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Acolyte, v. 2, issue 4, whole no. 8, Fall 1944
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LITTLE-KNOWN [FANTAISISTES?] - HAROLD WAKEFIELD 6. MARGARET IRWIN -oOo- Margaret Irwin, British author famous for her historical novels Royal Flush, The Proud Servant, The Stranger Prince, and None So Pretty (the first three of which have been selected by the Book Society), seems little known in America for the other side of her writings: tales of the weird and uncanny which entitle her to rank with the greatest masters in this field. Though Miss Irwin has published only two fantastic books, she has achieved an enduring place in fantasy's hall of fame. The publication in 1924 of Still She Wished for Company caused a small furore. Quickly going out of print, this volume became a choice collector's item. It was not until 1932 that it was reprinted, with an attractive jacket by Monsell. Later still, it appeared in the cheap Penguin edition. Still She Wished for Company is that rare thing--a full-length weird novel that maintains the reader's interest to the last page. It opens in the 20th Century with the girl who has always been subject to strange longings for the past. A portrait of an enigmatic personage entitled only "Gentlemen Unknown" exerts a peculiar fascination over her. From here the story swings abruptly back into the 18th century and we meet the beautiful, dreamy Juliana Clare living at Chidleigh with her family, one of the richest and most famous in the county. Juliana is anxiously awaiting the return from Europe of her older brother, Lucian, to take his place as head of the family, since his father's death. He appears, and proves to be a small, dark man, with satyr-like features, and with vague stories surrounding him concerning his friendship with Cagliostro, the Comte de Saint-Germain (who claimed to be 500 years old) and the other alchemists with which Paris at this time abounded. Indeed, it is soon apparent that Lucian possesses no ordinary powers, being able to transport his sister (who has unusual psychic qualifications) through time and space in his search for the ideal woman. From here on, past and present are interwoven in masterful fashion. The supernatural scenes are used sparingly and with just the right amount of restraint to double their effectiveness. To give an example of only one such scene: Juliana, after spending the day happily at a river party is chatting in her cousin's room just before going to bed. On leaving for her own room, she hears a voice at the foot of the stairs and, looking down, finds herself gazing at the 20th century owner of the house, who is looking back at her in terror. Flying back to her cousin's room, she enters it and finds it deserted and practically bare, everything being heavily coated with the dust of years. As the story progresses, we even find lines of Walter de la Mare's poetry coming into Juliana's mind in some inexplicable fashion. The death of the wizard Lucian while tying to escape after killing a French nobleman upon whom he has been practicing his sorcery, brings to an untimely end his almost successful pursuit of a girl in another age and releases Juliana from her strange wanderings through time. The closing paragraph, which I shan't quote here, is a little work of art in itself. This sketchy synopsis gives an entirely inadequate picture of a truly remarkable and artistically finished story, through which like a motif runs the refrain, "Time Was. Time Is. Time Shall Be". One thing that will strike the reader is that the characters are not merely puppets, but real flesh and blood creatures. It seems amazing that Lovecraft did not mention this story in his "Supernatural Horror in Literature", while giving space to many other stories --20--
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LITTLE-KNOWN [FANTAISISTES?] - HAROLD WAKEFIELD 6. MARGARET IRWIN -oOo- Margaret Irwin, British author famous for her historical novels Royal Flush, The Proud Servant, The Stranger Prince, and None So Pretty (the first three of which have been selected by the Book Society), seems little known in America for the other side of her writings: tales of the weird and uncanny which entitle her to rank with the greatest masters in this field. Though Miss Irwin has published only two fantastic books, she has achieved an enduring place in fantasy's hall of fame. The publication in 1924 of Still She Wished for Company caused a small furore. Quickly going out of print, this volume became a choice collector's item. It was not until 1932 that it was reprinted, with an attractive jacket by Monsell. Later still, it appeared in the cheap Penguin edition. Still She Wished for Company is that rare thing--a full-length weird novel that maintains the reader's interest to the last page. It opens in the 20th Century with the girl who has always been subject to strange longings for the past. A portrait of an enigmatic personage entitled only "Gentlemen Unknown" exerts a peculiar fascination over her. From here the story swings abruptly back into the 18th century and we meet the beautiful, dreamy Juliana Clare living at Chidleigh with her family, one of the richest and most famous in the county. Juliana is anxiously awaiting the return from Europe of her older brother, Lucian, to take his place as head of the family, since his father's death. He appears, and proves to be a small, dark man, with satyr-like features, and with vague stories surrounding him concerning his friendship with Cagliostro, the Comte de Saint-Germain (who claimed to be 500 years old) and the other alchemists with which Paris at this time abounded. Indeed, it is soon apparent that Lucian possesses no ordinary powers, being able to transport his sister (who has unusual psychic qualifications) through time and space in his search for the ideal woman. From here on, past and present are interwoven in masterful fashion. The supernatural scenes are used sparingly and with just the right amount of restraint to double their effectiveness. To give an example of only one such scene: Juliana, after spending the day happily at a river party is chatting in her cousin's room just before going to bed. On leaving for her own room, she hears a voice at the foot of the stairs and, looking down, finds herself gazing at the 20th century owner of the house, who is looking back at her in terror. Flying back to her cousin's room, she enters it and finds it deserted and practically bare, everything being heavily coated with the dust of years. As the story progresses, we even find lines of Walter de la Mare's poetry coming into Juliana's mind in some inexplicable fashion. The death of the wizard Lucian while tying to escape after killing a French nobleman upon whom he has been practicing his sorcery, brings to an untimely end his almost successful pursuit of a girl in another age and releases Juliana from her strange wanderings through time. The closing paragraph, which I shan't quote here, is a little work of art in itself. This sketchy synopsis gives an entirely inadequate picture of a truly remarkable and artistically finished story, through which like a motif runs the refrain, "Time Was. Time Is. Time Shall Be". One thing that will strike the reader is that the characters are not merely puppets, but real flesh and blood creatures. It seems amazing that Lovecraft did not mention this story in his "Supernatural Horror in Literature", while giving space to many other stories --20--
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