I can count on one hand the number of books that I've read more than once; there are just too many new and different books out there to read. A book has to be extra special for me to even think about going back to it. On the other hand, I know some people who can read the same book many times. A while back (May 9, to be exact), I used Richard Adams' birthday with a picture of his first novel, Watership Down, for my Histocrats Book of the day post on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. (If you aren't aware, I post a historic event for each day with a pic and maybe a blurb about a book that relates to the event. Most of the books are books that I've read.) In my post, I said that Watership Down was one of my childhood favorites, and maybe it deserved a re-read forty or so years later. Well, I did, and what a great read it was!
Adams wrote Watership Down only after his daughters begged him to publish it. It all started with stories that he told his children about a warren of rabbits. After lots of rejections, he finally found a publisher, and it immediately became a phenomenon, selling over a million copies in a few years. And I decided to listen to the book myself, this time around. Audible has a great unabridged audio version, read by former Doctor Who, Peter Capaldi. Everything about it was perfect. Capaldi is a great narrator, and, obviously since the saga started as an oral story, hearing it told/read aloud was the way to go for me.
If you're not familiar with the plot, WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU? Kidding. Slightly. The action of the book takes place over the course of a summer in the English countryside. A rabbit gifted with clairvoyance sees a disastrous future for his warren. He convinces his brother and few other rabbits to leave and strike out for a new safer location. The book tells their story. As I read/listened, I was reminded of high school literature classes and the many epics that I learned about and read: Beowulf, Gilgamesh, Iliad, and Odyssey, for example, and more modern books that have been called American epic novels, like Moby Dick, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and other big sweeping series like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and A Song of Fire and Ice, for instance. Watership Down, I think, checks off the boxes of epic-ness. So, is Watership Down the epic novel of Generation X, those born roughly between 1965 and 1980?
OK, OK, I know that originally epic was only used to refer to long heroic poems, but the definition of epic has loosened up considerably over the years to include other genres, like novels and films, so I'm using the term a little loosely, but take away the poetry, and I think Watership still fits.
I don't know that there's a definitive list of characteristics of an epic, but there are a few lists out there that are similar.
1) Plot centers around a Hero of Unbelievable Stature. While Hazel might start out as a run of the mill, average rabbit, and he doesn't seem to have any extraordinary talents or strengths, he definitely grows into the role that he would never have imagined for himself, Chief Rabbit. By the end of the book, he is viewed as a founder by future generations.
2) Involves deeds of superhuman - superrabbit, in this case - strength and valor. Like I said in number one, Hazel is not super strong, or even fast, but he does have a strong intelligence and strong leadership qualities, and he unquestionably has a great deal of courage. Bigwig also demonstrates courage, power, and strength.
3) Vast Setting. Okay, maybe the rabbits don't travel into space or over huge deserts or mountain rages, but, for rabbits, a couple of dozen miles is a huge trek. They explore new landforms that they have never experienced before, and they interact with new rabbits and other animals with whom they have not had contact in their lives.
4) Involves supernatural and-or otherworldly forces. Fiver definitely is in touch with supernatural forces, with the ability to see visions of the future and to sense dangers. Hyzenthlay, a doe who joins the warren, also has the gift of future sight. Adams also creates an entire mythology for rabbits, and the book includes several stories told about the mischievous El-ahrairah, the trickster prince of the first rabbits and his companion Rabscuttle as they constantly outsmart Prince Rainbow the lord of the animals. There are also visits from the Black Rabbit of Inle, the grim reaper of sorts who accompanies rabbits in their deaths.
5) Sustained elevation of style. The language and style Adams uses are definitely elevated, perfect for oral storytelling, which makes perfect sense because the book's genesis was oral storytelling. Like Tolkien did for his characters, Adams also went to the trouble of creating a language for the rabbits, as well as names for all the characters. Among the rabbits, storytelling is an honored tradition, and storytellers are greatly admired and enjoy high status in the warren. Listening to Peter Capaldi read the book really took my enjoyment of the book to the next level. Even though it is not a poem, Watership Down is darn near as close to poetry as prose can get.
Watership Down is page after page of adventure, battles, and narrow escapes. It was published in 1972, and I was born in 1966. I can't remember when I read the book, but I reckon I was 10 or 12, and I remember loving it then. The first animated movie version came out in 1978; I'm pretty sure I saw it, but I'm not sure where -either in a theater or at my public library, as part of a summer film series. I do remember it being intense, and I can understand people now who can't believe it was shown to kids. Hey, children of the '60s and '70s were different creatures than later generations. As I'm looking at movie trailers and other videos on Youtube, I have to admit the movie adaptations (1978 and 2018 by the BBC - on Netflix) do seem even more brutal than the book. Maybe that's just because it's visual?
So what's the point of all this? Is Watership Down an epic? Do I want to talk about a great book of my childhood? Do I want to encourage people read it, and maybe (if you're up to it) watch one of the movies? Do I want to encourage people to re-read books they really love?
Yeah, sure.
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