I was first introduced to H. Rider Haggard in my class on British Imperialism in college where we studied history though novels of the time. We studied his "King Solomon's Mines" with the intent of viewing the British Empire as 19th century contemporaries might have - and what better place to do this than through propagandist adventure novels targeted at young boys?! I'd like to say that "She" - one of Haggard's more grown up novels - is a step up, but I can't say that with thorough conviction. True, "She" is definitely more gruesome and complex in how it questions the human condition and society at large, but overall the story, the themes, and, most importantly, the perspective is very much the same.Haggard, I only learned through the third party introduction to this book, was a politically active Tory (conservative) who was stationed as an administrator in South Africa for a time and wished to remain there for the rest of his days. The Boer Wars prevented this ambition from happening, but we can see all of these predispositions in his writing nonetheless. During this time period - "She" was written in 1887 - we can assume that Haggard would be anticipating the fall of the Empire he loved so dearly as its influence is already wavering. He sees the women's emancipation movement taking form, he sees huge changes in industry and how society is relating to these changes, etc. and each of these observations concerns him. As a proud British conservative, he believes in the glory of the Empire and believes in upholding the age old traditions defining what it means to be British. Therefore, keeping all of this in mind, we can interpret "She" to be a bit of a warning to contemporaries of the consequences these changes could have for Britain and her empire while also exploring the complexities of the human condition which make upholding traditions of the past so important.First off, I'll provide a brief synopsis: Our heroes are two men, one age 25 and beautiful the other in his 40's and hideous (these adjectives are very important, I promise). The elder has been the guardian of the younger for 20 years after the boy's father died in strange circumstances. Upon the boy turning 25, our elder hero delivers a secret package to the younger, as instructed, which contains a letter and certain artifacts pertaining to a quest that has been the object of the family since antiquity and up until that point every generation had failed. This quest, in short, is to travel to an obscure point in Africa and kill a white woman who appears to be a sorceress. Like all good quests, "King Solomon's Mines" included, our heroes undergo various trials and tribulations before achieving their goal and righting all the wrong in the world. Predictably, the first theme we draw from the book is that of white vs black and the racial justifications for Britain's empire. Haggard and his heroes demonstrate through wit, manner, intelligence, and custom that white = civilized and that civilized = proper and that proper = sacred - therefore, Britain's empire is a necessary crusade to bring civilization to the black man who is, by nature, a savage beast needing to be tamed. In "She", this is made blatantly clear from the start as our heroes find themselves in an African community of cannibals ruled by women (we will get to the fabulous theme of women shortly). This tribe wears loin clothes, speaks a bastard dialect of Arabic, and acts on any sexual desire they so choose without regard to morals ("morals", of course, as interpreted and held by our white, civilized heroes). The only hope that these savages of being saved at all is that they worship and are ruled by a white queen, She. She is a nickname for She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed which is an interesting title for the White Queen because it fully describes her relationship to her people as it is impersonal and disconnected and also feared. This relationship corresponds to how the British related to those whom they colonized as well - the fear of She stems from the fact that she appears to be an immortal sorceress with power over the natural order, whereas in the case of the British the fear stemmed from advanced technology and a strangeness of character and custom that was exceptionally difficult to relate to. She is especially impersonal because she wears a pure white veil from head to foot giving her the visage of a mummy, promulgating the fear of the unknown in her people.It turns out, however, that She does in fact have a name, Ayesha, and is in fact mortal, simply 2,000 years old. She also does have power over some elements of Nature through wisdom she acquired by arguably unnatural ways. As our heroes develop a deep and personal connection with the white woman of antiquity, we are left with the understanding that Ayesha is intended to represent the ideal woman in character as well as figure. Our educated men are able to speak with Ayesha about the classics, as it's her own history, in each of the ancient languages she is fluent in with an air of aristocratic discourse that so starkly differs from the people over whom she rules. She is a modest ruler who doesn't even want to be the queen of such a retched people and is uncontrollably worshiped by the masses - she simply uses the people as tools to do her bidding, being consistently tyrannical and merciless nature as she kills anyone who disobeys her. Despite this, her humble and modest character is held intact through the eyes of our heroes because a woman of such stature truly has no other way to protect herself against such savages, violence being the only thing they are able to understand. Under her veil this white woman also has the shape and manner of everything the ideal woman should have. In fact, the veil itself is to protect men and women alike from falling victim to the power of her immense Beauty which is so phenomenal as to be considered a danger to all who look upon it. And it's true - both of our heroes fall immediately in love with Ayesha once they see her face, grovelling at her feet and uttering nonsense despite their vast intellects and civilized natures. With such power over Nature and Men alike, why would She remain in such a position, you might ask? Well, the answer is simple - she has spent the last 2,000 years waiting for her dead lover to enter this world again and to come find her where they last met all those years ago. This devotion and loyalty to a single man only makes her more attractive to our heroes while placing the final touches on the mold of our ideal woman to the typical 19th century reader. More importantly, this theme of reincarnation is something Haggard explored thoroughly in this book but never quite developed. It's clear that his understanding of reincarnation was limited, but it is interesting to see it placed as the backdrop for our quest because our heroes seem to accept it despite their civilized, presumably Anglican beliefs. Their relationship to Providence is as one would imagine a generic non-devout but believing Christian's would be, but our heroes have no sense of doubt when the subject of being reborn is addressed. Discussion of the Creator and Nature seem to go hand in hand, implying that an active God and the concept of reincarnation are compatible to either Haggard or at least to his characters. The religious components which are more fully developed are those of Truth, Beauty, and Time. Ayesha is, of course, the symbol of the former two in that Truth is veiled from Man and Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty. Beauty is a component of righteousness in that our younger hero, the more gorgeous and god-like of the two, turns out to be the very reincarnation of Ayesha's lost lover that she has been waiting these 2,000 years for. Therefore, whether through the agency of Providence or of Fate, he is destined to be Ayesha's partner as only the most beautiful could be the proper match for her. Our elder hero is not necessarily evil despite his hideousness but, rather, he is simply not the one who is meant to be paired with someone of Ayesha's stature. Time, of course, is addressed through reincarnation but also by taking the reader through the history of the world's great civilizations through conversations with Ayesha. As we discuss what happened to these lost civilizations, Ayesha is also learning what has happened since them in a line of events presented in an auspicious light. Furthermore, Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, and the imagined people of Kor - this book's own lost civilization - are all placed next to the British, implying to the contemporary reader that their own Empire has met if not exceeded the greatness of these peoples of antiquity. As such, it is critical to preserve its greatness which Haggard fears is slipping.Overall, it was a very good and enjoyable read though I was disappointed in the outcome of the plot. I am also disappointed to learn that, presumably while in a financial pinch, Haggard wrote a sequel to this book which based on the plot could only be possible through the further misuse of the concept of reincarnation. Haggard believed that "She" would be the book that he became the most well known for, and while it was a best seller during his lifetime and surely appreciated as a piece of literature I simply don't see how it can stand the tests of the ages beyond what it already has.
Well, shit snacks…this was a disappointing pile of shattered expectations. While journeying through the early works of speculative fiction, I’ve encountered some amazing novels...this, I'm very bitter to say, IS NOT one of them. This was my first experience with H. Rider Haggard and I think I will take some time before seeking out any of his other works. My problem was not the not-even-thinly-veiled misogynistic attitudes, or the matter-of-fact racist and anti-semitic opinion or even the pervasive imperialist ideologies permeating the narrative. Hell, that kind of stuff can be a real hoot in these classic stories and rarely distracts me from enjoying an otherwise well-told tale (as exemplified in my love of H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard to name but two).However, you are not allowed to be BORING!!Apparently Mr. Haggard didn’t get the memo because he starts off dull, introduces some uninteresting tedium and follows through with a blank-shooting climax that barely had a pulse. In addition to be boring, the story lacks depth and the writing is far below the quality I’ve come to expect from books of the period.Okay…with that off my chest, I am starting to feel better. Before I unleash my next rant salvo, I should probably give you at least a thumbnail of the plot.PLOT SUMMARY:Ape-faced Englishman, Horace Holly and his stunningly handsome adonis of a ward, Leo Vincey, find themselves on a perilous trip to a hidden African colony rumored to be ruled by a 2000 year old white sorceress. After WAY too much time getting there and some run ins with some natives right out of central casting, they eventually meet Ayesha (aka She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed). There they learn that She has been waiting for the reincarnation of her true love who she slayed in a jealous rage 20 centuries before. Many long-winded dialogues and infodumps later the story wraps up. MY THOUGHTS (cont.):Most of my major criticism is above and centers on the story being dull and the writing being inferior to most of the other classic literature I have read in the speculative fiction genre. I would say the prose was on par with Edgar Rice Burroughs, who I do not think was a strong writer. However, at least ERB made up for some of his lack of technical skill with some amazingly inventive concepts, characters and stories. I didn’t find much of that here.Now, I am not slapping a 1 star on this because I recognize the debt owed to this book as a trailblazer in the “lost world” sub-genre. I also think the character of Ayesha was at times pretty interesting and I thought Haggard did an okay job showing her as acting consistent (for the most part) with someone who had lived for so long that normal social conventions ceased to have meaning for her. Also, I recognize the attempt at trying to portray this as a form of gothic love tale full of regret and longing across the space of millennia. This wasn’t nearly enough to save this book from being a huge disappointment, but the book wasn’t all bad. Before I wrap up, there is one very random passage from the book I want to share because it seemed so very, very creepy and odd and it kept coming back to me even though it has nothing really to do with the plot. Early on in the story, while Holly is at Oxford and Leo is a young boy, the narrator describes the following: In a very little while…the boy became the favourite of the whole College… in whose favour all rules were relaxed. The offerings made at his shrine were without number, and thereon I had a serious difference of opinion with one old resident Fellow… who was supposed to be the crustiest man in the University, and to abhor the sight of a child. And yet I discovered, when a frequently recurring fit of sickness had forced Job to keep a strict look-out, that the unprincipled old man was in the habit of enticing the boy to his rooms and there feeding him unlimited quantities of “brandy-balls” and of making him promise to say nothing about it. Woooooooooahh doggy. Let me get this straight. Old man luring small boy to his room and plying him with alcohol and sugar and making him promise not to tell the other grown ups. This had a very “to catch a predator” vibe to me and did a thorough test of my gag reflex. Sorry, but I needed to share that because it stuck in my head for the rest of the story. Overall, this was a completely forgettable story and a giant wad of Meh. 2.0 stars. Oh, and let me in closing that as well-trained, happily married man, the concept of She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed is pretty old hat for me. Now a story about He-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed….that would be a truly imaginative tale full of fantastical elements, but it would take a seriously creative person to write it. Maybe I could…hold on, what’s that?...okay, coming dear…gotta go…SHE needs a foot rub.
What do You think about She (1998)?
I'd seen the film but that was absolutely ages ago and all I could really remember was "Helen Gahagan was hot". I didn't expect to like the book when I first picked it up - it was only 300 pages, but the font is tiny so in reality it was a much longer book than it first appeared... it was also printed on bible paper so was again, longer than the appearance suggested! But man, I got right into it like *that* and I'm not even sure why... there was something very engaging about the writing I guess, though at times it really did become verbose and overly descriptive. Honestly, there were huge pages of rather irrelevant descriptions and dialogue that were perfectly skimmable although I didn't end up doing this too often.I LOVED the anticipation about She that was built up... Her first appearance isn't even until page 142 and let me tell you, I was right on the edge of my seat waiting for the moment to finally arrive! And oh, She was fascinating, and terrifying, and wonderful. I was swayed, I was on her side not Ustane's. She is the ultimate femme fatale.I loved how adventurous the book was as well - the journey to the Amahagger's was wonderfully perilous, as was the quartet's time spent there. The scene leading up to where She finally meets her startling demise (a little reminiscent of Lost Horizon, I thought) was also gripping stuff.Holly was at times a bit of a stodgy narrator, but at other times he was remarkably fun - "Job lifted his revolver and fired, and hit a man - not the man he had aimed at, by the way; anything that Job shot at was perfectly safe." He also seemed fully aware of the fact that he was very wordy, and would occasionally comment on such, speaking to the reader in a way I thoroughly enjoyed.I wouldn't read it again, but I am curious now to revisit the film, and/or read more books in that same Victorian adventurer/intrepid explorer kind of vein.
—Sally
Traveller wrote: "LOL really? No I didn't know."I didn't know either until it was pointed out a few weeks ago in the comment thread to my review of The Magician's Nephew - more details there. Goodreads can sometimes be surprisingly educational!
—Traveller
*Sigh* - that was a bit of a mission. I think I was more excited about this book before I read it! The story was good but the overly wordy verbose madness of some of the characters made my thinky thing a bit hurty. Haggard may have written it in a six week whirl wind but the dense text and convoluted poetic speeches make it feel less khamsin-like and more leaden than the worlds heaviest box of pencils.I have to admit to skim reading some of the speeches in order to preserve my sanity (and my thinky thing!). On the whole though, I would not mind discovering a lost city (it's better than writing about the osteology anf stratigraphy of 196 skeletons which is what i'm doing this week) but I don't like the idea of being "hot-potted" so maybe I'll just stay home instead!
—Shovelmonkey1
