Enigma of Francis Crawford

Overview and Issues

A comparison of the two characters Odysseus and Francis Crawford of Lymond.

WG131

Abstract

"...During my turns as the professor, I have the liberty to tailor the Great Books list to a certain extent. In 2010, after I had become convinced that Dunnett was one of the greatest authors of the last hundred years, I put The Game of Kings on this list, shoving out someone like Hemingway or DH Lawrence to make room for his superior. I have assigned this novel in class on every occasion since then, always to general adulation by the students. Prof Richardson offers a unique analysis of GOK, dividing it into 3 sections whereby he references Jungian archetypes (Lymond's shadow selves); secondly the similarities between Lymond and Odysseus: "Lymond is a Scottish avatar of Odysseus. Like Lymond, Odysseus will use whatever subterfuge it takes and adopt whatever legends about his identity he needs to accomplish his mission: to become again a desired member of his household." Lastly, he explores "...the game language in the Chronicles – the literal games and contests in the novels and the metaphorical use of games and game terms that govern the prose, imagery and plot. It closes with the scene that combines the literal and the metaphorical, the human chess game. In my final chapter, I consider the many games played by the narrator on the reader."

Author

Professor Scott Richardson

Dunnett Book References

TLC

Historical People

Judith Wilt

Fictional Characters

Francis Crawford of Lymond

Locations

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Literature

Dorothy Dunnett’s Lymond Chronicles: The Enigma of Francis Crawford Published by the University of

Missouri Press

Illustrations

(Inside back cover) - A detail from Ulysses and the Sirens by John William Waterhouse. National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia. Purchased, 1891 (Acc No p.396.3-1).

Historical Events

(none)

Other References

(none)

Quotes from Dunnett

(none)