The Manticore

Robertson Davies, arguably the greatest Canadian author of the 20th century (certainly of the middle period), was in many ways rather critically underappreciated. In his high period he wrote six major novels that formed two complete trilogies ("Deptford" and "Cornish") in the 1970s and 1980s, yet for only one of those did he win Canada's highest literary prize, and he was only shortlisted for the Booker Prize once in his whole career. "The Manticore", the second book of the Deptford Trilogy, earned him the Governor General's Award for Fiction. Somewhat longer than the preceding novel, "Fifth Business", "The Manticore" focuses on a minor character from the first book, David Staunton, the son of Boy Staunton. Whereas the first book was framed as a letter written by Dunstan Ramsay, this book (consisting of three sections, the middle of which takes up most of the pages) is primarily notes and diary entries by the younger Staunton. Still dealing with the death of his father, Staunton journeys to Zurich to seek psychological help. Disdaining Freud, he finds himself working with a Jungian (an equally obsolete theory, but packed with great literary symbolism), and recounts his life. Most of the novel covers the same chronology as "Fifth Business", only advancing beyond that period in the last 40 pages or so. The relationship between the two books is interesting: the former can stand by itself perfectly fine, but one would not be advised to read this story without the prior one. However, some information in the final section transforms how you interpret the conclusion of the first novel. The extensive use of Jungian ideas in the novel could easily come across as pretentious or confusing in lesser hands, but Davies is nothing if not a deft employer of his own body of knowledge. You come away with a better understanding of the theory, and it all fits together quite well. The final pages provide further closure to past events, including a drolly amusing symbolic act by Ramsay. Recommended.

The life of the protagonist--whom we previously knew just an appendage to his father's colossal persona in Fifth Business--is analyzed. The story has many sockets within sockets and abundant psychological theory. Robertson Davies is so artful sn author that the information on archetypes never feels as though it came out of an encyclopedia. Rather, it is essential to the character's trajectory. Highly recommended. Makes me proud to be a Canadian!

Okay, so the comparison to Mann's work is a bit far fetched, but this book is a Jungian exploration of our main character's consciousness. Thanks to the convention of having Davey recount his story to his shrink, we feel a bit detached and disoriented. There is an element of almost-mysticism and we trace all the paths of Davey's mind and experiences. How did this famous criminal lawyer become such an incorrigible drunk and why does he check himself into Zurich for analysis? Unfortunately I read Fifth Business 4 years ago, so I can't remember any of the story line or comment on the relation of this book to the first. It seems to me though that this book does not depend on the first book in the series. I plan to read World of Wonders next, so I'll have more to say about the relation.Back to this book -- it's extremely engrossing with penetrating descriptions of all the characters in Davey's life and a curiously detached view of his life. I couldn't put it down, even at the end when the mystical element almost gets out of hand and he literally climbs the mountain and crawls through a primal cave. Even if you don't buy all the Jungian stuff, Davies is such a good and interesting writer that most should enjoy the experience. As a social commentator, he reminds me of Thomas Wolfe. A gripping read.

The only bad thing about Robertson Davies' Deptford Trilogy (FIFTH BUSINESS, THE MANTICORE, WORLD OF WONDERS) is that it had to end! Sparklingly clever, bawdy, poignant, erudite, and laugh-out-loud funny, Davies entertains in a wonderfully rich, old-world style.A friend of mine (who recommended the books, and to whom I will be forever grateful) put it this way: "Reading Robertson Davies is like sitting in a plush, wood-paneled library--in a large leather chair with a glass of excellent brandy and a crackling fire--and being captivated with a fabulous tale spun by a wonderful raconteur."

I was compelled to read this book on a bet: we were doing some character-study work after reading Fifth Business in class, and a group member and I disagreed about a point -- I won't state it, as to not spoil Fifth Business for anybody, but when the issue was brought to our teacher, as I predicted, he told us to read the rest of the trilogy (though it would have been easier just to answer the question -- but much less rewarding).Anyway, I read it. It's great. Only Davies could have taken Jungian psychology and interspersed it throughout this novel so evenly and so effectively. A book like this could easily have become boring or heavy, but it is always entertaining and infinitely informative. David Staunton's life is by some measures mediocre, but his personal journey is deep and lively, as few writers could have portrayed it.It is also one of the few books that actually change your view on the world. That is an over-used phrased often misplaced, but it is true here; as an introduction to Jungian psychology, this is as good as it gets: all the ideas and facts to be found in a text, but with a superior story woven with it.Simply put, read the thing!!