Ayesha (novel)
| Ayesha | |
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 First edition cover pub. by "Ward Lock" |
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| Author(s) | H. Rider Haggard |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Ayesha Series |
| Genre(s) | Gothic, Adventure novel |
| Publisher | Ward Lock |
| Publication date | 1905 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 384 pp |
| ISBN | NA |
| Preceded by | She |
| Followed by | She and Allan |
Ayesha, the Return of She is a gothic novel by the popular Victorian author H. Rider Haggard, published in 1905, as a sequel to his far more popular and well known novel, She. It was serialised in the Windsor Magazine in 1904-5.
Its significance was recognized by its republication by the Newcastle Publishing Company as the fourteenth volume of the celebrated Newcastle Forgotten Fantasy Library series in October, 1977.
Although, in the introduction, Sir H. Rider Haggard links the name Ayesha to Mohammed's wives, and Arabic or Arabic names, (Arabic: عائشة, Āʾisha), stating that it should be pronounced "Ash/ -ha"; [1] A·ye·sha/ äˈ(y)ēSHə/, is perhaps more common.
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[edit] Plot Summary
Leo Vincey and Horace Holly, the narrator, are convinced that She did not die in Africa. Their dreams lead them to 'Thibet' (as spelled in the book).
In Thibet, they meet an old monk, who remembers rumours of She, from the time of Alexander the Great. He tries to dissuade them from going on and warns them that, however beautiful, nothing is immortal, even if She was born centuries ago in Ancient Egypt or remembers it from a past life. He believes She is holding on to the distractions of life, which will lead them away from Enlightenment and peace, whether She is a demon, a fallen angel, or only a dream.
Leo feels he must press on and Holly will not abandon his old friend. They arrive in the city of Kaloon, ruled by the Khania and her family. They claim to be descendants of Alexander the Great's ancient Hellenist Generals. The Queen, Khania Atene, wants to keep Leo there, but her husband wants to kill them. The mysterious Queen of the Mountain orders the Queen to send Leo and Holly to her, or risk breaking their peace treaty. The Queen, Khania Atene, vows to kill Leo, rather than let him go, but they escape.
The Goddess Hes and her Emissary lead them up the mountain. Finally, they meet Ayesha, She; but her beauty is gone. If Leo still loves her, She vows to return to Africa, to make them both immortal, and rule the world together, but first they must wait for the change of seasons and the weather to clear, before they can travel.
While they are waiting, Ayesha writes out her memories, which are the basis for the fourth book in the series, Wisdom’s Daughter. She shows Holly and Leo how She commands mortals, spirits, and demons.She reveals how She will rule the world, conquering the existing Empires, by flooding the world’s gold supply, with her alchemy. What daunts Holly is that She may succeed.
The wait is too long and arduous for Leo, who wants to be with Ayesha without delay. While they are waiting, Atene attacks, to capture, or kill Leo. The Queens pour out their armies. Ayesha uses all her power to stop Atene. The Oracle tells them that they are reliving their past lives, throughout the centuries and their reincarnations. After all this, one wonders what they’ve learned, if anything.
There is a desperate battle. Ayesha cannot bear to lose Leo again, but, for him, whether in life, or death, in Heaven, or Earth, or in Hell, after all these millennia, they must know that they will be together. He knows that it is Ayesha that he loves, however She appears, and whatever She has done in the past, even murdering him in a rage. Now She must decide if She loves him more than the world, and the power to rule it.
Holly watches as they make their choices. Years later, he confesses this story on his deathbed. Then, holding the sistrum of Isis, Ayesha visits him to explain that death is only a gateway, it is not the end for their souls, and redemption, or learning.
Even at the end, Holly still wonders if this is the road to peace, and whether angels or demons can love, or repent, and who She is, after all.
[edit] Literary History
Haggard dedicated the novel to his friend Andrew Lang.[2] Eighteen years pass between books, and in the characters’ lives.[3]
It is set in Tibet, reincarnation being a familiar tenet of Tibetan Buddhism. Although, the back story is set in the ancient Mediterranean, of Egypt, Arabia, etc.
Haggard's daughter, Lilias, in her biography explained the origin of the names: 'She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed' was a doll in the author's nursery. Ayesha was borrowed from Arabic, being traditionally one of Mohammed's wives’ names; a note by Haggard indicates that it should be pronounced 'Assha')[4]; Hes is an alternative name for Isis.[5]
[edit] Influences
C.S. Lewis patterned Empress Jadis on She, in the first book of the Narnia series, The Magician's Nephew.
Ayesha is mentioned in Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams, and by Jung, in a lecture on Psychology and Literature.[6]
She may be one of the most influential characters ever created, having sold an estimated 87 million copies, in 44 different languages, and never being out of print, when Ursula Andress starred in a 1965 film adaptation, loosely based on the books.[7]
She is credited as an inspiration for J.R.R. Tolkien's characters as diverse as Shelob[8] and Galadriel.[9]
The character has inspired more than ten film adaptations.[10] The 1925 version of She involved Haggard himself, who wrote the intertitles. The film combines elements from all the books in the series.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.archive.org/stream/ayeshareturnshe01hagggoog#page/n14/mode/2up
- ^ http://www.archive.org/stream/ayeshareturnshe01hagggoog#page/n12/mode/2up
- ^ http://www.online-literature.com/h-rider-haggard/ayesha-the-return/
- ^ http://www.archive.org/stream/ayeshareturnshe01hagggoog#page/n14/mode/2up
- ^ Foreman, J. B. Introduction. In: Haggard, H. Rider (1957) Ayesha, the return of She. London: Collins
- ^ Jung, C.G. The Spirit In Man, Art, and Literature (1971). Princeton
- ^ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,842147,00.html
- ^ Burns, Marjorie (2005). Perilous realms: Celtic and Norse in Tolkien's Middle-earth. University of Toronto Press. p. 104.
- ^ Stoddard, William H. (July 2003). "Galadriel and Ayesha". Tryonvant.
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/find?s=all&q=She
- Bleiler, Everett (1948). The Checklist of Fantastic Literature. Chicago: Shasta Publishers. p. 136.
[edit] External links
- Ayesha — full text at Project Gutenberg
- Cook, Alan R. "'She': The Veiled Reflection of the Femme Fatale's Fire"]
- "The Vengeance of She"(1968), at IMDb.
- H. Rider Haggard (novel). A list of movies & novels, at IMDb.
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