Considers the influence of some of Tolkien’s earliest childhood reading, the Andrew Lang fairy books, and the opinions he expressed about these books in “On Fairy-stories.” Examines the series for possible influences on Tolkien’s fiction in its portrayal of fairy queens, dragons, and other fantasy tropes
Brief discussion of relationships between Garner’s The Owl Service and its source myth in the Mabinogion. Considers how successful Garner has been in his use of the myth