following decade. These novels
appealed to readers because of
their ingenious, old-fashioned sto-
rytelling, but also because of Da-
vies’ serious treatment of magic,
mysticism, and the psychological
theories of Carl Jung. Davies’ use
of Jungian thought was in some
quarters considered retrogressive
and politically incorrect; his pop-
ularity may therefore suggest the
growing conservatism associated
with the 1980’s, as well as a contin-
uation of the interest in alternative
spiritualities associated with the
previous decade.
Davies’ first book of the 1980’s,
The Rebel Angels(1981), received
wide acclaim and began a new tril-
ogy known as the Cornish Trilogy.
Set in a college of the Univer-
sity of Toronto that resembled
Davies’ own Massey College, the
novel featured a host of profes-
sors, mainly professors of reli-
gion, all with eccentric names and
traits. In this novel, Father Simon
Darcourt and Maria Theotoky
(the surname is a version of the
Greek Orthodox term for the Virgin Mary) investi-
gate the late and mysterious Francis Cornish, a well-
known art connoisseur. What’s Bred in the Bone
(1985), the second book of the trilogy, was a prequel
that related Cornish’s earlier life and the charming
chicanery by which he made his way in the world.
The concluding volume,The Lyre of Orpheus(1988),
portrayed Cornish’s legacy in local theater, thereby
referencing Davies’ own significant experience as
an actor and playwright in Canada. The latter two
books of the trilogy also received prominent critical
notice.What’s Bred in the Bonewas nominated for the
1986 Booker Prize, Britain’s most famous literary
award.
Davies’ exuberant persona and the strange char-
acters and Gothic doings in his novels helped rein-
vent Canadian literary culture as far more lively and
unconventional than it had been previously. It was
Davies’ belief that his novels would also help reintro-
duce to all of North America an acceptance of magic
and mysticism, including the reality of demons, an-
gels, and guardian spirits. With his flowing white
beard and magisterial cane, Davies was in great de-
mand as a lecturer in the 1980’s, fascinating even
those who had not read his books with his dry wit, er-
udition, and theatrical personality, which was a curi-
ous blend of medieval necromancer and Victorian
sage.
Impact Davies’ popularity in the 1980’s spoke to a
strong interest in spirituality and mysticism. Appre-
ciation of his celebration of eccentricity, originality,
and individuality and fascination with his emphasis
on the supernatural seemed to correspond with a
decrease in secular progressive politics and an in-
crease in conservatism, although many social con-
servatives ironically disapproved of such mystical lit-
erature.
Further Reading
Grant, Judith Skelton.Robertson Davies: Man of Myth.
Toronto: Viking Press, 1994.
La Bossière, Camille R., and Linda M. Morra.Robert-The Eighties in America Davies, Robertson 273
Robertson Davies in 1984.(Library and Archives Canada)