Lord Dunsany Re-Read: “The Avenger of Perdóndaris”

Bill: ‘The Avenger of Perdondaris” almost seems to turn the previous story on its ear, in so far as the events in the Land of Dream really aren’t the point, it’s the “framing story” that has taken over. Our narrator wishes to go back to the Land of Dreams in order to learn the fate of the Elephant Hunter Singanee who set out to avenge Perdondaris, the city that was completely destroyed in “Idle Days on the Yann.” The method of the narrator’s return parallels that of “A House on Go-By Street,” though the curiosity shop and its proprietor have changed. Once in the Land of Dream we again meet of the witch who presides at the transition point — her “pearls before swine” dialog is amusing and perhaps also a little sad, for what artist hasn’t felt that way?

Howard: I loved that bit, probably because I’ve seen it done before but never quite in that way. And I should say I agree with you that “Avenger” does feel like it turns “Go-By” on its ear. It’s a companion piece. It feels to me that these last two are much more closely related that either is to “Idle Days on the Yann.”

Bill: The details of the fabulous court of the Elephant Hunter are classic Dunsany, and he learns indeed that Perdondaris has been avenged — the great beast’s other tusk is now in fact the bridge over which one approaches Singanee’s palace (Interesting also that the first tusk was a door to a city — so both tusks occupy thresholds or crossing points). No one saw the struggle of Hunter versus Beast however, and Singanee himself will not speak of it, instead “his mighty deed was given to the poets and became their trust forever.” I wonder if these were different poets than those digging pearls and being flogged for their pains. The idea that the deed itself is perhaps more valuable in the imagination — since we are in the Land of Dream — than it would be as a literal or factual retelling, beautifully evokes the shared logic of dreams and myths. The entire sweep of Perdondaris’ destruction and avenging happens ‘off camera’ in these stories, and the hints we get build a real aura of mystery about the whole thing. They are dreams within dreams, things we can only imagine despite our journeying in the realm of imagination itself.

But I think this story really says what it needs to say when Dunsany tries to return to London and takes a wrong door — he is far in the future, in a ruined and empty landscape. He finds that his boat moored in the Thames has rotted away — the mirror image of the Bird of the River in ‘Go By Street.’ His confusion and fear recollects the perils of madness in the Land of Dreams, and the entire episode — he of course finds his way to his proper time and place by backtracking — reinforces the witch’s statement that everything is an illusion, both Dream and ‘the fields we know.’

For several stories now I’ve been wondering if Dunsany is conveying his fatigue with the fantastic. Being worked to death in ‘The Unhappy Body’ only to depict poets as being flogged in ‘Go-By’ and completely unappreciated (and, really, seemingly mindless) in ‘Avenger.’ In ‘Go-By’ he has difficulty finding his way back (giving up politics helped!) and, when he does, his Dreams are no longer the ones he sought. In ‘Avenger’ he knows true terror at the prospect of not getting back to his proper place, and several times expresses that he would be quite happy with the mundane world. Those notions of the author’s emotional journey over his career as a fantasist, and the other richly symbolic images and events of this trilogy of stories, renders these as tales that will no doubt reward additional readings. Two stars.

Howard: I’m definitely feeling that he’s weary of the fantastic, which would make sense given that we’re reading some of his later short stories. It’s a tone that wearies me just a little and I’m looking forward to digging back into his earlier work. I feel just a little like I’ve been listening to those road songs from rock bands. Perhaps you know the ones: “oh, here we are on the road and we’re rock stars, but life is hard.” Being a rock star probably isn’t all full of glamour like we imagine, but I’m not sure I want to hear rock bands complaining about it anyway. I think artists should commiserate with each other, not moan about it in public.That’s too harsh for what Lord Dunsany’s doing here, though. There are many moments of brilliance in such a short little story. I love the little lies that the narrator has to tell to explain some of the modern customs he has to follow, and the glimpse he has of one of the golden dragons, and the sapphires that are dumped over the cliff to feed them. I think the poets watching butterflies to find out where the pearls are may be one of my favorite bits, though. Lord Dunsany has a soft spot for those trying to craft prose and poetry (I think he probably refers generally to an “artist” when he writes “poet.”)

That of course the pigs don’t want pearls puts me in mind of one of Lord Dunsany’s greatest, “The Assignation:”