The Matter of Britain
Andy Paciorek admires a beautifully illustrated retelling of British myths
Storyland A New Mythology of Britain Amy Jeffs Riverrun 2021 Hb, £25, 384pp, ISBN 9781529407976
Amy Jeffs has a scholarly pedigree, holding a PhD in Art History, but with Storyland she skilfully avoids the situation that is too frequently found with academic writing – the application of overly dense, convoluted rhetoric that can sadly suck the life and intrigue out of fascinating subjects. With her first book, Jeffs does what the title indicates and the subject demands – she tells stories. Her proficiency as an historian does not come into question as she unearths some of the less familiar myths and legends of the British Isles (as well as some better-known examples), blows the dust from all their bones and presents them to a new audience while following up each tale with commentary and further explanation. This is an efficient method as it does not interrupt the flow of the storytelling with notes and queries.
The book is divided into four sections – In the Beginning, Prehistory, Antiquity and The Middle Ages – taking us from primæval battles between the giants of the Earth through fairy invasion and Arthurian romance to the resurrection of the gigantic Gogmagog. Within these pages we encounter Weland the Smith and Woden the god, Queens Scota and Cordelia, saints and dragons; Nessie even puts in an appearance.
Most striking however is Jeffs’s role as an artist. This book is an artwork first and foremost; within the text she employs some degree of creative licence (noted when she does) and tells the tales in her own voice, which is fitting for the role of storyteller in both oral and written tradition. Done well, it subtly takes old tales through time, keeping them fresh and spoken in a relevant tongue for the readers and listeners of successive generations. Here it also imbues the stories with a spirit of poetry.
Beyond the written word, the book is a delight to look at. It is handsomely designed and the narrative is accompanied by a wealth of stunning monochrome linocut illustrations by the author. It is good to see a blossoming renaissance of illustrated books in Britain again, which in large part is occurring within the fields of folklore, myth, legend and the fiction of the folk horror movement. The block-cut style reminiscent of ye olde chapbooks and pamphlets lends itself very fittingly to these fantastic yet earthy subjects and, visually,
Storyland can sit happily alongside tomes illustrated by Richard Wells, Joe McClaren, Stanley Donwood and other modern masters of print art. For a first book, Amy Jeffs has taken a striking, novel approach and it will be fascinating to see what she follows
Storyland with. ★★★★