layers using various techniques and mediums to create a sense of distance between the picture plane and the background, thus enhancing the unusual, intimate presence of the subject."

Born in 1970, Barnes trained at Grays School of Art in Aberdeen. The images pictured here are "Wolfbat," "Birdman," and "Cobra Killer." More of Barnes' distinctive work can be seen on his website, his MySpace page, and on the Tolquhon Gallery: Contemporary Scottish Art website.

Metamorphosis # 4: Queens and Vagabonds by Gina Litherland

For any of you in the Milwaukee area, I highly recommend stopping into the Haggerty Art Museum and having a look at the work of  Gina Litherland. Her new exhibit, "Queens and Vagabonds," features 17 exquisite surrealist paintings, many with fairy tale and folk song themes. She also draws on the poetry and literature of Arthur Rimbaud, Charles Baudelaire, Angela Carter, Shirley Jackson, and Henry David Thoreau to name a few. Litherland's style and technique has been influenced by 15th century Sienese painters, Bosch, Bruegel the Elder, Paula Rego, and Frida Khalo. The results are works that appear as wonderful, mysterious narratives with an intertwining of human and animal figures, lush, intricate details, and luminous colors.

Of her work Litherland writes: "While some of my paintings begin with an idea that I have been ruminating over for some time, or are inspired by a particularly compelling book or folktale, others occur quite spontaneously, beginning with a decalcomania underpainting which suggests forms that emerge and develop into a personal narrative. The act of painting becomes a complete process of revelation."

 

The show runs from July 26-October 1, 2007. Check here for business hours and directions to the Haggerty Museum. The painting at the top is "The Goose Girl" and below is "To Each her Chimera." To see more of Litherland's work and read a fascinating interview, please visit her website.

New Issues: JoMA and Mythic Passages

The Summer 2007 issue of the Endicott Studio's Journal of Mythic Arts is now online -- focused this time on mythic fiction for Young Adult readers. What's special about this issue is that it contains thirteen short stories, rather than our usual two or three, along with our regular mix of nonfiction, art, and poetry.

You'll find stories by Christopher Barzak, Steve Berman, Holly Black, Gwenda Bond, Elizabeth Genco, O.R. Melling, Will Shetterly, Ellen Steiber and Catherynne M. Valente, among others -- ranging from fables to re–told fairy tales; from fantasy to contemporary realism; from stories rooted in specific cultural myths to those that weave new mythologies out of the colored threads of the old.

Our poetry this time includes works rooted in Cuban folklore by Margarita Engle, two mythic poems by Jeannine Hall, and fairy tale poems by Nan Fry, Neil Gaiman, and others.

In nonfiction, Colleen Mondor (YA reviewer for the fabulous Bookslut website) discusses Geraldine McCaughrean's YA novel The White Darkness, Virginia Borges takes a close look at "The Little Mermaid" fairy tale, librarian Julie Bartel recommends works of mythic fiction that YA readers shouldn't miss, fairy tale scholar Helen Pilinovsky revisits her teenage years, and I write about the "orphan hero" archetype from ancient myth to Harry Potter.

In the gallery, we have "Magic x 4," featuring enchanting works by artists from four countries: Kelly Louise Judd, Lisa Linnea, Nathalia Pierandrei and Julia Jeffrey (whose painting "Ashputtle" is just above).  The other artists who have contributed to the issue include James Graham (whose photograph is at the top of this post), Theo Black (whose drawing is above, right), Leland Purvis, Stu Jenks, Brian Froud, Charles Vess and Greg Spalenka.

We hope you enjoy the issue!

Mythic Passages (the web journal sponsored by the Mythic Imaginations institute, edited by Brenda Sutton) also has a brand new issue online. Their topic this time is a particularly timely one: Freedom and Incarceration. The issue contains terrific, wide-ranging articles on Prometheus, the Terezin Ghetto, 9/ll, Walt Disney, The Matrix, Chinese myth, virtual reality, and more -- along with short stories, poetry, and video clips. The art on the right is "Her Prison is Her Freedom" by Charles Urbach.

Metamorphosis #3: Amy Ross

As promised last week, I'd like to focus on a few more artists who do interesting things with animal and nature imagery, evoking myths and folktales of shape-shifting, metamorphosis, and transformation. The first of these is Amy Ross.

Amy Ross was born in New Jersey, and now lives and works in Boston, Massachusetts. She trained at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, 1998 -- 2000. Prior to this, she earned a degree in Religious Studies from Connecticut College and a Master's in Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School. Her art has been extensively exhibited in museums and galleries across the United States.

"I am interested in the idea of artist as mad scientist," says Ross. "My drawings offer visual hypotheses to the question: what would happen if the DNA sequence of a plant or mushroom were spliced with that of an animal? Using graphite, watercolor, and walnut ink on paper as well as directly on gallery walls in site-specific installations, I portray animals morphed with branches, mushrooms, berries, and blossoms, thus forming implausible hybrid creatures. These images subvert the traditional genre of botanical illustration by approaching the close study of the natural world through the lens of genetic engineering and mutation gone awry."

You can see more of this artist's magical work on the Amy Ross website, and on her NatureMorph MySpace page.

On editing...

I've been an editor for almost three decades, first as a fiction editor for two large New York publishing houses, and now as a part-time freelance editor and anthologist. And yet, if I'm at a party and someone asks the standard question: So, what is it you do?, I hesitate to say that I'm an editor. It's a profession few people understand (outside the publishing industry itself), and is generally presumed to be a job in which one corrects a writer's spelling. The term "editor" does not begin to describe a job that involves (in my experience, at least) a deep, passionate engagement with stories and the writers who create them; with language, ideas, and the writing craft; and with the business side of publishing, a balancing act of art and commerce.

Except in certain cases (such as magazine or anthology editing), an editor who is good at his or her work is intentionally invisible; it is the writer of a book, not the editor, who is and should be celebrated. Yet in mythic and fantastical literature, a very small number of people whose names most readers do not know (Betty Ballantine and Jean Karl, for example) have had an enormous impact in shaping the field as we know it today. They didn't seek the limelight for themselves; the books, the authors, and the readers were what mattered.      

Greg Kimaya has published an article on editors in Salon magazine, explaining what the heck it is that editors do and exploring the unique dynamic of author/editor relationships. "Most writers," he says, "understand that their editor is not a half-literate, envious wannabe who takes perverse joy in mangling their prose, but a professional who is paid to make their work better. Still, the moment when you -- and now I -- open the e-mail your editor has sent you in response to your story is always fraught with anxiety. You've exposed your soul, or at least part of your brain, to another person. What will they do with it?

"The truth is, you have to learn how to be edited just as much as you have to learn how to edit. And learning how to be edited teaches you a lot about writing, about distance and objectivity and humility, and ultimately about yourself."

Kimaya goes on to look at the role of editing in the future, as self-publication and web publication become more and more common. I recommend reading the full article, "Let Us Now Praise Editors," which you'll find here.