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Title: Allan Quartermain
Author: H. Rider Haggard
Genre: Classic adventure
Thingummies: 2
Synopsis: Big game hunter returns to Africa for one last adventure; finds lost tribe of white people on a hidden plateau.
Thoughts: I'd heard of the Victorian adventure protagonist Allan Quartermain, and been vaguely curious. I borrowed this from a library, unaware that it isn't actually the first in the series (that would be King Solomon's Mines). Fortunately, it's not actually particularly necessary to have read the others to read this one (despite it being the last in the series).
Unfortunately, it hasn't aged well.
There are three major problems, all of which are relatively predictable. There's the racism and the sexism. Although, it's really more anti-anyone-not-Englishism--the Zulu arguably fares better than the Frenchman. At least the Zulu has a certain amount of nobility, even if it is noble savageness. The Frenchman is just an idiot and a coward, with only his ability to cook to redeem him. Servants and enemies, though, might as well be monkeys. In some cases, vicious evil monkeys, but monkeys nonetheless.
And the twin queens of the fabled white race, well. Beautiful fair women are naturally pure goodness, even if they are easily overcome with their own emotions. And beautiful dark women are evil temptresses, who are easily overcome with their own emotions.
The other problem is really just that our demands for how plots work have changed substantially over a hundred years. There are a lot of unconnected incidents, mostly implausible. (How the underground river winds up on a plateau, I'm still trying to figure out.)
On the plus side, it actually wasn't as terribly racist as I'd originally feared. At least some of the African characters are actually well-rounded and competent. Haggard actually lived in Africa for some time--he seems to be aware that Africans are actually people, and at times almost seems to be fighting the conventions he knows he's supposed to be thinking in. And while the events are ridiculous, there's a certain fun in over-the-top Victoriana action--evil kidnappers, underground rivers, cannibalistic giant crabs, melodramatic love triangles.
It's worth reading, perhaps, for historical context. Just be aware that a lot is not particular acceptable by today's standards.
Author: H. Rider Haggard
Genre: Classic adventure
Thingummies: 2
Synopsis: Big game hunter returns to Africa for one last adventure; finds lost tribe of white people on a hidden plateau.
Thoughts: I'd heard of the Victorian adventure protagonist Allan Quartermain, and been vaguely curious. I borrowed this from a library, unaware that it isn't actually the first in the series (that would be King Solomon's Mines). Fortunately, it's not actually particularly necessary to have read the others to read this one (despite it being the last in the series).
Unfortunately, it hasn't aged well.
There are three major problems, all of which are relatively predictable. There's the racism and the sexism. Although, it's really more anti-anyone-not-Englishism--the Zulu arguably fares better than the Frenchman. At least the Zulu has a certain amount of nobility, even if it is noble savageness. The Frenchman is just an idiot and a coward, with only his ability to cook to redeem him. Servants and enemies, though, might as well be monkeys. In some cases, vicious evil monkeys, but monkeys nonetheless.
And the twin queens of the fabled white race, well. Beautiful fair women are naturally pure goodness, even if they are easily overcome with their own emotions. And beautiful dark women are evil temptresses, who are easily overcome with their own emotions.
The other problem is really just that our demands for how plots work have changed substantially over a hundred years. There are a lot of unconnected incidents, mostly implausible. (How the underground river winds up on a plateau, I'm still trying to figure out.)
On the plus side, it actually wasn't as terribly racist as I'd originally feared. At least some of the African characters are actually well-rounded and competent. Haggard actually lived in Africa for some time--he seems to be aware that Africans are actually people, and at times almost seems to be fighting the conventions he knows he's supposed to be thinking in. And while the events are ridiculous, there's a certain fun in over-the-top Victoriana action--evil kidnappers, underground rivers, cannibalistic giant crabs, melodramatic love triangles.
It's worth reading, perhaps, for historical context. Just be aware that a lot is not particular acceptable by today's standards.
