If a Play in Four Acts

by Lord Dunsany

If you're a fan of fantasy and adventure, you'll love If... by Lord Dunsany. This book is full of imaginative stories that will transport you to other worlds. Whether you're looking for a good escape or just a great read, this book is sure to satisfy your craving for adventure. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Genres: Fantasy, Plays, Theatre, Irish Literature

194 pages, Hardcover

First published September 27, 2015

About the author

Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, eighteenth baron of Dunsany, was an Anglo-Irish writer and dramatist, notable for his work in fantasy published under the name Lord Dunsany. More than eighty books of his work were published, and his oeuvre includes hundreds of short stories, as well as successful plays, novels and essays. Born to one of the oldest titles in the Irish peerage, he lived much of his life at perhaps Ireland's longest-inhabited home, Dunsany Castle near Tara, received an honourary doctorate from Trinity College, and died in Dublin.

Reviews

[Dan Sumption · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very much "of its time" (1921). At the heart is what could have been a half-decent farce about the butterfly effect (man changes one tiny thing about his life ten years ago, hilarious and disastrous results ensue). The first act, where the lead character and his wife bicker in their living room, is very well written - a surprise, as I know Lord Dunsany for his fantasy writing, and had no idea that he'd be so good at this sort of Feydeau-style suburban farce.

But the sexism, classism, and in particular the racism of the play are quite jaw-dropping, even for its time, including the bizarre calumny that Muslims worship idols (do some basic research, Dunsany!) whose mouths they fill with offerings of children's blood. Even aside from that, there's bits of the play that rankle and seem to go nowhere. It's a shame because most of the dialogue is snappy, funny, and flows really nicely - I can imagine having a lot of fun staging it. Like I say, there's a decent farce in there somewhere, trying and failing to get out.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

If is an exotic and somewhat ham-handed wish fulfillment time travel story written as a play. A standard issue late 19th century British middle class family man receives a gem from a Persian beggar that allows him to go back in time. Despite protests from his wife he uses it to return to a time when he suffered a minor slight from a railroad attendant, thinking his life would proceed quite the same as it did the first time once this slight is corrected. Of course, he ends up in Persia, worshipped by the locals, being plotted against by a blood-thirsty woman who cannot seem to decide whether she would rather marry him or have him killed.

It is interesting enough, but many supporting characters are anachronistic two-dimensional stereotypes (the servile but mystic Persian, the blathering wife, the cold-blooded femme fatale). Not a big fan.

[Gileblit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lord Dunsany. That's it. No more reasons needed.
Nah, let's be bold. This is one of the most famous plays by Lord Dunsany (and maybe the longest, also). It has all the elements you could expect from him: humour, some really gullible-adorable characters and that bit of magic and tragedy that makes you wonder and continue reading no-matter-what-infernal-noise-your-neighbours-are-making. Although it is true that time travelling is nothing new right now, and that the plot is quite predictable given the reading backgroung of today-readers, I think you will find it really interesting and, no matter how much you would want to cover it, catching. So, stop reading this and open that book!

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the least interesting of the plays and books by Lord Dunsany which I have read. On the plus side it features his subtle whimsy, with the main character's only regret in life is having missed a train ten years ago. He gets a mystical opportunity to catch that train and relive the past ten years of his life, and does so, thinking that catching this train won't change a thing in the life that he has lived.

Naturally, this one small change makes a big difference, and he ends up becoming an imperial colonialist ruler of a tiny central Asian country. This section is replete with unpleasant stereotypes generally found in English language adventure fiction of this era. Romance and political intrigue are shoehorned into an otherwise contrived situation, things go horribly wrong, and the protagonist learns his lesson.

Or maybe not. A not-unexpected twist ending reverses the main character's fortunes, and he is left with no memory of his failed experiment, and life goes on. Being a play, it is unfortunate that the often tediously repetitive dialogue is the least interesting part of this work. If you're a reader looking to sample the best of Lord Dunsany, you won't miss out if you choose not to read this one.

[James F · Rating 3 out of 5]

If is an enjoyable fantasy comedy about a man who tries to change one little thing about the past, and ends up changing more than he expects to.