by Cody Steffen
Peter S. Beagle's novel The Last Unicorn (published 1968) is a fantasy classic. As the title suggests, the protagonist is a unicorn - the last of its kind. However, in the beginning she's unaware of this. She goes about existing in her lovely forest, paying no mind to time or the world outside, until she overhears a couple of hunters discussing the extinction of her race.
The question raised is an important one. Are we able to leave comfort behind when confronted with reality? And are willing to seek the unknown? Like Bilbo Baggins of the Shire or Luke Skywalker of Tattooine, the unicorn leaves home.
This first step is a jolt. The forest, kept perfect and vibrant by the mere presence of its most singular inhabitant, gives way to an imperfect world with roads, cages, and greed.
On the unicorn's travels, she meets several distinct characters including a butterfly who only speaks in overheard poetry and lyrics, a wizard named Schmendrick who's incapable of performing even the most basic of spells without an embarrassing hiccup, and Molly Grue, woman whose presence is felt more through her own struggle and resourcefulness than any goofy tics.
While the unicorn is the driving force of the plot, it's Schmendrick and Molly who are the heart of the story. Upon meeting the unicorn for the first time, Molly is distraught because she's middle-aged and has been waiting her entire life for the accompanying majestic relief from the harrowing toil of her everyday life. Similarly, the unicorn's journey allows the magician to leave his life of meaningless (poorly executed) parlor tricks behind for something real.
With the help of her friends, the unicorn is able to overcome peril as she seeks to shed some light on the mystery whose horns wrenched her away from an infinitely comfortable existence. The unicorn soon learns of a fabled King Haggard who may have the answers she's looking for, but no one seems entirely sure he still exists, either. Still, she and her small band of cohorts have a direction - into the abyss.
The reason The Last Unicorn works so well is that the style and substance are inseparable. Beagle's prose - as full of wonder as the world he's created - helps illuminate the differences and similarities between the world he's created and ours, between perfection and humanity. Like a clock, every piece - every character, every scene - serves the greater purpose; and it's fully functional. The reason the book's so remarkable, so transcendent is how effortlessly all of this slides into place in one sweeping, resonant narrative.
A Part of the power of fantasy lies in its ability to take us to other worlds while holding a mirror up to our own. The Last Unicorn shows us a world that is petty, violent, selfish, romantic, free-wheeling, altruistic, and funny, all at once. The humanity, foibles and all, reverberates poignantly like an old song. An old song sung by a butterfly.
Editor's Note: The Last Unicorn is available at the Lift Bridge Book Shop at 45 Main St., Brockport, NY where Mr. Steffen is a book seller.
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