The 20th Century Renaissance Man Who Pioneered Much of the Modern Fantasy Genre

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11 ай бұрын

100 years ago, an iconoclastic British author pushed the boundaries of fantasy fiction and inspired a Who's Who of writers from different corners of the genre: from Tolkien to Lovecraft; from Robert E. Howard to Jack Vance; from Michael Moorcock to Neil Gaiman, just to name a few.
This video explores the works of Lord Dunsany and discusses what made him so influential and why he deserves to be read today.
0:01 Overview
3:14 Who was Lord Dunsany?
3:56 An unlikely writer
6:37 Literary reputation
7:42 Dunsany's style
10:05 Dunsany's themes
11:48 Early short fiction
19:24 Early novels
25:32 Jorkens tales
27:57 Later works
29:33 Dunsany's impact
31:37 Why forgotten today?
33:11 Where to find his works
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I've recorded an audiobook of Lord Dunsany's The Book of Wonder short story collection (14 stories), which is available for download at:
thelibraryladder.creator-spri...
Two of the short stories from the audiobook can be listened to at:
• [Audiobook] Chu-Bu and...
• [Audiobook] The Hoard ...
Library ladder merchandise is available at thelibraryladder.creator-spri...
I also have a Ko-Fi.com page if you enjoy my videos and would like to buy me a cup of coffee: ko-fi.com/thelibraryladder
Artwork credits:
Arthur Rackham
Hidehisa Miyagawa
Sidney Sime
Tano Bonfanti
#booktube #fantasybooks #fantasy #bookcollection #booktubesff

Пікірлер: 667

@RandalPlunkett261

Great tribute to a man whose influence is everywhere yet completely unknown to the masses. As his closest relative, thank for such a well rounded look at his work

@jeroenadmiraal8714

Dunsany's writing still has the power to totally impress and overwhelm a reader with its beauty and melancholy.

@thelibraryladder

My goal with this video isn't to start a debate about the definitive, most influential fantasy author. Rather, it's to shine a spotlight on an often overlooked author who should be a part of the conversation because of his significant impact on many later fantasy authors who are now considered among the greatest. :)

@SolarLabyrinth

I had no idea he was so prolific. Given how little his work is discussed these days, I really just thought he had written King of Elfland's Daughter and a few short stories. A very enlightening video.

@blakearius

Dear god. This guy invented the anime Isekai genre.

@anuragarakala1159

Your voice is very addictive sir. Makes audience want to keep listening for a long time...

@patrickmarshall4142

I can attest to Dunsany's influence on Fritz Leiber. I heard Leiber read "The Fortress Unvanqiishable Save for Sacnoth" as well as his own "Lean Times in Lanhkmar" in Berkeley in the late seventies. Leiber had the most amazing Shakespearean delivery which suited Dunsany's fantastic prose.

@DrWrapperband

Doesn't seem that unusual, it mirrors the Life Edward De Vere and his writing Shake-speare. Very educated upper class with time on their hands and all the family connections.

@kathleengarvey4634

I am utterly stunned to see your wonderful doc. I didn't think anyone knew of Lord Dunsany and his influence. Granted it was 1968 or'69 when I was searching. I and the local librarian were only able to access "The King of Elfland's Daughter " through inter library loans. I remember being floored that a 14 year old was able to access a college library around 60 miles distant. That's when I became a life long fan of public libraries and "fairytales for adults".

@antonyreyn

FFFF - Tolkien is contained within the name Thorkelin who was the first translator of Beowulf - fun fact for folks

@jarltrippin

You're an absolute asset to fantasy literature. Tolkien deserves all the respect he gets, but Dunsany made the first great step for the genre, and it's a damn shame that he resides in such obscurity. Great video, man.

@thoughtfuldevil6069

"When Mana-Yood-Sushai wakes, there shall be dreams and gods no more."

@billbadson7598

I can’t recommend Dunsany enough. Every single thing he’s written. If you go through all his stories, you can see his influence on so many modern genres. I’m confident he was also a direct influence on HP Lovecraft, as some of his stories (especially in Gods of Pegana, and Time and the Gods) involve similar themes of vastly powerful, inscrutable, terrifying beings who aren’t aware enough of your existence to even consider you.

@andreasboe4509

"His use of language is precise and poetic. His choice of words conveys specific tones and emotions, and he imbues them with a poetic rhytm." Very well put. I can't think of a better description of Mr Library Ladder.

@anthonybird546

Dunsany's fantasies feel to me like the literary equivalent of art nouveau. Just gorgeous.

@qwqwqwqw99

I normally have trouble picturing scenes in my head but when I read Dunsany it's like that part of my brain finally works. Like the words are doing all the work.

@Akril

I was hoping this video would be about Dunsany. I first discovered his work on the Internet Archive, and I was amazed at how

@CyrusB1

This was fascinating. I've heard "Lord Dunsany" as an author kicked around for years, but never considered him as the inspiration behind Robert E. Howard & Tolkien (which, of course, they must have had their loves as well) I learned a lot from your videos. Thank you

@michaelk.vaughan8617

Every video you make is a cause for celebration, but this one is particularly important. Few seem to read Dunsany nowadays and he is so worth reading.

@elijahtrevino5347

A KZfaq channel that looks at the historical development of the fantasy genre! Never thought I needed one so badly! Thank you for the amazing content.