Thomas the Rhymer, by Ellen Kushner
Jun. 2nd, 2007 09:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
keilexandraThomas the Rhymer
by Ellen Kushner (ellen_kushner)
247 pages (hardcover)
Genre: Fiction/Fantasy
If I'd just seen this book at the library, I doubt I would have chosen it--the inside cover description isn't to my taste. But this is a Kushner book, and since Ellen Kushner is currently #2 on my list of all-time favorite authors, I couldn't not read it. Although the general plot still isn't my normal preference--I tend to shy away from books involving world crossovers, especially to a world with elves in fantasy--I found Elfland fascinating. And of course, the characters are rendered with Kushner's trademark intensity. At one point early on, I wnated to strangle Thomas on Elspeth's behalf, for being a lustful idiot.
But I digress; here's a basic story summary first. Thomas, a wandering harper nicknamed the Rhymer, falls in love with a young farm girl named Elspeth (more on her later). Then he meets the Queen of Elfland and is promptly whisked off to spend seven years as her lover. His adventures in Elfland are multifarious, such as being sworn to silence, feeding blood to a voiceless dove-ghost, and desperately lusting after the Queen. Afterwards, Thomas returns, is horrified by Elspeth's suffering during his absence, and reconciles with her in the usual way romances work out. All in all, not the most unique storyline in the world.
However, Thomas the Rhymer is by no means generic. Take the POV structure, for instance--the book is divided into four unequal sections, each narrated in first person by a different character. I don't really like changing first person narratives, but Kushner takes full advantage of it to allow the reader to intimately know almost all the major characters (excluding the Queen, by necessity).
Which brings me to what I've been hinting around, a topic I usually avoid: theme. The book is filled with themes, not obviously but in a subtle yet distinct way. It's impossible to review this novel without discussing the many themes. First and foremost, IMHO, is love vs. lust. I adore Kushner's style of portraying relationships. The distinction between love and lust is also touched upon in her Riverside books, but here it's especially prominent. True love is based on personalities and simple time; lust brings painful consequences and regret. For example, Thomas succumbs to desire and is trapped into a convulted, dependent (needy) relationship with the Queen of Elfland, while also condemning Elspeth to a loveless marriage. Speaking of Elspeth: she embodies female strength (and this book was published in 1989, before that particular cliche). Even though she loves Thomas, Elspeth doesn't just forgive him when he finally returns to Middle-Earth (was this before or after Tolkien? I'm not sure). She even slaps him across the face!
Another central theme is the comparison between Elfin immortality and human change. As Thomas discovers during his sojourn in Elfland, the Elves never change and so they crave humanity's "fire." I officially hate elves, but this book forced me to qualify my opinion. Elves can be portrayed in an original way. (I am part of the small minority of fantasy writers who do not like Tolkien.)
Anyway, the two other major themes are the power of words (and silence) and wandering vs. settling. Perhaps the former is a reflection of the writer's own craft? The latter sets up Thomas and Elspeth as character foils, so I suppose Elspeth wins the battle of personality--harking back to strength again? Most of this thematic talk is speculation, as I'm hardly qualified for literary analysis (even if my tone usually ends up rather pretentious). But I love how deftly Kushner interweaves her many themes, like Thomas's wandering tendencies being "bookended" (an idea shamelessly stolen learned from Jenny Crusie over at He Wrote, She Wrote).
A last imagery note: the cover of this book reminds me of flower petals, with it's watercolor-sketch style. Not sure why, but then I don't even try to analyze visuals, I just react to them.
Wow, that was long. Theme makes me ramble, it seems.
by Ellen Kushner (
ellen_kushner)247 pages (hardcover)
Genre: Fiction/Fantasy
If I'd just seen this book at the library, I doubt I would have chosen it--the inside cover description isn't to my taste. But this is a Kushner book, and since Ellen Kushner is currently #2 on my list of all-time favorite authors, I couldn't not read it. Although the general plot still isn't my normal preference--I tend to shy away from books involving world crossovers, especially to a world with elves in fantasy--I found Elfland fascinating. And of course, the characters are rendered with Kushner's trademark intensity. At one point early on, I wnated to strangle Thomas on Elspeth's behalf, for being a lustful idiot.
But I digress; here's a basic story summary first. Thomas, a wandering harper nicknamed the Rhymer, falls in love with a young farm girl named Elspeth (more on her later). Then he meets the Queen of Elfland and is promptly whisked off to spend seven years as her lover. His adventures in Elfland are multifarious, such as being sworn to silence, feeding blood to a voiceless dove-ghost, and desperately lusting after the Queen. Afterwards, Thomas returns, is horrified by Elspeth's suffering during his absence, and reconciles with her in the usual way romances work out. All in all, not the most unique storyline in the world.
However, Thomas the Rhymer is by no means generic. Take the POV structure, for instance--the book is divided into four unequal sections, each narrated in first person by a different character. I don't really like changing first person narratives, but Kushner takes full advantage of it to allow the reader to intimately know almost all the major characters (excluding the Queen, by necessity).
Which brings me to what I've been hinting around, a topic I usually avoid: theme. The book is filled with themes, not obviously but in a subtle yet distinct way. It's impossible to review this novel without discussing the many themes. First and foremost, IMHO, is love vs. lust. I adore Kushner's style of portraying relationships. The distinction between love and lust is also touched upon in her Riverside books, but here it's especially prominent. True love is based on personalities and simple time; lust brings painful consequences and regret. For example, Thomas succumbs to desire and is trapped into a convulted, dependent (needy) relationship with the Queen of Elfland, while also condemning Elspeth to a loveless marriage. Speaking of Elspeth: she embodies female strength (and this book was published in 1989, before that particular cliche). Even though she loves Thomas, Elspeth doesn't just forgive him when he finally returns to Middle-Earth (was this before or after Tolkien? I'm not sure). She even slaps him across the face!
Another central theme is the comparison between Elfin immortality and human change. As Thomas discovers during his sojourn in Elfland, the Elves never change and so they crave humanity's "fire." I officially hate elves, but this book forced me to qualify my opinion. Elves can be portrayed in an original way. (I am part of the small minority of fantasy writers who do not like Tolkien.)
Anyway, the two other major themes are the power of words (and silence) and wandering vs. settling. Perhaps the former is a reflection of the writer's own craft? The latter sets up Thomas and Elspeth as character foils, so I suppose Elspeth wins the battle of personality--harking back to strength again? Most of this thematic talk is speculation, as I'm hardly qualified for literary analysis (even if my tone usually ends up rather pretentious). But I love how deftly Kushner interweaves her many themes, like Thomas's wandering tendencies being "bookended" (an idea shamelessly stolen learned from Jenny Crusie over at He Wrote, She Wrote).
A last imagery note: the cover of this book reminds me of flower petals, with it's watercolor-sketch style. Not sure why, but then I don't even try to analyze visuals, I just react to them.
Wow, that was long. Theme makes me ramble, it seems.
