319 reviews for:

Ragnarök

A.S. Byatt

3.46 AVERAGE


My knowledge of Nordic myths has been limited to their references in literature (Thor the thunder god, Odin the one-eyed one etc) and of course, from the appearence of the Norse Gods in Neil Gaiman's Sandman series. So, I had no pre-conceived notion of the myth or its progression. I like AS Byatt's writing in general and especially love to sink my teeth into the sheer linguistic delight of it. How often do you read words like "tenebrous" and "numinous" without feeling that the authour is merely showing off or being pretentious? I guess what I was expecting was a rich narrative that is her usual style; the semi-autobigraphical counter-story of the "thin girl" in WW2 England does provide a thread that holds the narrative together but the story is told very much in the mythological style. I soon got used to it as it is not very different from the style in which Indian myths were generally told when I was a child.
The essay at the end of the book on myths and fairytales is quite good on its own as well as an epilogue to the retelling of the myth itself.

lnatal's review

2.0

This is not her best book. Or perhaps fantasy isn't her best genre of writing.

4* Possession
4* The Children's Book
4* Angels and Insects
4* The Virgin in the Garden
4* Babel Tower
4* Still Life
2* Ragnarök
TR The Matisse Stories
TR A Whistling Woman
TR Unruly Times: Wordsworth and Coleridge in Their Time

was interesting and i really loved the distinction between myth and allegories/creeds

'But there is a sense in which the Norse Gods are peculiarly human [...] They are human because they are limited and stupid. They are greedy and enjoy fighting and playing games. They are cruel and enjoy hunting and jokes. They know Ragnarök is coming but are incapable of imagining any way to fend it off, or change the story.'

For someone reading these myths for the first time this book has definitely inspired an interest in the subject. Now to find a copy of Asgard and the Gods...

Did you like Gaiman’s Norse Mythology? Do you love well written prose?

Imagine Lucy Pevinsie, evacuated to the country during the blitz. But this thin child doesn’t find a Wardrobe to Jesus Lion. Instead she finds a book of Norse myths. Loki and the Ferris Wolf and the Midgard Serpent are her companions, not Tumnus and Reepicheep. And no, it’s not a collection of Thor comics either.

Recommended for people who enjoy the end of the world myth described in harrowing detail.

AS Byatt enters my house and sands down all the interior walls, leaving them white as unprinted paper and I just sit there and let her do it.

Byatt re-read this book as a part of Canongate myth series and managed to make Norse mythology boring - which I thought wasn't possible. A semi-biographical narration goes only so far when the repetitive "that thin child" description becomes irritating. For most part of non-mythological story, I kept thinking, "Why is Byatt referencing to her childhood self as "thin child". Why not the child? Why not anything else?" There isn't a reason unless it was a giant metaphor for war ridden, alienated, lonely and hungry child.

I had trouble seeing Byatt's transliteration of Norse mythology on Christianity. As this entire narration is that from a child's perspective, it is understandable. Children tend to see the world with clear sets of rights and wrongs and their comparative arguments could be quite limited. But these don't make the book boring. What makes this book an underwhelming experience involving Norse mythology is the detachment with which it is written. The enriching culture is downplayed to a caricature that belongs on the big screen than on paper.

This isn't a book that should be read as an introduction to Byatt.

Byatt's style is hauntingly good. I loved the story in this - the way it interlaces with the retelling of the myth is very carefully done. I do wish there had been a little more original content in there, rather than just the retelling of the Ragnarök myths.