From Homer to Harry Potter

May 1, 2006
In their informative, highly entertaining examination of the literature of faerie throughout the centuries, Dickerson and O'Hara insist that if literature works at all, it works as story. First defining " myth" and " fairy "story and discriminating their differences and similarities, they proceed to describe the work of such seminal nineteenth-century romantics as the Brothers Grimm, Andrew Lang, Hans Christian Andersen, and George MacDonald; explore how the Bible functions as myth; discuss Homeric myth and "epic" fantasy; and cast a jaundiced eye at " Beowulf," the Arthurian legends, and the Norse sagas. They even scrutinize some modern work, including Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea Trilogy, Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials" ," Walter Wangerin Jr.'s " Book of the Dun Cow," and, of course, Harry Potter. The book is especially intriguing for the links it makes, for example, discussing the effect of " The Odyssey" on " The Hobbit," and the plot devices borrowed from " Beowulf" in " The Hobbit" and " Lord of the Rings." Dickerson and O'Hara prove reliable guides as they amply confirm that fairy tales aren't just for the young.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)