In the second volume of the Deptford trilogy we see the Staunton family through the eyes of David, the son and hard drinking criminal lawyer. But most remarkably we see Jungian analysis at work, as the greater part of the novel is concerned with David's analysis. He has moved to Zurich to pursue this course, following his alarming outburst at Eisengrim's show in Toronto that closed [b:Fifth Business|76896|Fifth Business (The Deptford Trilogy #1)|Robertson Davies|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1368313688s/76896.jpg|603433]. He fears he is losing control of himself and seeks treatment, which exposes him to the expression of Jungian archetypes throughout his life and leaves him with the question of whether or not he can live as the Hero, exploring his true self.

The Jungian core of the novel is interesting and got me looking at Jung's [b:The Red Book: Liber Novus|6454477|The Red Book Liber Novus|C.G. Jung|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1349565532s/6454477.jpg|6644707], which quickly proved too much to handle lightly; serious dedication will be required to get through that work. It is the wellspring of Jung's system and thought, what the character Liesl is referring to when she talks to David in the book's latter, more philosophical and inspirational coda about Jung, and Freud, and Adler:

Davey, did you ever think that these three men who were so splendid at understanding others had first to understand themselves? It was from their self-knowledge that they spoke. They did not go trustingly to some doctor and follow his lead because they were too lazy or too scared to make the inward journey alone. They dared heroically. And it should never be forgotten that they made the inward journey while they were working like galley-slaves at their daily tasks, considering other people's troubles, raising families, living full lives. They were heroes, in a sense that no space-explorer can be a hero, because they went into the unknown absolutely alone.

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Book 2 in Deptford trilogy. This went from 3 to 4 stars at the end. A character study that helped me reflect on myself. Still thinking about it. ( )

Here the trilogy moves to its next narrator as David Staunton, son of the late Boy Staunton, enters into therapy following his father's unusual death. I found the "story told through therapy" approach a bit affected at first - why not a straightforward telling, as with the first novel? - but the psychoanalysis portions are fantastic, almost as if Davies were a personal expert in the field; so good, in fact, I may have benefited from it a bit myself. Boy Staunton stands at the centre of this trilogy but David's story is also compelling. He has never learned how to feel. While the reason for this is never plainly stated, I latched onto his declaration that, as a child, he could not love anything that disappointed his father. The conflict in him arose when he realized he was one of those things.

This is not, as most other reviewers point out, as good as the first book. To achieve that, it had to either broaden the world we were introduced to or dig beneath what we've already seen. It doesn't take much of a stab at doing either. Mostly it covers the same ground, and where there's contradiction or blank spots in David's knowledge these always seem resolvable by Ramsay's having known more. The external view of Ramsay is interesting, but it doesn't change his character or make me distrust what I think I already know. I've the odd impression that these first two books would have served each other better if they had been written and published in reverse order. The conclusion moves things forward a bit, but only in service to David's story, and even then it does not have the clean closure of Ramsay's. I love how articulate and insightful Davies' characters are, and that more than anything compels me to read on. ( )

Continuing the story where he left off with Fifth Business, Davies switches narrators from Dunstan Ramsay to Boy Staunton's sun David. The first two thirds of the novel are Socratic in nature, being an exchange between David and a Jungian analyst. Watching David's character change and grow under the traditionally trained hand of Dr. von Haller was a vastly entertaining process. From the outset, David Staunton seems intolerably rich, or the kind of privileged class that is completely unaware that the rest of the world is not as objective as he thinks it is. We aren't meant to like the protagonist here, and I love a good unreliable narrator. We can't trust David, we don't even root for him until Part II of the book, I'd say. The familiar events from Fifth Business are rounded out, not because of how important David's functions in the grand plot are, but how dastardly and narrow-minded Boy Staunton was a man. Again, Roberston Davies uses this story to explore the life-long impact our actions can have without our knowing on another person, how what we do outlasts our life span.

Onto World of Wonders. ( )

Greatly enjoyed rereading this though not sure why. Premise of plot is character undergoing Jungian analysis, which seems too dull and fraught and philosophical, but it turns into a character study. The last section was weakest because it had the most philosophizing, though it features three great characters from the first book. Much is outdated, especially on gender and sex and race (all-white!), but interesting comments on class and the prose is excellent. Don't think I'd reread this one in a long time if ever. ( )