This Rough Magic
Encyclopedia
This Rough Magic is a novel by Mary Stewart
, first published in 1964. The title is a quote from William Shakespeare's The Tempest
.
to join her married sister Phyllida Forli in Corfu
where the Forli family own three houses—two of them modern. One is occupied by the Forlis, the other rented out to Godfrey Manning who is taking photographs for a coffee table style book. The third, the much older Castello, is rented to actor Julian Gale and his son Max who is a musician. Julian Gale has two godchildren, twins Spiro and Miranda, who work in the Forli's houses. The idyllic scene is shattered when Spiro is reported drowned after falling overboard while out at night sailing in Godfrey Manning's boat.
One theme running through the book is the idea that Corfu is the setting for The Tempest. Another theme is that of a dolphin
which will approach humans.
Julian Gale and the play Tiger, Tiger (with a different author) are also mentioned in The Wind Off the Small Isles by Mary Stewart
(1968).
Mary Stewart
Mary Florence Elinor Stewart is a popular English novelist, best known for her Merlin series, which straddles the boundary between the historical novel and the fantasy genre.-Career:...
, first published in 1964. The title is a quote from William Shakespeare's The Tempest
The Tempest
The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
.
Plot summary
Actress Lucy Waring leaves LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to join her married sister Phyllida Forli in Corfu
Corfu
Corfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the edge of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The island is part of the Corfu regional unit, and is administered as a single municipality. The...
where the Forli family own three houses—two of them modern. One is occupied by the Forlis, the other rented out to Godfrey Manning who is taking photographs for a coffee table style book. The third, the much older Castello, is rented to actor Julian Gale and his son Max who is a musician. Julian Gale has two godchildren, twins Spiro and Miranda, who work in the Forli's houses. The idyllic scene is shattered when Spiro is reported drowned after falling overboard while out at night sailing in Godfrey Manning's boat.
One theme running through the book is the idea that Corfu is the setting for The Tempest. Another theme is that of a dolphin
Dolphin
Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...
which will approach humans.
Julian Gale and the play Tiger, Tiger (with a different author) are also mentioned in The Wind Off the Small Isles by Mary Stewart
Mary Stewart
Mary Florence Elinor Stewart is a popular English novelist, best known for her Merlin series, which straddles the boundary between the historical novel and the fantasy genre.-Career:...
(1968).