The Wood Beyond The World

This book was great. I loved the way Morris engages the reader and the language he uses and also his entire plot line is fairly unique. I'm struck at how sympathetic I feel towards Walter and The Maiden. Even though Morris' language kept me engaged his characters and plot line were easy to follow and the book came across as an almost easy read. I come off of a very long shift so I'm going to point out a few things that seem like intrinsic values throughout the text and hopefully summarize a few things before I call it quits. 

• Value:  Character is better than beauty
• Value:  Good character is rewarded, bad character punished
• Value:  The King should be wise, the Queen beautiful, and both revered by the people
• Value:  Women of good character remain pure.  (Men it seems like it is merely recommended)
• Uses kennings from time to time.
• Uses archaic language to try to capture a medieval feeling.
• The fear that the other will cease loving or not be able to accept the other's bad actions is a recurring theme.

This is one of those stories that strikes one as truly novel.  This is perhaps partly because it is an attempt by Morris to resurrect the medieval romance, which has values alien to modern thought.  It is also partly because it seems to be exactly what a fairy-tale is about:  defeating evil, finding your true love along the way, and becoming great.  Perhaps, too, it is because so many other works have clearly borrowed from it.  The Green Lady of C.S. Lewis' The Silver Chair is reminiscent of Morris' Lady, in the type of evil, and in the way her consort addresses her.  (The children in the book also travel through a land of giants and the rescued prince becomes King of Narnia.)  The city and the love story of the movie "Stardust" are also reminiscent of this book.