Saturday 30 July 2022

Full Circle

"The Sorrow of Odin the Goth."

Even without any time travel involved, it is a legitimate ploy to begin a narrative in the midst of the action, in media res, then to recount what had happened earlier later. Paradise Lost opens with the fallen Satan, then subsequent dialogue recounts the war in heaven and the creation of the world.

In "The Sorrow...," the opening chapter, 372, pp. 333-341, ends as Hathawulf and his followers prepare to attack Ermanaric the following morning. Subsequent chapters headed:

300
300-302
302-330
337
337-344
344-347
348-366
366-372

- return readers to the same point but now we know all the characters and issues involved. 366-372 ends:

""Undaunted, Hathawulf, Solbern and their men rode forth at dawn." (p. 446)

Full circle. All that remains to be told is the outcome of their attack? No. There is more. 

No comments: