“Let us suppose that this everyday world were at some one
point invaded by the marvellous! – C.S Lewis
As a Father’s Day treat, my family and I ventured into
Oxford to explore the Bodleian Library’s Summer exhibition – Magical Books: From the Middle Ages to Middle Earth.
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Across the paved courtyard and through one of the tiny, Latin
covered doors, an exploration of childhood tales, magic and fantasy was
enveloped.The dimly lit, compact cove contained ancient books, manuscripts and
illustrations from the Bodleian archives which depicted mythical beings, magical
practices and enchanting tales, both fictional and factual.
Included in the collection were treasures linked to some of arguably
the greatest childhood (and adulthood) tales and their authors - a map of
Narnia drawn by CS Lewis; an original illustration by JRR Tolkein; the working
pages of Philip Pullman’s The Dark Trilogy amongst many others.
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| The picturesque Bodleian Library, Oxford |
When imagination and fantasy are channelled into fashion, magical
things happen. You just need to look through the collections of McQueen and
Westwood to be taken on a sartorial fairytale.
The Bodleian exhibition is open until October but, for those
unable to make a quest to the ‘shire, is explorable to an extent online here.
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