The Crock Of Gold
...James Stephens was an early 20th century Irish poet and writer. His humor and lyric writing style are a wonderful addition to the retelling of Irish fairytales. His novels A Crock of Gold and Etched in Moonlight are also based on Irish fairytales. The Crock of Gold is an adult fairy tale. First published in 1912 this Irish tale tells the story of two philosophers who li...more
Paperback, 148 pages
Published
by Book Jungle
(first published 1912)
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I love these passages:
"A thought is a real thing and words are only its raiment, but a thought is as shy as a virgin; unless it is fittingly aparelled we may not look on its shadowy nakedness: it will fly from us and only return again in the darkness crying in a thin, childish voice which we may not comprehend until, with aching wings, listening and divining, we at last fashion for it those symbols which are its protection and its banner." (p. 39)
"Why should thou...more
"A thought is a real thing and words are only its raiment, but a thought is as shy as a virgin; unless it is fittingly aparelled we may not look on its shadowy nakedness: it will fly from us and only return again in the darkness crying in a thin, childish voice which we may not comprehend until, with aching wings, listening and divining, we at last fashion for it those symbols which are its protection and its banner." (p. 39)
"Why should thou...more
Picked it up at a garage sale because it looked magical, and indeed it was. Funny and lovely and unpretentious, flipping between lyrically wise and hysterically judgmental (would be offensive, e.g. on gender analyses, if the passages weren't clearly in character and deliberate, and were later evened out perfectly by flipping condemnation to the opposite party, and/or by developing into genuinely sage points). Loved the treatment of issues and philosophies, loved the internal seemingly digressive...more
I listed this book although I don't own a copy now. I read it at my college library, perhaps out of curiosity piqued by its small hardbound copy, old and classical-looking, or maybe by the opening lines quoted here in Goodreads, which I have completely forgotten. But although I've forgotten the words, the magical glow of the experience of reading it comes back anytime I think of the book itself. And the sad part was I never read anything else of James Stephens since then. It was also the time wh...more
I first started reading Stephens when I was studying in Ireland- this book is by far his best. You would do well to be familiar with Irish Mythology and his contemporary writers to understand a lot of the humor, as he pokes fun at both throughout the book. Like any book, you can read it on different levels and put it into different contexts, but at its base, The Crock of Gold is a really delightful fantasy/adventure that will make you wonder why Stephens is not more well known.
A really wonderful, unique book that I was lucky to discover. Stephens was James Joyce's appointee to finish the monumental Finnegans Wake in the event that Joyce was unable to do so. The book reminded me a bit of The Wind in the Willows--it seemed that several charming novels were happening at the same time. The plot (inasmuch as there is a central plot) hinges around philosophers and leprechauns, by the way. Utterly delightful.
Among his other work, James Stephens, a contemporary and friend of James Joyce, turned his writing skills towards the retelling of classic Irish folk tales.
An early-20th-century copy of this book was in a batch of books destined for recycling at a local 2nd-hand bookseller - & was immediately rescued by my daughter so that she could use the illustrations in her artwork. Once we began reading the text, however, it became clear that this is an absolutely brilliant literary gem of in...more
An early-20th-century copy of this book was in a batch of books destined for recycling at a local 2nd-hand bookseller - & was immediately rescued by my daughter so that she could use the illustrations in her artwork. Once we began reading the text, however, it became clear that this is an absolutely brilliant literary gem of in...more
An Irish fairy tale that is at times deep, dense, diverse -- and can be quite funny. The plot is fairly simple, and the theme can be condensed to "Don't Mess With Leprecauns". But the book takes a path that is anything but direct, with philosophical essays and stories-within-the-story.
Stephens was a poet and it shows in his prose, with paragraphs that are quite lyrical and poetic. Sometimes the philosophical "tangents" get a bit dense -- similar to Melville and C...more
Stephens was a poet and it shows in his prose, with paragraphs that are quite lyrical and poetic. Sometimes the philosophical "tangents" get a bit dense -- similar to Melville and C...more
Found an ancient copy of this book in Portland Oregon at Powells book store and what a find. A delightful story and storytelling. Full of wit and satire. Usually a book written during this time period is challenging to read but not so with Crock of Gold.
So very brilliant that it astounds me at times. It is like sitting down and listening to a truly well spun yarn in the best of traditions. I have read this several times. It is among my favorite books.
A fun read, this novel offers a nice blend of fantasy and mystery. A great novel for anyone embarking on a trip to Ireland. I will be sure to re-read it before traveling to those green isles!
Sounds truly delightful.. the old lyrical magical Eire, before all the various layers of horrible events of the 1900's.
A wonderful road trip through Ireland, complete with all the classic folk mythic characters and the God Pan thrown in to boot.
Colchester Library book sale - 6/25/2011
This book changed my view on life.
What a wonderful book. Great stuff.
Very entertaining, poetic with a lot of humor.
This is brilliant.
The audiobook started out okay, but I soon learned that this wasn't a book to be listened to, but needed the printed word on the page. It was too easy to get distracted by 'the pictures in my head' and I'd have to keep backtracking to listen to what I missed.
Most likely it's not the book's fault. :-)
Most likely it's not the book's fault. :-)
James Stephens was part of the Irish cultural revival around and after the turn of the 20th century. In this sublime modern folk tale, the Greek god Pan comes to Ireland and shacks up with a local farmgirl in a cave, the inadvertent killing of a robin redbreast triggers retaliation by leprachauns, a philosopher engages in hysterical dialog with policemen by night as they bring him in for murder, the "murder" is really just suicide by spinning-in-circles, and your stir-about is on the ...more
I read this decades ago as a teen and probably missed most of the philosophical parts. A very entertaining book with many layers.
What a great imaginative tale; funny and absurd.
I wish I'd had this book as a child but I am glad that it found its way to my life at last.
I wish I'd had this book as a child but I am glad that it found its way to my life at last.
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“What the heart knows today the head will understand tomorrow”
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