Mythology vs. Reality

Where it surfaces

• Wolf Solent

  Wolf's internal conflict between the romanticized stories of his family and the harsh truths he uncovers.

• The Face on the Waterloo Steps

  Wolf's private 'mythology'—his secret mental practice—contrasts with the external reality he fears may disrupt it.

• Christ! I've Had a Happy Life!

  Wolf's inner 'mythology' clashes with the harsh realities of his father's death, his mother's judgments, and the unknown future with Mr. Urquhart.

• A Dorset Chronicle

  Urquhart's vision of history as a selective chronicle of 'pith and sap and salt' contrasts with Wolf's more idealistic sense of moral truth.

• Gerda

  Wolf contrasts his mystical 'mythology' with the cold, unmystical clarity of his morning thoughts, and later describes his normal attitude as 'fetish-worship' of souls in all things.

• The Three Peewits

  Wolf's life-illusion is threatened by crude rumors about Gerda and his father, contrasting his inner mythology with harsh rural gossip.

• The Horse-Fair

  Wolf's initial delight in the fair's magic gives way to disgust, and Jason Otter's demonic figure and poetry blur the line between myth and personal torment.

• Christie

  Christie's claim of descent from Merlin and her belief in spirits contrast with the harsh realities of her family's tragedy.

• The Slowworm of Lenty

  The poem blends pagan imagery (slowworm, rain-elf) with Christian curse, contrasting mythic nature with human despair.

• Crooked Smoke

  Mr. Urquhart's research into the Cerne Giant and ancient libidinous customs contrasts with the mundane reality of death and suicide.

• Rounded with a Sleep

  Wolf's internal debate with his father's skull pits his idealistic, misty worldview against a harsh, material reality, while the landscape itself embodies a clash between ancient heathen powers and Christian or medieval associations.

• A Game of Bowls

  Wolf's internal struggle between his personal 'mythology' and the harsh reality of his dependence on Urquhart's money.

• Mr. Malakite at Weymouth

  Wolf's 'mythology' is central to his identity, and he fears losing it; the chapter explores the tension between his inner world and the harsh realities of his choices.

• Slate

  Bess Round's warning about the Lenty Pond legend contrasts superstitious village lore with Wolf's rational skepticism.

• Forget

  Wolf's dream of being a brittle stick between two antagonists symbolizes the clash between his personal mythology and harsh reality.

• Ripeness Is All

  Wolf's sense of a supernatural struggle and his 'mythology' crumble under Carfax's worldly indifference, reducing his grand illusions to mere fantasy.