Archetype and Stereotype in the Fantasies of Fritz Leiber
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DIVINATION AND SELF-THERAPY: ARCHETYPE AND STEREOTYPE IN THE FANTASIES OF FRITZ LEIBER by Bruce Byfield B. A., Simon Fraser University, 1981 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS (ENGLISH) in the Department of English @ Bruce Byfield, 1989 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY July, 1989 All rights reserved. his work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. APPROVAL TITLE OF THESIS: Ijiv~naricmand Self -'f herapy: Archetype and Stereotype In the k'antasies of' Fritz Leitwr Esaminir~gCommirtcc: Chair: Chin B~merjec PARTIAL COPYRIGHT LICENSE I hereby grant to Simon Fraser Universlty the right to lend my thesis, project or extended essay (the title of which is shown below) to users ot the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of Its users. I further agree that permission for multiple copying of this work for scholarly purposes may be granted by me or the Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or publlcation of this work for financial gain shal l not be allowed without my written permlssion. Author: (s ignatureY iii Although Fritz Leiber is influential in modern fantasy, his 50 year career is largely unassessed. His work is hard to judge, because it varies greatly in length, mood and style, and assumes that readers know both science fiction and orthodox literature. Its diversity reflects the fact that he uses the process of transmuting his beliefs and experiences into fiction as a means of self- discovery. The critical problem is to understand how the process occurs. The main sources on Leiber are his son's articles and his own autobiograph- ies, columns and criticisms. Cross-referencing these sources with changes in his fiction, it is clear that the transmutation centers on a view of women as emblems of the unconscious. Leiber first realizes the symbolic possibilities of fantasy through his analysis of H. P. Lovecraft's stories, but he only discovers his own symbolism during a crisis of confidence in the late 1940's as he revises earlier works. Reading Robert Gravesr Seven Davs in New Crete, which has a similar symbolism, he is encouraged to explore his own, and his work in the 1950's is mostly an exploration of the stereotypes that his symbolism implies. Personal problems in the early 1960,s cause him to change direction, and to concentrate on his symbolism as a literary technique. Using Carl Jungrs concept of the Anima (a manrs female aspect) 'and the Shadow (the repressed personality), he probes his self-doubts and searches for their origins in his mother and wife. After his wife dies in 1969, he adds the Self (the ideal personality) to these archetypes as he recovers from grief and enriches his Jungianism with allusions to Joseph Campbell, Thomas De Quincey and Henrik Ibsen. This pattern of development accounts for about 70% of Leiberfs fiction, and almost all his work of the last fifteen years. Parts of the pattern have been observed, but it has never been shown in its entirety. The pieces of the iv pattern are scattered, and not always easily accessible; the places where the pieces may be found include the articles, letters and memories of Leiber, his son, and his friends. Only after these first and secondhand sources are compared and sifted does a picture emerge of how Leiber has developed during his five decades as a professional writer. llOnlysecond-and-third rate writers consider sf, supernatural horror, sword- and-sorcery, etc. as qenres--word games to be played in idle moments at half- speed creativity and care." Fritz Leiber to Paul Walker (12) My thanks to those who have helped with my research, including: Marc Bailly of Phenix; Robert Barger; Robert Bloch; Elinor and F. M. Busby; Catherine Fischer of Fantasy Review; M. J. Engh; Jeff Frane; James Gunn; S. T. Joshi; Justin Leiber; Annette Mockek of The Spaced Out Library; Stuart David Schiff of Whispers; Dora and Doug Shirk; Margc Skinner; Michael Thompson, and Tom Whitmore. Most of all, I would like to thank Mason Harris, Patricia L. Williams, and Fritz Leiber himself. vii Table of Contents i. Title Page ii. Approval Page iii . Abstract v. Quotation vi . Acknowledgments vii . Table of Contents 1. Introduction 19. Lovecraftian Period (1936-1949) 59. Gravesian Period (1949-1958) 98. Early Jungian Period (1958-1974) 144. Late Jungian Period (1975-present) 183. Works Cited: Primary Sources 190. Works Cited: Secondary Sources Introduction There are stable perching places a-plenty in the modern world, extending into the foreseeable future, too, for scientists, engineers, widely skilled mechanics, advertisers, salesmen, and entrepeneurs. At the opposite extreme, there are fewer and fewer places for poets, lovers and women. Fritz Leiber, "Utopia for Poets and Witches" (194) Although Fritz Reuter Leiber is no longer "critically, virtually ignored," as Judith Merril complained in 1969 (46), study of his fiction is still in its early stages, Thoughtful criticism of Leiber usually focuses on a single work, while surveys of his career tend to dilute insight with admiration and plot- summary. ' Almost always, categories are imposed on his work, not found there. Some critical problems have been pointed to, and Justin Leiber, his son, has suggested approaches, but otherwise his career has been neither assessed nor made accessible to readers unfamiliar with fiction. In these respects, study of Leiber lags far behind that of Ursula K. Le Guin, or, lately, of Philip K. Dick. The state of Leiber criticism seems inconsistent with his reputation. For over half of his five decade career, Leiber has been a major figure in modern American fantasy. Harlan Ellison, writing in "A Few Too Few Words" that "I have no hesitation in ranking him with Poe and Kafka and Borges," speaks for many fantasists with an interest in style when he insists that "none of us I The two major surveys are Jeff Frane's Fritz Leiber: A Readerfs Guide and Tom Staicarfs Fritz Leiber. Frane fulfills the modest purpose stated in the title, giving an idea of Leiberf s diversity and themes, but little analysis. Staicar is more ambitious, but his book is flawed by minor factual errors and his preoccupation with the outdated idea that the value of science fiction rests with its ability to predict the future. Both books have good primary and secondary bibliographies. Entries in encyclopedias of biography are descriptive by nature, but those by Malcolm J. Edwards, Norman L. Hills and Brian Stableford contain brief analyses. working in the genre of the fantastic today are free of the lessons taught by Leiber" (122). "Writer's writer" is how many science fiction writers describe Leiber, and they praise him even when they find fault. When Ursula K. Le Guin, for instance, deplores shifts from archaic to colloquial dialogue in the comic scenes of the Fafhrd and Gray Mouser stories, one of her reasons is that the shift is unnecessary, because Leiber "could maintain any tone with eloquence and grace" (81-82). By any standard, Leiber is prominent in science fiction. That his awards include six Hugos, voted on by members of Worldcon, the annual World Science Fiction convention, suggests that he is a popular writer. That they include four Nebulas, voted on members of the Science Fiction Writers of ~merica, suggests that he is a skilled one. Whether it is true that Leiber has won more awards than any other science fiction writer must be decided by someone with the patience to count, but the claim is plausible enough that it is often repeated. Because he is personally admiredin science fiction circles, some of the praise given his work should be discounted, yet, even so, he has earned such a high position that definitive criticism of his work is overdue.2 'Leiberf s awards are: the Bram Stoker Award (1988): The British Fantasy Award for The Second Book of Fritz Leiber (Short Stories, 1976) and "The Button Moldervv (Short ~iction,1979) ; The Grand Master of Fantasy Award (1975); the Hugo Award for The ~iqTime (Best Novel or Novelette, 1958), The Wanderer (Best Novel, 1965), "Gonna Roll the Bones" (Best Novelette, 19681, "Ship of Shadows" (Best Novella, 1970), "I11 Met in Lankhmar" ("Best Novella, 1971), and "Catch That zeppelin!" (Best Short Story, 1976), as well as six other nominations; the Mrs. Ann Radcliffe Award for Coniure Wife (1954); the Nebula Award for "Gonna Roll the Bonesvv (Best Novelette, 1968), "I11 Met in Lankhmar" (Best Novella, 1970), "Catch That zeppelin!" (Best Short Story, 1976) and Lifetime Achievement (1981), as well as six other nominations; and the World Fantasy Association Award for "Belsen Express" (Best Short Fiction, 1976), Lifetime Achievement (1976) and Our Lady of Darkness (Best Novel, 1978). Leiber has also been Guest of Honor at Worldcon in 1951 and 1979, and had issues of three magazines devoted to him: Fantastic (November 1959) , Fantasy and Science Fiction (July 1969) , and Whispers (October 1978). Two issues of the Belgian French-language magazine Phenix also honored Leiber in 1987. (continued.. .) 3 The problem is that his accomplishments are difficult to handle critically. Dividing the history of science fiction into the Golden Age, whose standards were set by John W. Campbell, Jr . , the editor of ~stoundinqand Unknown; the early literary age of the 1950s, fostered by Anthony Boucher at Fantasv and Science Fiction and Horace L. Gold at Galaxv; the Sixties' New Wave and the present publishing boom, Norman Spinrad writes in an afterward to Destinv Times Three that "although perhaps never generally considered the single most important science fiction writer in any of these periods, Leiber has been regarded as one of the most significant writers in -all of them" (150-51).