We begin with the J. K. Rowling connection
and some accusations of paganism.
Elizabeth Goudge and J. K. Rowling
In 2001, J. K. Rowling gave an interview in which she said that Elizabeth Goudge’s The Little White Horse was one of her
favourite childhood books and it was an inspiration for the Harry Potter
series.
I am guessing that J. K. Rowling at some
point investigated other books by Elizabeth Goudge. Her account of the witch
Merope Gaunt, who came from a humble background and who probably bewitched the
handsome and wealthy Tom Riddle Senior with a love potion, reminds me very much
of the story of Emma Cobley and Hugo Valerian.
Christianity and paganism
J. K. Rowling’s recommendation of Elizabeth
Goudge probably revived interest in an author who was no longer well known.
Some new readers may not have been too
pleased with what they found.
Another drawback may be the religion:
Elizabeth Goudge’s books are Christian in outlook, containing such themes as
sacrifice, conversion, discipline, healing, and growth through suffering. This too
might put some people off.
It is much the same with Madeleine L’Engle’s
books: some people enjoy reading them despite the sweetness and religious
references.
My approach in such cases is to decide
whether or not there is anything in the books that makes them worth reading by
non-sentimental, non-Christian people. If so, I metaphorically leave the bits I
don’t like on the side of the plate! This approach has given me inspiration for
many articles.
Ironically, while these two committed Christian
authors’ books have too much religion in them for my taste, they have been
criticised by some Christians for their paganism!
This is not the place to go into this in
detail; in any case I find the mindset and viewpoints of religious people who
make accusations of paganism and heresy difficult to understand.
I will just say that Linnets and Valerians in
particular has come under fire because black magic is defeated by the use of
white magic and not by whatever means Christians should use - bell, book and
candle?
Ill will is defeated by goodwill. Uncle
Ambrose - the vicar - uses mind power against Emma Cobley. They fight with
their eyes only. Perhaps he should have flashed his crucifix at her instead!
The book also speaks of the Great
God Pan favourably, which seems to be a crime in the critics’ eyes, and mentions the protective powers
of rowan and rosemary and the guardian bees, for which Uncle Ambrose has the
greatest respect.
Perhaps the evil characters get off too
lightly for the hellfire and damnation brigade; on the other hand Lady Alicia
does forgive Emma for everything from the bottom of her heart, which is all
very Christian but seems a bit excessive considering how much suffering Emma
caused.
Mists and Morpheus
To return to the subject of witchcraft, witches
are said to be able to summon up a thick mist or fog. They are also said to put
people into trances or make them fall asleep - for the witch’s benefit.
Emma Cobley is no exception. She can put
people to sleep and call up mist to hide her activities and make people
disoriented.
When threatened by Emma, her gang and the
bulldog, two of the children and their dog take refuge in a tree. Emma finds
that the tree is protected by an invisible wall, so she performs magic to try
to make the children fall asleep. The spell works: they start yawning and the younger
child says he wants to get down and go to bed. The sleepy dog nearly falls from
the tree. Luckily, they are soon rescued by Uncle Ambrose.
Soon after the children find Emma’s figurines
up near Lion Tor, the weather suddenly changes and a cold and clammy mist rolls
in. They would never have found the place where the figurines were hidden if it
had come a little earlier. Ezra the fairy servant says grimly that the mist
nearly got them, speaking as though the mist were a savage beast that had been
set on them by somebody.
The mist is similar to the one that Lady
Alicia’s little boy disappeared into all those years ago.
They have a long journey home, they find
themselves travelling blind through a strange chilly no man’s land of
nothingness, wrapped up in a thick white fog like cotton wool and unable to see
a yard in any direction.
This is all extremely symbolic.
It could be a description of what happens
around people with witchlike personalities in real life. These witches hide
their activities behind a smokescreen. Anyone who gets close to them may fall
into a trance and become lost and confused, afflicted with a kind of blindness
and paralysis and living in a fog.
More than meets the eye
I got a copy of Linnets and Valerians in the
hope that it would contain as much material of interest as the other books
featuring witches that I have written about. Diana Wynne Jones’s Black Maria
for example is packed with article-inspiring content.
I was a little disappointed after the first,
superficial, reading. I didn’t see much obviously relevant material. I expected
to cover everything in one fairly short article.
A few more, closer, readings changed my
opinion of the book.
I found some familiar elements and features;
I noticed more and more connections. The material of interest is often subtly
expressed and sometimes consists of just a few lines here and there, but it has
obviously inspired enough descriptions, ideas and commentaries to fill several
articles.
I wonder whether any of Elizabeth Goudge’s
other books are like this. I might take a look at some of them sometime.
