Lord Dunsany

One of the authors to have influenced and brought the Fantasy genre into our modern era was Lord Dunsany. His poetic stories of Fantasy worlds introduced many readers to the possibilities of fantastic elements in fiction, giving Fantasy respectabliity and legitimacy. Lord Dunsany gave Fantasy many realms of dream and imagination to explore.

Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett was the 18th Baron Dunsany, born in Ireland in 1878. A prolific writer, he wrote novels, short stories and plays. Lord Dunsany was his writing name. Though he wrote nonfiction and fiction, he had a penchant for fantasy which became influential to the genre over the years.

The King of Elfland's Daughter is a classic that readers should seek out. It is a fairytale about a kingdom that wants magic. The main character seeks the daughter of the Fairy king. After her marriage, she returns to Elfland, prompting the main character on a quest to find her. With beautiful descriptions and a deft use of poetic language, readers are treated to a wonderful journey through Fairy.

Another of his novels, The Charwoman's Shadow, is another fairytale. The hero gets his bride by getting her shadow back from an evil magician. During this time, he thinks she is an old charwoman. This impressive tale is another example of Dunsany's talent for the fantastic.

Dunsany wrote many other short stories. "Kith of the Elf-Folk" tells the poignant story of a fairy that wants a soul. "The Fortress Unvanquishable, Save for Sacnoth" is one of the first Sword and Sorcery stories of this subgenre. His "Jorkens" stories were tall tales of a club of British men. There are too many other stories that readers could seek out to be covered in this article.

Many sites on the Internet can introduce fantasy readers to Dunsany's works. The Realist Wonder Society ("http://www.wondersociety.com") has some of Dynsany's short stories like "The Kith of the Elf-Folk." Dunsany's Corner ("http://www.interlog.com/~case/support/du...") is the best site for information and samples of his writing. Further information and links can be found at "http://creative.net/~alang/lit/horror/du..." .

Dunsany is an author fantasy readers should seek out. His novels and stories helped create the modern Fantasy genre. Readers will be surprised with his deeply poetic writing and themes, leaving memorable images in your thoughts for years.

Until next week.

Notes:

The King of Elfland's Daughter is scheduled to be released this month as a trade paperback from Del Rey.

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