Dunsany's other worlds: the prose fantasy of Lord Dunsany
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1987
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Abstract
Lord Dunsany (1878-1957) creates non-realistic ''worlds" in which he examines some of the forces influencing his epoch, the early twentieth century. In his alternative, fantasy worlds, he reacts to modern society. His reaction is a conscious escape, but it is also a means of confronting squarely the evils--loneliness, repression, war--Dunsany perceived in his own world. The result in Dunsany's prose works are idyllic pastoral landscapes, but scenes of brutal killing and fear also occur. With such diverse approaches to fantasy and "reality," Dunsany's range of topics is wide and consequently his works are difficult to categorise. This thesis considers two important devices Dunsany uses to create fantastic worlds--the border and the dream. The approach to Dunsany is partly biographical--a search for and suggestion of what it was in Dunsany's life that caused, influenced and is reflected in his prose fantasies. A loosely psychoanalytical method is employed to aid in the consideration of themes in Dunsany's life and work, and some theories of fantasy are put forward to frame the discussion of Dunsany's works in terms of a real world/other world opposition.
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Bibliography: p. 94-98.
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Citation
Pashka, L. (1987). Dunsany's other worlds: the prose fantasy of Lord Dunsany (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/23248