larryhammer: drawing of a wildhaired figure dancing, label: "La!" (dancing)
[personal profile] larryhammer
Wonderment! Wonderment, I tell you.

Howard Pyle is best known today as the founder of the Brandywine School of artists, and as such the teacher of N.C. Wyeth among others. In his day, he was a bestselling author of pirate histories and novels in medieval settings, and his retelling of the Robin Hood stories, the first to rework the ballads into a unified cycle, remains in print today (all too often without his illustrations, to which I say, Prtt!). But what I grew up on was his fairy tales, rereading them to the point that they are etched into hindbrain as deeply as Just So Stories as exemplifying how wonder stories ought to be told. My first published story is one written in a Pyle-pastiche voice, and it's not the only one I've written. Pepper & Salt is the book of my boyish heart, but The Wonder Clock was also a treasure. And still is.

So imagine, if you will, my astonishment and delight to discover Twilight Land, a collection of tales I had never heard of. The structural conceit of this one is that each story is told in Mother Goose's taproom by a public domain character from another traditional wonder tale, such as Cinderella, the seven-at-one-blow tailor, and so on. Which provides an interesting perspective and commentary on the original stories, as well.

But enough -- if you'll pardon me, I have some wonder to repeatedly immerse myself in. Or, wonderment.

---L.
(will be screened)
(will be screened if not validated)
If you don't have an account you can create one now.
No Subject Icon Selected
More info about formatting

If you are unable to use this captcha for any reason, please contact us by email at support@dreamwidth.org

August 2025

S M T W T F S
     12
3 456 789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
31      

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated 10 August 2025 08:34 pm
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios