H. Rider Haggard
She (1886)
Author: H. Rider Haggard
Genre: Fantasy (Lost World)
Plot Summary:
Horace Holly and his now-adult adopted son, Leo, the son of his closest friend (who died when Leo was a baby) go with their retainer, Job, to search out the hidden world described in the mysterious last bequest of Leo's father: a box containing fragments and accounts that together tell the tale of an immortal female ruler with magical powers in the middle of Africa who was first fell in love with an Ancient Egyptian ancestor of Leo's, then slew him in a jealous fury when he would not leave his wife for her. The wife escaped with their infant son, swearing one day to have revenge. Since then, various decendents have attempted to return to the hidden kingdom in Africa, the last of whom was Leo's father, who failed, contracting there the deadly fever which killed him. The three eventually find the kingdom, ruled by Ayesha, the cruel and powerful "She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed." Ayesha is indeed that same ruler who killed Leo's ancestor, Kallikrates, and who believes Leo to be the reincarnation of the love she slew. SPOILER: When She attempts to have Leo bathe in the life-preserving fire that has kept her youthful for thousands of years, he balks, afraid he will burn up. To prove it is not dangerous, She walks into the fire herself, but it was one time too many, for instead of preserving her as it had, it reverts her to her true age. As she dies, she swears to Leo that she will be reincarnated.
Geographical Setting: England, Africa
Time Period: 1880s
Series: the first in the Ayesha series (there are 3 sequels)
Appeal Characteristics:
She was first published serially between 1886 and 1887. Haggard himself is a master of building up drama, delaying the reveal of She until well into the book, and for those who love fantastic Victorian adventure, this just the thing. Because Haggard lived and worked for some time in Africa, and knew real-life explorers, the fantastic tale reads very much like a real exploration narrative, with matter-of-fact descriptions of flora, fauna, and native customs. The narative is strong, with occassional moments of philosophy about the nature of life appropriate to a tale about immortality and reincarnation. The novel also has plenty of appeal as a sociological document of attitudes and values of a time when England was still very much master of the world.
Read-alikes: Readers should try Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs. We all know the story of the English baby raised by the apes he later leads. Similar to She in some ways, the jungle ruler is a king, his subjects are apes, and he is a hero, not a villain, but much of the feel is the same. In "The Man Who Would Be King", Rudyard Kipling tales the tale of two ex-military con-men who discover a hidden world in the area that is now Afghanistan where, through their knowledge of the Masonic rituals that were, through historical events, spread to that area and became the foundation of their religious beliefs, set themselves up as kings and demi-gods. Things go wrong. It's a hidden world, and has similar themes of reincarnation and overreaching for power. Also recommended: the movie directed by John Huston and starring Sean Connery and Michael Caine. Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton's The Coming Race is a classic 19th century 'lost world' tale about a spelunker who loses his way and stumbles upon an underground civilization of "supermen". The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian by Robert Howard includes similar stories of magic and violence as encountered by incomparable fighter Conan. Travel and Adventure in South-East Africa: Being the Narrative of the Last Eleven Years Spent By the Author on the Zambesi and Its Tributaries; With an Account of the Colonisation of Mashunaland and the Progress of the Gold Industry in That Country by Frederick Selous was supposedly an inspiration for Haggard's intrepid hero Allan Quartermain, Selous was a large influence on Haggard. This is one of several of his works. Finally, The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Victoriana by Jess Nevins is a large reference work of characters from all over the world featured in fantastic fiction of the time. With a long entry on Ayesha herself, the encyclopedia will prove interesting browsing for those who find the time-period/genre appealing.
Red Flags: Characters are not fully developed, as is the case with many real exploration narratives -- the members of the expedition just are -- and sometimes Haggard's writing is clunky. Perhaps more distressing to modern readers (after all, none of the writing or characterization is any worse than Dan Brown, and most is better) will be the misogeny, racism, and anti-Semitism of various characters. To be fair, however, the worst of this comes from either Job, who is not a main character, or She, who is portrayed as evil, with Holly and Leo being more tolerant, although certainly carrying the prejudices and national
pride of Englishmen of their time. Of course, there are some who will find the whole concept -- witchy white woman ruling lording it over African natives for centuries -- offensive on the surface. The book also contains one long passage of untranslated medieval Latin.
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