In late nineteenth-century proto-fantasy, William Morris depicts a struggle between the agrarian Wolfing clan and the encroaching Roman legions. Set in the ancient Germanic woodlands, the narrative follows Thiodolf, the war-leader of the Mark, as he balances tribal loyalty against a supernatural gift. His lover, the Wood-Sun, provides him with a magical hauberk that grants invulnerability but curses his kin to defeat. The story utilizes a mix of prose and archaic verse to detail the cultural conflict between communal forest life and imperial expansion.
Readers interested in the stylistic origins of modern epic fantasy find here the blueprint for high-fantasy world-building. Those who study the development of the genre see how Morris employed Norse sagas and folklore to create a sense of national myth. A reader finishes the book with a technical understanding of the "romance" form and an appreciation for how nineteenth-century writers adapted medieval aesthetics to suit Victorian tastes. It serves as a primary source for understanding the literary lineage that eventually led to J.R.R. Tolkien.
- Published
- 1889
- Language
- EN
