Week Thirteen: Literary Speculation

            For this week we were asked to read in the genre of Literary Speculation. Speculative fiction is an umbrella term encompassing the more fantastical fiction genres. The reading that I selected for this week was John Crowley’s Little, Big.  Little, Big or the other title is The Fairies' Parliament is a modern fantasy novel. I felt as I read this story that it was a romance, comedy, drama and fantasy story wrapped up into one. Also I think it fits the genre that it is classified by, which is Literary Speculation because how the author John Crowley, creates and forms this magical “more fantastical” world that is used in the novel.

 Little, Big is the story of the Drinkwater family and their relationship with the world of Fairy. I thought the use of a fairy world in combination with this family was interesting because the storyline goes through hundred years of the intertwined family trees of the Drinkwaters and their relations. The use of the family lines intertwining is interesting and complicated because of how all the characters lives intertwine. For an example Violet Bramble, who is an Ancestor of the Drinkwater clan, had a son Russell Eigenblick by her first lover, Oliver Hawksquill. Later on Russell Eigenblick becomes the despotic ruler of The City late in the history of the family.  The family ties just go on and on.

This story also pushes the concept of destiny and prophecy. Smoky Barnable is the novels protagonist. He marries into the Drinkwater family by marrying Daily Alice Drinkwater. In the novel it said that the marriage between Smoky and his wife was prophesied long before the marriage occurs. There is also a prophecy for Daily Alice Drinkwater that her destiny was assured from a young age by her aunt Nora Cloud. I think the concept of prophecies in this novel was interesting and I think it was a fun twist as you read the novel.