Practical Magic
So I started reading the stories for Wednesday, and I have to say the first one, "Walpurgis Afternoon" is my favorite story of everything we have read so far. I think I loved it so much because to me, it is the epitome of a great fantasy story. There is something in the plot that is clearly magical, but also not so far away from real life that you can't connect to it. I mean, who wouldn't want to wake up one day to find a gorgeous house next door with very nice witches? It actually reminded me a little bit of the movie Practical Magic with Sandra Bullock & Nicole Kidman. I was kind of wondering why it was chosen to be the first story in the anthology though. Do you think it's because it is so clearly a fantasy story, and the editors wanted to start off with something that would draw in people to read, then challenge them later with stories that don't fit the typical mold of fantasy? Just a thought...
posted by Anonymous at 10:50 AM
8 Comments:
I was curious about what Walpugis meant so I looked it up on Wikipedia;
"Historically the Walpurgisnacht is derived from Pagan spring customs, where the arrival of spring was celebrated with bonfires at night. Viking fertility celebrations took place around April 30 and due to Walburga being declared a saint at that time of year, her name became associated with the celebrations. Walburga was honored in the same way that Vikings had celebrated spring and as they spread throughout Europe, the two dates became mixed together and created the Walpurgis Night celebration. The main mascot of Walpurgis Day is the witch"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walpurgis_Night
Lauren, you'll be pleased to know that "Walpurgis Afternoon" is one of this year's Nebula Award nominees, selected by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Also on the ballot are a Jeffrey Ford novel, a Hayao Miyazaki movie and stories by Elizabeth Hand and Theodora Goss -- all represented on our syllabus by other works.
I used to love that movie. Just in case anyone was wondering... :)
Anyway, Zach, I'm glad you posted that, because I didn't even think to look it up. From the description, it sounds like a derivation of Beltane, which would really fit with the story.
Wow...I haven't thought about that movie in a while. And, YES, that story is kind of like that movie. Out of all the stories for this class period, this was my favourite.
I liked Walpurgis Afternoon all right, but it certainly wasn't my favorite. It was a very typical fantasy story, and while I like those, too, something about this one just didn't sit quite right with me. It was too stereotypical and tidy for me; I could predict pretty much where it was going from the very beginning, and those kinds of stories are dull. As far as that type goes, this one was all right, but it was nothing that really grabbed me or seemed particularly memorable.
I should point out here that the movie Practical Magic is based on a much better novel by Alice Hoffman, highly recommended.
I really enjoyed "Walpurgis Afternoon" as well. It was a really easy read and had very vivid descriptions. I loved all of the plants (my Mom loves to garden) and how everything was in bloom even though it wasnt the right season.
yeah i like WA too, and i think they did put it first because it was so clearly magical...a house popping up out of nowhere is a good way to start a fantasy anthology
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