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The Erotic World of Faery
Book by Duffy, Maureen
- GenresNonfictionFolklore
419 pages, Paperback
First published October 9, 1972
7 people are currently reading
264 people want to read
About the author
Maureen Duffy
63 books15 followersMaureen Patricia Duffy (born 21 October 1933) is a contemporary British novelist, poet, playwright, nonfiction author and activist.
Duffy's work often uses Freudian ideas and Greek mythology as frameworks.[1] Her writing is distinctive for its use of contrasting voices, or streams of consciousness, often including the perspectives of outsiders. Her novels have been linked to a European tradition of literature which explores reality through the use of language and questioning, rather than through traditional linear narrative.[2] James Joyce in particular, and Modernism in general, are significant influences on her fiction, as is Joyce Cary.[3] "Duffy has inspired many other writers and proved that the English novel need not be realistic and domestic, but can be fantastical, experimental and political."[1] Her writing in all forms is noted for her 'eye for detail and ear for language'[4] and "powerful intense imagery".[5]
Duffy's work often uses Freudian ideas and Greek mythology as frameworks.[1] Her writing is distinctive for its use of contrasting voices, or streams of consciousness, often including the perspectives of outsiders. Her novels have been linked to a European tradition of literature which explores reality through the use of language and questioning, rather than through traditional linear narrative.[2] James Joyce in particular, and Modernism in general, are significant influences on her fiction, as is Joyce Cary.[3] "Duffy has inspired many other writers and proved that the English novel need not be realistic and domestic, but can be fantastical, experimental and political."[1] Her writing in all forms is noted for her 'eye for detail and ear for language'[4] and "powerful intense imagery".[5]
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 6, 2023
Once you get past the title (which is about 30% of the reason I bought it) you get into a really interesting literary/historical analysis of the relationship between changing sexual mores and the evolution of fairy lore. Would honestly happily recommend to anyone interested in that area
July 30, 2009
There is no doubt this was an interesting work given its themes and Duffy certainly has a broad appreciation of literature, art, psychology and folklore.
The really big problem with it was how dated it was. The final chapter seemed to assume that realms of Faery were now being expressed only through science fiction.
OK the book was originally written in 1972 but J.R.R. Tolkien only gets a passing mention and no acknowledgement of his incorporation of elves into his narrative. Given the impact that 'The Lord of the Rings' had upon popular culture in the late 1960s, it doesn't take much to imagine that this might lead to a resurgence in fantasy literature and interest in Faery.
That the book was republished in 1989 but with no amendments to take into account these changes is a real failing. If the field really interested her I would think she'd have done some re-evaluation of what was being written in the field of fantasy.
I also came away with the feeling she didn't really like Faery all that much even if she was interested in how it mediated erotic impulses.
Still even with its flaws, it still is one of only a few works that provide an overview of faery lore in literature and for that a used copy has joined my collection.
The really big problem with it was how dated it was. The final chapter seemed to assume that realms of Faery were now being expressed only through science fiction.
OK the book was originally written in 1972 but J.R.R. Tolkien only gets a passing mention and no acknowledgement of his incorporation of elves into his narrative. Given the impact that 'The Lord of the Rings' had upon popular culture in the late 1960s, it doesn't take much to imagine that this might lead to a resurgence in fantasy literature and interest in Faery.
That the book was republished in 1989 but with no amendments to take into account these changes is a real failing. If the field really interested her I would think she'd have done some re-evaluation of what was being written in the field of fantasy.
I also came away with the feeling she didn't really like Faery all that much even if she was interested in how it mediated erotic impulses.
Still even with its flaws, it still is one of only a few works that provide an overview of faery lore in literature and for that a used copy has joined my collection.
July 25, 2024
The truth is that I am very proud of myself for finishing such a sexy lil scholarly book. I adored it almost as much as I adored finishing it. A magical literary review of faery’s origins and transcendence through the ages as a vessel for eroticism, sexual fantasy, art and desire!!
March 1, 2010
A very scholarly book useful in understanding fairies in the context of Britain, though I sometimes wondered if they made things out with more sexual undertones than initially intended.
September 21, 2023
I found my way to this via one of Marina Warner's many outstanding works on fairy and folk tales. It is a colorful, ingratiating exploration of how sexuality is sublimated and explored through the fairy tales of various cultures over the centuries. I was interested in the notion that a partial genesis of this dynamic was the relatively more open social and romantic opportunities for Celt women. This was captured in early folk tales and had to be "corrected" by European Christians.
This is an intensely Freudian work and that sometimes results in explications that I find limiting or trivial.
I'm also not sure how I feel about the final chapter on sci-fi. This was written at a time where Duffy did not have to account for Philip K. Dick, Stanislaw Lem, or the Strugatsky brothers, whose practices are far more idiosyncratic and sophisticated than the pulpy sci-fi that Duffy focuses in.
It is interesting to me, too, that the UFO lore that has partially absorbed the world of faerie is so profoundly un-erotic. It's not for nothing that plenty of close encounter stories describe sterile or genetically impotent alien races, and that the standard description of gray aliens never includes genitals.
Sexual encounters in these stories are more akin to vivisection, or, at the very least, a particularly unpleasant trip to the doctor's office. Partly I think this is because these encounters seem to replicate infantile states of mind, but I think this is also because the folkway of UFO encounters was heavily shaped by the medical horror of scientific modernity: eugenics, grotesque experimentation on prisoners and the mentally handicapped, and disgust with/fascination of miscegenation.
This is an intensely Freudian work and that sometimes results in explications that I find limiting or trivial.
I'm also not sure how I feel about the final chapter on sci-fi. This was written at a time where Duffy did not have to account for Philip K. Dick, Stanislaw Lem, or the Strugatsky brothers, whose practices are far more idiosyncratic and sophisticated than the pulpy sci-fi that Duffy focuses in.
It is interesting to me, too, that the UFO lore that has partially absorbed the world of faerie is so profoundly un-erotic. It's not for nothing that plenty of close encounter stories describe sterile or genetically impotent alien races, and that the standard description of gray aliens never includes genitals.
Sexual encounters in these stories are more akin to vivisection, or, at the very least, a particularly unpleasant trip to the doctor's office. Partly I think this is because these encounters seem to replicate infantile states of mind, but I think this is also because the folkway of UFO encounters was heavily shaped by the medical horror of scientific modernity: eugenics, grotesque experimentation on prisoners and the mentally handicapped, and disgust with/fascination of miscegenation.
February 8, 2025
Didn't know what to expect, 50 pages in and I no longer cared. I was enjoying the ride.
Read
July 17, 2015I couldn't get into it unfortunately, it wasn't what I was looking for.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews