Walter de la Mare Strangers and Pilgrims

This is a slightly cleaned-up version of a review of Walter de la Mare’s Strangers and Pilgrims that I posted at Amazon. (My Amazon reviews are always “quick and dirty”, they’re all about Information, not literary polish). After purchasing the book, a pricey volume, I just found myself really annoyed that one of de la Mare’s best tales, “The Tree” was MIA. Now, in my opinion, that’s an indefensible omission…utterly. Why would a first rate horror story be a casualty for replacement by, say, a non-horror 'literary' delving in Obscurantism? I may be wrong about the reasons why so many of de la Mare’s books seem to shy away from fully advertising the author’s allegiance to the Weird, so feel free to tear into any of my assumptions. Only Indifference is an Insult, never honest passion in discussing something you really value! The following is the ‘revised’ review. It’s still quick and dirty, as far as I’m concerned, but I’m more interested in hearing the ‘logic’ behind this …ah…oversight.



Walter de la Mare wrote one of the finest ghost story I've ever read, the chilling and atmospheric "Out of the Deep". This story (I feel) is what "The Turn of the Screw" should be but isn't…not quite. We also have that little masterpiece "A:B:O.", a grim, ghastly and darkly humorous ghost story that rivals the very best stories of that other James (M. R.). This hefty volume contains some of the finest supernatural tales of terror ever penned but it also contains large amounts of weaker work and that puzzles me because many of de la Mare's best stories, "A Mote", "Missing", "The Wharf" and the wonderful "The Tree" (a story that's always reminded me of Lovecraft's "The Colour out of Space") are inexplicably not included.
WHY?
I'll give it 5 stars anyway just on the strength of a dozen or so stories. But, hey, while I'm at it, let me air a pet peeve: When will serious critics FINALLY realize "Seaton's Aunt" is a fine but nonetheless overrated horror story when compared to tales like "Mr. Kempe" and "All Hallows"? That story has appeared in so many anthologies that might have used the space better by introducing readers to less overly familiar material and reprinting some lesser known tales equally good or even superior.

Personally, I would have preferred a far slimmer volume that contained all of de la Mare's best tales of ghosts and subtle Horrors. I just don't care for the lighter whimsical fantasy stuff at all.

It's apparent from these selections that those who `guard' de la Mare's literary legacy don't want him remembered primarily for his supernatural tales. That's a pity and a real mistake: in general only lovers of spectral tales read de la Mare these days. Literary snobbishness will only insure his reputation to dwindle even more in the future.
BTW, I hate an off-white DW. If you read the book (like I do) it gets dirty in no time at all. If you remove it, there's a chance it may get misplaced or damaged. Having said that, let me add the book is quite attractive looking albeit a real bug squasher.

Well, Druidic, firstly it's good to find a reader who is vehement about de la Mare's fiction. He does too often get overlooked in our field. Secondly, I wrote the introduction to this volume and helped the publisher with the selection. I guess what you're saying is that you would have made a different selection. I don't find 'The Tree' as persuasive as you, and I don't value 'All Hallows' anywhere near as much as 'Seaton's Aunt'. The latter bears repeated rereading and many interpretations: the church on the cliff story, though atmospheric, rather less so; in fact, I find it one of the author's more conventional pieces. Have you ever thought, for example, that it was Seaton who was the source of the supernatural in the story, not his hapless old Aunt? Thus I suggested once in an essay, and the evidence for this is all there in the story. Yet still only one possible view.

The selection we made tried to balance classics with less familiar work, and err on the side of those that were more evidently supernatural. As for whimsy, I don't really think de la Mare ever indulged in it in his adult tales: think of 'The Riddle', which is all about nursery children and a toy box (of sorts). But whimsical? No, just very strange and fearful, and a Riddle never yet solved, despite some brave attempts.

But anyway, if you're cross with me, you should be just as vexed with the author himself. In 1942 there appeared a Best Stories of Walter de la Mare, which I believe he helped select. He did include Seaton's Aunt and All Hallows: but he didn't include The Tree. The rest of the selection - The Almond Tree, Miss Duveen, An Ideal Craftsman, Crewe, Missing, Miss Miller, Orgy, The Nap, Physic, The Picnic, The Trumpet, The House, 'What Dreams May Come', The Vats.

Hmm, there are several there that I would omit to make way for 'The Creatures' and 'The Riddle', among others....MV

Sand, I appreciate your taking the time to respond to my yowl of anguish. “The Tree” has always been a favorite of mine among all de la Mare’s works. The subjective element always looms large but since Lovecraft too singled it out for praise (along with “Seaton’s Aunt”, of course!) I think I can argue for its importance in the writer’s body of work.
Honestly, you did succeed in presenting a balanced view of de la Mare’s work, and I suppose that’s where I was a little disappointed. For example, like the work of Lovecraft, Blackwood, or Machen, I’m not sure every aspect of Walter de la Mare’s work deserves unconditional praise. But you succeeded in your goal, and I realize the immensity of that task. From my own subjective perspective, I believe I pointed out I would have preferred a little less well-balanced overview and more of a concentration on the stories that lean toward terror, supernatural or otherwise. I can see now there was no element of literary snobbishness at play and I apologize, it was just a different game plan.
Personally, I always felt de la Mare’s reputation would have benefited if there were volumes edited solely with spectral intent—like M. R. James collections of ghost stories. I believe his work might have reached a somewhat wider audience; ah, but then again he was a very different writer from James. I know of only one collection (there may be others) that includes “ghost stories” in the title of a de la Mare book.
Your observation about “Seaton’s Aunt” is an interesting one; and it’s not that I don’t value the story; it just doesn’t work as well for me as it does for some readers.
Again, thanks for replying. And thanks for helping to make this beast of a book possible. (I’ve already hunted down the other stories I mentioned in an old ex-library volume edited by Edward Wagenknecht.)
[FONT=&quot]I’m now glad I gave Strangers and Pilgrims at least 5 stars[/FONT]

Actually, for any Walter de la Mare fans out there, the two volumes, Strangers and Pilgrims and Edward Wagenknecht’s Collected Tales, complement each other perfectly. Yes, there is some overlap, how could there not be? But if you love quality supernatural (and some psychological) tales of terror, these two books are a must.
And, yes, Sand, I'm going to reread "Seaton's Aunt" with your theory in mind.

Thanks, Druidic, it's good to find a reader with so much zeal for de la Mare's work. I'll reread 'The Tree' with your enthusiasm in mind. I do see what you mean about a collection devoted to just the supernatural tales: but there might be difficulty defining which these are, because de la Mare has so many borderlands. I know we debated exactly this as we considered some of the stories. Even the main studies of his work (such as Megroz, Forrest Reid, Atkins, McCrosson) differ in their interpretations - but that's part of what makes reading de la Mare so rewarding, of course. Anyway, thanks for engaging with the book.

Personally I missed Three Friends, which wouldn't really have taken up all that much space, but P&S is still a great collection.

- chris

Druidic said:

Actually, for any Walter de la Mare fans out there, the two volumes, Strangers and Pilgrims and Edward Wagenknecht’s Collected Tales, complement each other perfectly. Yes, there is some overlap, how could there not be? But if you love quality supernatural (and some psychological) tales of terror, these two books are a must.
And, yes, Sand, I'm going to reread "Seaton's Aunt" with your theory in mind.

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There is also a two book set, Short Stories 1895 1926 & Short Stories 1927-1956. I own these, and think they are excellent. Actually there is a third volume, but believe it's childrens stories so I didn't get it.

I think these books contains all of de la Mare's short stories? If anyone has any info on any of his other weird/supernatural work that I'm missing I'd be very grateful.

I also own The Return, which I only dimly remember, but recall it being quite proto Lovecraftian, and more definately horror based.

I will re-read The Tree, as I don't remember it by name. There is also one story that sticks in my mind, which I have been meaning to re-read for a while, and again can't remember by name. It's about a man who gets lost on a walking tour, and takes a detour to investigate an old building..

I will re-read The Tree, as I don't remember it by name. There is also one story that sticks in my mind, which I have been meaning to re-read for a while, and again can't remember by name. It's about a man who gets lost on a walking tour, and takes a detour to investigate an old building..Draugen.

Draugen, it may be "All Hallows" you recall. There a traveler comes upon a rather sinister church by the ocean.

BTW, I, too, missed "The Three Friends". But after some serious thought (and climbing back from the edge), I find I don't envy Sand...having to decide what works got included and what works didn't. The book is certainly more than generous in size!

I had to get precisely these three de la Mare volumes to get all the stories I wanted: Strangers and Pilgrims, Collected Tales and Arkham House’s Eight Tales.
Some stories just don’t make themselves easily available.

A:B:O, Out of the Deep, Mr. Kempe, All Hallows, A Mote and, of course, The Tree are my favorite de la Mare stories.
Right now I'm rereading "Seaton's Aunt" with renewed interest.

Do you have high regard for the following stories from Eight Tales? Or are they mostly for completists, . . . of curiosity to study de la Mare's early development?

"Kismet"
"The Hangman Luck'
"A Mote"
"The Village of Old Age'
"De Mortuis"

From Eight Tales I have already read "A:B:O", "The Moon's Miracle", and "The Giant", in the beautiful Strangers and Pilgrims collection. (I really love everything about Strangers and Pilgrims. The quality design, and the grey color, complemented by the off-white yellow dust jacket, with de la Mare's refined Ex Libris on the front. The absurdly generous, heavy thickness of the book, makes me silly happy! The frontispiece and foreword. It's a unique aesthetic sensation, and richly satisfying to hold.)

"A:B:O" is incredible and unprecendented in the narrator's feverish voice. "The Moon's Miracle" is also quite beautiful. "The Giant" is well written, and fairly interesting, with a good psychological or spiritual message, I guess. These early stories may perhaps not be so mature as his later work, but they have a clean innocent energy. Are these three pretty much the best of the crop in Eight Tales?

"A:B:O" is incredible and unprecendented in the narrator's feverish voice. "The Moon's Miracle" is also quite beautiful. "The Giant" is well written, and fairly interesting, with a good psychological or spiritual message, I guess. These early stories may perhaps not be so mature as his later work, but they have a clean innocent energy. Are these three pretty much the best of the crop in Eight Tales? -- Knygathin


I bought the AH volume mainly for “A Mote.” (I already had “A:B:O”, which you describe perfectly as feverish. It reads almost like a collaboration between Poe and M. R. James!) “A Mote” is a story of a man afflicted with unearthly visions; supernatural or psychological, they force him to witness a strange drama that unfolds in some unspecified time and place. It’s a subtle work of ocular terror, (I just had to write that!) and I regard it rather highly.
“Kismet” is similar in effect to a conte cruel, a realistic nightmare with a wicked ending, though you’ll guess that ending before it arrives. It's a minor work. (Yes, as you correctly point out, Knygathin, these are early tales...though I confess I found them quite enjoyable.)
Some years ago, Ramsey Campbell included “A Mote” in an excellent anthology titled Uncanny Banquet (an anthology that also contains Adrian Ross’ The Hole of the Pit, a fine Hodgson-like novel that was fabulously rare until Campbell excavated it.)
So, along with "A Mote", the stories you mention are pretty much the cream of the crop in Eight Tales.
And Strangers and Pilgrims is indeed a beautiful book. I just have to keep that dust jacket clean LOL.

Druidic said:

“A Mote” is a story of a man afflicted with unearthly visions; supernatural or psychological, they force him to witness a strange drama that unfolds in some unspecified time and place. It’s a subtle work of ocular terror, (I just had to write that!) and I regard it rather highly.

And Strangers and Pilgrims is indeed a beautiful book. I just have to keep that dust jacket clean LOL.

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"A Mote" sounds very interesting. Like a man whose worldly mental defense has collapsed, and the cosmic forces come pouring in.

"The Village of Old Age" could be something quaint and hoary. Sounds almost like a Dunsany title. But they are very different writers.

That dust jacket will get a patina with age! As long as book is handled with care and love, the little signs of age may increase its attraction. If it really bothers you, you could get a clear mylar plastic jacket for it. I have it for several of my books.

“The Village of Old Age” is a story that could just as easily be considered a longish prose poem. This is true of so many of de la Mare’s works, like “The Vats,” or “The Creatures”, where the writer’s poetic sensibility infuses the prose with such a great natural beauty.
“A:B:O” and “A Mote” are the only truly major pieces in Eight Tales, though even the slightest works have an undeniable charm. I certainly wish de la Mare had written more like”A:B:O”. One almost never uses the phrase ‘horror stories’ to describe de la Mare’s tales; His style is too subtle and his touch too delicate. But I think that particular work can honestly be described as a horror story…if one understands by ‘horror’ one means a complex of emotions, mystery, awe, wonder, beauty and, yes, horror.

Assuming they know of his existence at all, the one major problem I’ve found in trying to turn friends on to his fiction is a general confusion. Didn’t he write ‘highbrow’ literary fiction like Henry James, wasn’t he primarily a poet, didn’t he write children’s stories, but aren’t his ghost stories traditional ones (i.e., boring), that kind of thing, a confusion, in part at least, caused by his multifaceted talents and the lack of a clear and convenient label. (One may argue over the crudeness of the “Cthulhu Mythos” label but August Derleth knew just how important it was to market a writer successfully if you want his works to be read; it’s clear most readers feel the need for something to hang a hat upon.)
Although de la Mare was never a genre writer in any ordinary sense, I believe a small but significant number of his darker tales, clearly marked as tales of supernatural or psychological terror, in a slim volume not unlike the original M. R. James collections, might have the potential to connect with more readers.
After all, readers who have the skills to appreciate writers as challenging and diverse as, say, a Lovecraft or a Robert Aickman shouldn’t be too intimidated by the fiction of de la Mare!

(BTW, Knygathin, you're right; I should use mylar jackets. I handle my books gently...but I handle them often.)

Have you solved "The Riddle"?

Have you solved "The Riddle"? -- Kyngathin


No, I can’t claim that.
It always felt like there was more than one allegory in this tale! I think this story swallows interpretations the way a certain old oak chest swallowed children..
I’ve heard the traditional readings—the depiction of the journey through life to old age. Maybe. There’s certainly a shivery quality to the tale! It also has a very strong feeling of a religious allegory...

What about yourself? Do you have an interpretation or a favorite reading?

Druidic said:

What about yourself? Do you have an interpretation or a favorite reading?

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Yes, I do! But it's not a very intellectual interpretation, more an intuitive impression.

To me, the tale seems very clear. The children are separated from their parents, and must live with their grandmother. If you live surrounded by old things and hear tellings of the distant past, rather than grow in an immediate modern presence of materiality, you will get stringed to that past. That's what happens to the children. Furthermore, inside the old chest, there is the soft touch of pretty rose silk, and the lingering sweet smell of flowers that were alive perhaps a hundred years ago, . . . a very strong line directly into the past.

The story as whole, gives a subtle feeling of de la Mare having transcended the illusion of material linear time dimension, having lifted the veil to reveal that everything is one and existing.

I love de la Mare and agree that a more dark-inspired collection would go down very well with me. I'm not much of a poetry buff, but ever since I read The Listeners as a child it's been the high-water mark of poems for me due to its supreme atmosphere. It really is more like a distilled short story. Anyway, that's my t'uppence worth.

Hey, Damo, welcome to the club! "The Listeners" is a fantastic poem!

Knygathin,

I really like your interpretation of "The Riddle" for two, three reasons. One, there is a simplicity to it that gives it a certain elegance. Two, it isn’t contradicted by anything in the text. And Three, it feels true to the general spirit of the story. Certainly a legitimate interpretation.

Mine is a bit more problematic...but maybe not. The beginning of “The Riddle” reminds me of the Bibical story of the Garden. Adam and Eve were innocent of knowledge of Good and Evil…I see the children as the innocents here. The old Lady’s warning is similar to the warning given in the Garden:You are free to do this and that, but not this one thing. When Adam and Eve partake of the fruit they are driven out of the Garden; When the children ‘disobey’ they disappear, and in a sense they too have been driven out of Paradise. The Heaven of Childhood. They fall asleep in the chest…while the Old Lady passes her days as one in a dream. Youth inevitably disappears as old age diminishes.

Of course, there is no One correct interpretation and I like that. Even the title itself is ambiguous: Does The Riddle refer to the entire story? Or is it the oak chest? Or the Old Lady who seems to be the key to everything? The mystery is just too subtle and sinister…too good to be fully resolved.

In the second post of this thread, Mark Valentine (who wrote the fine intro to Strangers and Pilgrims) suggested a reading of “Seaton’s Aunt” I had never considered. It’s his own take, and I found it a quite enjoyable experience to reread the tale with that interpretation in mine.


BTW, you can read one of Ligotti's stories at this very site: there's a posting of "Nethescurial" and maybe another story or two. They will give you a chance to decide if you enjoy his fiction and want to make the plunge into buying one of his collections.

Personally, I prefer Ligotti’s early stuff (Dead Dreamer, Grimscribe) to the later “Tales of Corporate Horror”. A matter of taste, I suppose, though he’s certainly become a better stylist over the years. If you read that sample and find it to your liking, the reissues of the early books may give you the best of both worlds, having been revised significantly. But I haven’t read them yet.
I don't find his works typical of Modern Horror save for their bleak worldview . I like Ligotti because he's a traditionalist at heart. Like myself...

Druidic,

I would think your interpretation of "The Riddle" is, at the very least, as legitimate as my own! You also have sound open thoughts about the ambigious nature of the riddle.

I have sort of left Christianity behind me, so I generally don't think along those symbols. But the story does have the element of sin in giving into temptation, that is the destructive path down the road of illusions. And the diminish of age is a consequence of having stepped out of Paradise.

As you say, "The Riddle" can be interpreted in different ways. From different perspectives. I think your interpretation is true.

Your interpretation gives the story a certain dark mood. I didn't find the story dark at all, but rather "jolly"! (That's funny, because I tend to detect misery in most human interactions.) Almost like Alice i Wonderland, the children step into another dimension. There is only a brief sense of loss, when one of the children has gone missing. But grandmother also consolingly says, that they may come back. A passing brief thought while reading, was that she is either benevolent, or insidiously evil in tricking the children into the chest, and I set my mind on the former.

Your interpretation is probably closer to the truth, or more significant . . . that grandmother warns the children of the painful mistakes and lessons every person must make, warns them as futilely as anyone can warn. It is sad really.

I guess my interpretation is a pagan one, from a person who will not have a family, does not want to take responsibilty, and only desires to be enveloped and dissolved into Nature.

The Riddle is a Rorschach like any classic fairy tale. Fairy tales can take on different shades over time. A fairy tale that seemed humorous or delightfully absurd when you first read it as a young reader, might, many years later, seem to be quite dark. The adult mind sees more potentialities for evil. The first time I read “The Riddle”, it felt “jolly”, too...only in the last few years did I begin to perceive a slightly sinister quality to it! So I think you’re right to link interpretation and effect…Your interpretation has a certain charm to it (Lovecraft would have loved it!), mine is a bit grim…so the story fine tunes itself to the reader. Like all great art, what you bring to it determines what you take away. Most people bring Nothing to the table and for them a world full of bad TV, hack movies and Best Sellers is clearly enough. No effort needed there.
Regarding Christianity: I, too, have left it behind me, at least in terms of belief. I’m not a militant atheist because I’ve seen too much suffering and I know some people need the consolations of religion… I’m not going to be the one attempting to cut their lifeline. At the same time, I’d be among the first to protest teaching Creationism in a Science class. (Sunday school is the proper setting for such indoctrination.) But in reading writers like de la Mare, and even Lovecraft, I try to think in terms of their time and what symbols might have meant most to them. I don’t think de la Mare was a believer but I suspect he would have liked to be. There’s a story if I can remember it correctly…de la Mare was asked if he believed the Resurrection story was literally true. He replied to the effect that it was such a beautiful story it could most likely be true. I read that as a sly way of saying, “No, not really, but I wish it were.” And regarding Lovecraft, have you ever noticed “The Colour out of Space” seems to be a modern day reworking of the Book of Job? A reworking for a materialistic age no longer capable of the naive beliefs of their forefathers. (In Job God speaks from the Storm, the heart of the Whirlwind, and reveals Himself: Lovecraft ends “The Colour” with a Whirlwind of his own…but only a blind indifferent force reveals itself and it’s “…going home…") I’m convinced “The Picture in the House” has a ‘secret’ along these lines that a careful reading will reveal.

I, too, see my destiny as nothing more than being enveloped by Nature, turned into ‘mulch’ (Michael Shea’s phrase) for this great starry void of a universe. Can’t say I completely look forward to it. Not that my future prospects are terribly encouraging. They seem to involve pain, and more pain. But still there will be the ‘small victories’ that for me at least, make the whole game bearable. Life can be a losing deal, but I’ve fought too hard too many times just to stay alive. By now, good or bad, it’s become a habit. Ah, but maybe it’s just the stubbornness that runs in my blood. Yeah, that could be it.

If you decide to sample Ligotti’s works, I’d enjoy knowing your thoughts!