The Weirdstone Of Brisingamen: Alan Garner

[poliphilo]

I began my reading of Alan Garner with Elidor (I think I read it aloud to my kids) and carried on from there in chronological order. Somehow I never bothered to go back to the first two books- and I doubt if I'd ever have bothered if Boneland (out this August) hadn't been announced as the long-delayed third part of the trilogy. I'm reading The Weirdstone now and- coming to it straight from a re-reading of The Stone Book Quartet-  I'm taken aback by the flabbiness of the prose, the absence of characterization, the stiltedness of the dialogue.  Two middle-class children come to Cheshire to lodge with a couple of salt of the earth peasanty types who say "sithee"; it could almost be Enid Blyton...

Garner himself went through a phase of hating the book. In his first revulsion he called it "one of the worst books published in the past 20 years." Now he's mellowed. Books don't last for half a century if they're unmitigated rubbish. In a recent interview he calls it "a young man's book" and praises its "energy". 

I still don't altogether understand the affection in which it's held. It's the work of writer who is still learning his craft and hasn't- to be honest- got very far with it. Great things were to follow, but when Garner's name comes up it's not Red Shift that gets mentioned first, or Thursbitch, it's the bloody Weirdstone- even though they are masterpieces and Weirdstone is a codge.

No, it's beyond me. I'm missing something, but what? 

Comments

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

Red Shift is excellent - but The Owl Service is my Garner book, in the sense of having that "read it at the right time" quality. I enjoyed the early ones, but have problems with them for all the reasons you mention. Elidor is a transitional work, with a kind awkwardness about it that is both appealing and off-putting. So far, I think Thursbitch may be his best all round. Except perhaps for the Stone Book Quartet, which has a kind of gem-like perfection but is hard to cuddle for the same reason.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I need to re-read The Owl Service. In fact, I need to re-read most of Garner. I've just ordered Strandloper- which is the only one of the later novels I haven't read.

Red Shift is my favourite, closely followed by Thursbitch. The Stone Book Quartet has, as you say, a kind of perfection.

I have a question which you may be able to answer. Do you know what is meant by "the Aimer Gate"? I take it Charlie is talking about his own death, but I've dug around and I can't find any closer explanation of the phrase.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

It's dialect for 'The Narrower Way'.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

i.e., in context, death, I think.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Ah, thank you. That's the key.

Perhaps a reference then to Matthew 7.14:
"Strait is the gate etc..."

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

I assume so.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

All Garner's titles from The Owl Service through to Tom Fobble's Day have double (or misleading) meanings.

The Owl Service - Not, as many believe, about Owl Post
Red Shift - Astronomical, but also Meg's petticoat, etc etc
The Stone Book - A book made of stone, rather than a book about stone.
Granny Reardun - is not about a Granny called Reardun.
The Aimer Gate - not about a gate.
Tom Fobble's Day - not about a man called Tom Fobble and how he spent his day.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

They're excellent titles, all of them.

The Aimer Gate (fot instance) sounds grand, even if you don't have a clue about its meaning.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Also Thursbitch- not a rude word.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

He is nothing if not mischievous!