Reviews

The Fairies in Tradition and Literature by Katharine M. Briggs

carringtonshaw's review

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challenging dark informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

4.0

An excellent reference book and writer's companion. More than once it crossed my mind that J. K. Rowling must have referred to this book when writing Harry Potter.

The book is a good broad overview of the world of Faerie, with a useful glossary and reading list I will turn to again and again. At times it was almost too broad in that I couldn't quite follow a reference it was making, though I think that was more to do with my distance, both in time and space, from the original publication.

I was amused by the chapter on "Whimsy" and reading as Briggs tore apart Barrie and Lewis most disdainfully. Overall, a great read, and I learned a lot! 
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