Summerland (novel)
Encyclopedia
Summerland is a 2002 fantasy young adult novel by American
writer Michael Chabon
. It is about young children who save the world from destruction by playing baseball
, the central theme and symbol throughout the novel. Summerland weaves elements of a World Series
, parallel-universe road trip, and a hero's odyssey. Despite mixed reviews (The New York Times
called it "bewilderingly busy" and likened it to "the novelization of an animated action film"), the novel became one of the bestselling children's books of all time.
in Celtic folklore), the bleak Winterlands, and the Gleaming (the spirit realm of the Native Americans) are the other worlds. These break up into smaller and smaller branches until they hit leaves, which are places. There are many places on the tree where the branches touch each other. Certain beings known as Shadowtails can move along these crossings. The tree is referred to as the Lodgepole. The spirits in the Gleaming are sedentary because of Coyote. Coyote closed the Gleaming with a shield so creatures can't leave or go to the Gleaming. The Gleaming is obscure to most beings.
, so well crafted it can fold up and fit in his pocket. Also, the name of Thor Wignutt is a reference to the Norse god of storms, Thor
. Coyote introduces himself as Loki
, Norse god of chaos at one point, and the term 'Ragged Rock', meaning the end of the world, translates to the Norse Ragnarok
, the final battle in which the world is destroyed and reborn in the Skaldic poems. Finally, the Lodgepole, tree of the worlds, is based on Yggdrasil
, the world tree of the Norse, and Murmury Well (the well Coyote means to poison) is Mimir's Well. The names and actions of Coyote
(aka Glooscap
, Satan
and other monikers), and Raven are of Native American origin, while the legend of La Llorona
is Hispanic-American. The tales of the Big Liars are taken from heroes of American folklore: The Tall Man with the Axe (Paul Bunyan
), The Tall Man with the Big Maul (Joe Magarac
), the Tall Man with the Harpoon (Old Stormalong
), the Tall Man with the Pole (Mike Fink
),The Man with the Knife in His Boot (possibly Stagger Lee), The Man with the Rattlesnake Necktie (Pecos Bill
), The Tall Man with the Hammer (John Henry
), Annie Christmas (Female Mississippi keelboat pilot), and Judge Roy Bean
, owner of the Jersey Lily Saloon. Also, the "big one-eyed bully" referenced by Coyote near the end of the book may be a reference to Odin
. Chiron Brown (Ringfinger) the scout who recruits Ethan as a hero, is named after the Centaur Chiron
; the role of Chiron in the Prometheus
myth (Prometheus being one of the masks of Coyote) adds depth and resonance to the character Ringfinger Brown. Chiron's role in finding Ethan is also appropriate as Chiron the centaur was known for training great men and heroes. Old Mr Wood may be a reference to Odin, who is also known as Woden, which is close to the name Wood. Additionally, in the epilogue, or the section titled "Home" the baseball that appears in the New Jersey Park titled "Van Lingle Mungo" is an allusion to the baseball player Van Mungo.
stories, about sexual addiction; the titular shambleau is a medusa
-figure. Aunt Shambleau enforces behavior among her great-nieces and nephews by threatening to take off her dark glasses (although, when in fact she does so, her eyes are no different from those of other humans).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer Michael Chabon
Michael Chabon
Michael Chabon born May 24, 1963) is an American author and "one of the most celebrated writers of his generation", according to The Virginia Quarterly Review....
. It is about young children who save the world from destruction by playing baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, the central theme and symbol throughout the novel. Summerland weaves elements of a World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
, parallel-universe road trip, and a hero's odyssey. Despite mixed reviews (The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called it "bewilderingly busy" and likened it to "the novelization of an animated action film"), the novel became one of the bestselling children's books of all time.
Plot summary
The story begins on a small island off the coast of Washington called Clam Island. The central character, Ethan Feld, is on one of the island's baseball teams despite being terrible at the game. He encounters a gracious werefox, Cutbelly, who explains the Lodgepole, a giant tree connecting all worlds, to the ignorant Ethan. Cutbelly explains that Coyote is planning to destroy the Lodgepole, an event called "Ragged Rock", by destroying Murmury Well. He takes Ethan to the Summerlands where they meet small Indian looking people called ferishers. Coyote captures Ethan's father and forces him to create another batch of 'picofiber' to form the hose with which he is going to poison Murmury Well. Ethan enters the Summerlands, with fellow baseball team members, Thor and Jennifer T. Rideout, in pursuit of his father and prevent Ragged Rock; on their travels through the Summerlands, the three assemble a baseball team and play their way across the land, meeting players from legend and literature, and a couple from their own world.Setting
The setting of the book Summerland is anomalous. It is explained by a character in the beginning of the novel that there is not one world but four worlds. Earth and the universe as most humans know it is only one world, the Middling. The true universe is a giant tree. On the tree are four branches, which are the four worlds; the Summerlands (analogous to the fairy realmOther World
The Otherworld is a concept in Celtic mythology, referring to a realm of the dead, the home of the deities or spirits....
in Celtic folklore), the bleak Winterlands, and the Gleaming (the spirit realm of the Native Americans) are the other worlds. These break up into smaller and smaller branches until they hit leaves, which are places. There are many places on the tree where the branches touch each other. Certain beings known as Shadowtails can move along these crossings. The tree is referred to as the Lodgepole. The spirits in the Gleaming are sedentary because of Coyote. Coyote closed the Gleaming with a shield so creatures can't leave or go to the Gleaming. The Gleaming is obscure to most beings.
Mythology
Many links to different types of mythology are evident in the novel. The two most prevalent are Norse mythology and Native American mythology. Certain examples are subtly referenced, such as in the name of the Felds' car, Skidbladnir, known in Norse myths as the legendary vehicle of FreyrFreyr
Freyr is one of the most important gods of Norse paganism. Freyr was highly associated with farming, weather and, as a phallic fertility god, Freyr "bestows peace and pleasure on mortals"...
, so well crafted it can fold up and fit in his pocket. Also, the name of Thor Wignutt is a reference to the Norse god of storms, Thor
Thor
In Norse mythology, Thor is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing, and fertility...
. Coyote introduces himself as Loki
Loki
In Norse mythology, Loki or Loke is a god or jötunn . Loki is the son of Fárbauti and Laufey, and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. By the jötunn Angrboða, Loki is the father of Hel, the wolf Fenrir, and the world serpent Jörmungandr. By his wife Sigyn, Loki is the father of Nari or Narfi...
, Norse god of chaos at one point, and the term 'Ragged Rock', meaning the end of the world, translates to the Norse Ragnarok
Ragnarök
In Norse mythology, Ragnarök is a series of future events, including a great battle foretold to ultimately result in the death of a number of major figures , the occurrence of various natural disasters, and the subsequent submersion of the world in water...
, the final battle in which the world is destroyed and reborn in the Skaldic poems. Finally, the Lodgepole, tree of the worlds, is based on Yggdrasil
Yggdrasil
In Norse mythology, Yggdrasil is an immense tree that is central in Norse cosmology. It was said to be the world tree around which the nine worlds existed...
, the world tree of the Norse, and Murmury Well (the well Coyote means to poison) is Mimir's Well. The names and actions of Coyote
Coyote (mythology)
Coyote is a mythological character common to many Native American cultures, based on the coyote animal. This character is usually male and is generally anthropomorphic although he may have some coyote-like physical features such as fur, pointed ears, yellow eyes, a tail and claws...
(aka Glooscap
Glooscap
Glooscap is a mythical culture hero, and "transformer" of the Wabanaki peoples...
, Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
and other monikers), and Raven are of Native American origin, while the legend of La Llorona
La Llorona
La Llorona is a widespread legend in Mexico, Puerto Rico and Central America. Although several variations exist, the basic story tells of a beautiful woman by the name of Maria killing her children by drowning them, in order to be with the man that she loved. When the man rejects her, she kills...
is Hispanic-American. The tales of the Big Liars are taken from heroes of American folklore: The Tall Man with the Axe (Paul Bunyan
Paul Bunyan
Paul Bunyan is a lumberjack figure in North American folklore and tradition. One of the most famous and popular North American folklore heroes, he is usually described as a giant as well as a lumberjack of unusual skill, and is often accompanied in stories by his animal companion, Babe the Blue...
), The Tall Man with the Big Maul (Joe Magarac
Joe Magarac
Joe Magarac is a legendary American folk hero who was a steelworker in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Magarac first appeared in print in a 1931 Scribner's Magazine article by Owen Francis, who said he heard the story from immigrant steelworkers in Pittsburgh area steel mills...
), the Tall Man with the Harpoon (Old Stormalong
Alfred Bulltop Stormalong
Captain Alfred Bulltop Stormalong was an American folk hero and the subject of numerous nautical-themed tall tales originating in Massachusetts. Stormalong was said to be a sailor and a giant, some tall; he was the master of a huge clipper ship known in various sources as either the Courser or the...
), the Tall Man with the Pole (Mike Fink
Mike Fink
Mike Fink called "king of the keelboaters", was a semi-legendary brawler and boatman who exemplified the tough and hard-drinking men who ran keelboats up and down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers....
),The Man with the Knife in His Boot (possibly Stagger Lee), The Man with the Rattlesnake Necktie (Pecos Bill
Pecos Bill
Pecos Bill is an American cowboy, apocryphally immortalized in numerous tall tales of the Old West during American westward expansion into the Southwest of Texas, New Mexico, Southern California, and Arizona. Their stories were probably invented into short stories and book by Edward O'Reilly in the...
), The Tall Man with the Hammer (John Henry
John Henry (folklore)
John Henry is an American folk hero and tall tale. Henry worked as a "steel-driver"—a man tasked with hammering and chiseling rock in the construction of tunnels for railroad tracks. In the legend, John Henry's prowess as a steel-driver was measured in a race against a steam powered hammer,...
), Annie Christmas (Female Mississippi keelboat pilot), and Judge Roy Bean
Roy Bean
Phantly Roy Bean, Jr. was an eccentric U.S. saloon-keeper and Justice of the Peace in Val Verde County, Texas, who called himself "The Law West of the Pecos". According to legend, Judge Roy Bean held court in his saloon along the Rio Grande in a desolate stretch of the Chihuahuan Desert of...
, owner of the Jersey Lily Saloon. Also, the "big one-eyed bully" referenced by Coyote near the end of the book may be a reference to Odin
Odin
Odin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
. Chiron Brown (Ringfinger) the scout who recruits Ethan as a hero, is named after the Centaur Chiron
Chiron
In Greek mythology, Chiron was held to be the superlative centaur among his brethren.-History:Like the satyrs, centaurs were notorious for being wild and lusty, overly indulgent drinkers and carousers, given to violence when intoxicated, and generally uncultured delinquents...
; the role of Chiron in the Prometheus
Prometheus
In Greek mythology, Prometheus is a Titan, the son of Iapetus and Themis, and brother to Atlas, Epimetheus and Menoetius. He was a champion of mankind, known for his wily intelligence, who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mortals...
myth (Prometheus being one of the masks of Coyote) adds depth and resonance to the character Ringfinger Brown. Chiron's role in finding Ethan is also appropriate as Chiron the centaur was known for training great men and heroes. Old Mr Wood may be a reference to Odin, who is also known as Woden, which is close to the name Wood. Additionally, in the epilogue, or the section titled "Home" the baseball that appears in the New Jersey Park titled "Van Lingle Mungo" is an allusion to the baseball player Van Mungo.
Non-mythological references
One of Jennifer T. Rideout's great-aunts is named Aunt Shambleau. "Shambleau" is a word invented by science fiction writer C.L. Moore, the title of one of her Northwest SmithNorthwest Smith
Northwest Smith is a fictional character, and the hero of a series of stories by science fiction writer C. L. Moore.- Story setting :Smith is a spaceship pilot and smuggler who lives in an undisclosed future time when humanity has colonized the solar system....
stories, about sexual addiction; the titular shambleau is a medusa
Medusa
In Greek mythology Medusa , " guardian, protectress") was a Gorgon, a chthonic monster, and a daughter of Phorcys and Ceto. The author Hyginus, interposes a generation and gives Medusa another chthonic pair as parents. Gazing directly upon her would turn onlookers to stone...
-figure. Aunt Shambleau enforces behavior among her great-nieces and nephews by threatening to take off her dark glasses (although, when in fact she does so, her eyes are no different from those of other humans).
Further reading
- "The lost adventure of childhood", a 2002 Salon.comSalon.comSalon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
interview with Chabon about the novel