Briar Rose

Briar Rose is the name of the princess in Sleeping Beauty and the name of the Grimm brothers version of the story is Little Briar Rose. Robert Coover tells the story from three points of view. First is the point of view of the prince entering and cutting his way through the briars on a heroic/erotic quest. Then there is the princess dreaming of her rescue by a kiss from the spell induced by a spindle prick and the promised handsome prince who will do the kissing. Lastly, is the evil fairy who cast the spell and who keeps the princess company by telling her stories during her 100 year slumber. The story keeps switching between these three perspectives, with much repetition. Each character explores their own expectations and fears through this process. This is a story rich in mythic and erotic symbolism, and Coover explores these in depth as each character relives the event in their mind from slightly different perspectives over and over again. As a study in the symbolism and possible overtones of the brief story, Coover's work is excellent. People looking for a romantic retelling of the original tale should definitely look elsewhere because some of the variations include disturbing elements like incest, cannibalism, adultery, and rape. While nowhere near as much an erotic fantasy as Anne Rice's three volume Beauty series, this book is still not appropriate for the faint of heart or children.

While reading Coover's book, you might find yourself confused. This is only appropriate, as Coover wrote an existential masterpiece. The prince's efforts to penetrate the briar hedge lead him nowhere. Beauty dreams of a series of princes waking her, each worse than the last. They seek eachother because they seek the only concept they know will not melt away. If you consider the phrase "someday my prince will come" sacrosanct, this is probably not a good one to read. If you need a traditional narrative, this is probalby not a good one to read. If you're looking for a read aloud for your children...perhaps try a different book. Otherwise, enjoy.

Robert Coover is one of the pioneering post-modernists that started working in the 60's and shows no signs of stopping...The three main characters of the piece are the princess, known as Rose, the rescuing prince, and the wicked fairy who cast the spell on her. Instead of an innocent princess, we have one who dreams of being violated sexually by her prince before he gives her a kiss to wake her. She is aroused by this. The only world she inhabits is that of her dreams. In her moments of existentialist thought she questions why she has to be the princess. Why is she made to suffer? What did she do wrong to be enchanted into an eternal sleep? The prince at first appears to be the stereotype we all know. He is handsome, brave, and whose sole reason for living is to do good. He is flawed, though, by his own over-confidence. Most of the book he is cutting through briars. Even he is not really interested in Rose. He is simply fulfilling his mythic job. Namely, rescuing virgin maidens. He has a problem with his fate too. He lives for the quest and recognizes that once the quest is over the aftermath becomes too mundane. If he rescues the princess, he will have to marry her and settle down. There is no mystery or wonder in day to day life and so he almost dreads getting to the castle to wake her.As with most post-modern thought the fairy exhibits both good and evil sides, almost a two-face type character. She feels on one side a joy in the princess' suffering but on the other hand she feels she rescued her from an otherwise humdrum existence. At least while she is enchanted she will not know death or pain. Unfortunately, the fairy has to supply the dreams of Rose and most of them are about horrible tales that happened to sleeping princesses. I liked this book a lot. You feel as though all the characters are fighting against their archetypal nature. They are all struggling against their fate and this is heroic. It is more than a questioning of existence. This book is about the QUEST for existence. What does it mean to fulfill your destiny? Is there anything after that? Are your dreams stronger than reality? I would recommend this book to first-time Coover readers because it is short and more accessible than some of his other work. Besides, the language is beautiful.

When I first studied creative writing in college, my professor named three men he thought had defined the novel to that point, John Gardner, Robert Coover, John Barth (I would add others, but that's what he said). Coover's genius lies in his word craft. He drifts between reality, the dream, the dream of reality, and the reality of the dream (those really are 4 different things) effortlessly. To call his writing surreal doesn't begin to do it justice. He writes fiction that reads like your own thoughts, as if you were thinking each word as it appeared before your eyes. His novels live in a twilight zone squeezed in between dimensions, and although often populated by familiar names and faces (such as in this book and The Public Burning) he delves into the motivations that make the characters what they are. What makes a prince forge through brambles? What does a princess think and dream about while magically asleep for 100 years? Coover's speculations are hilarious, thought-provoking, mysterious, and compelling. A beautifully constructed story that we all already know, turned in on itself, and dissected to reveal level upon level of consciousness. Fine work from a true master of literature.

This book is dizzyingly well-written. The images and ideas pile on top of each other with a relentless force, and then, suddenly, the book's over and you want more. Read this book, then wonder how men and women ever manage to hook up at all.