Julius Le Vallon and The Bright Messenger by Algernon Blackwood
"Julius Le Vallon" and its sequel "The Bright Messenger" are notable works by Algernon Blackwood, known for his contributions to mystical and supernatural literature. "Julius Le Vallon" follows the journey of John Mason, who develops a deep connection with Le Vallon, a character with memories of past lives. The narrative intricately weaves themes of spiritual education and astral travel, culminating in a dramatic experiment that leads to unforeseen consequences involving elemental forces. This first volume is praised for its literary quality and builds to a powerful climax, ultimately resulting in tragedy as Le Vallon fails to control the elemental beings he wishes to summon.
The sequel, "The Bright Messenger," shifts focus to Julian Le Vallon, the son of the titular character. Set two decades later, it is less plot-driven and more of a character study, exploring Julian's identity and his struggle to reconcile the elemental forces within him with societal expectations. The narrative is characterized by introspection and observations rather than a traditional resolution, concluding with a hint of potential future significance for Julian through a mysterious encounter. Together, these works delve into themes of reincarnation, spiritual growth, and the complexities of human existence in relation to the mystical.
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Julius Le Vallon and The Bright Messenger
First published:Julius Le Vallon: An Episode (1916) and The Bright Messenger (1921)
Type of work: Novels
Type of plot: Fantasy—occult
Time of work: The 1890s to the 1920s
Locale: Edinburgh, the Jura Mountains, and London
The Plot
Although Algernon Blackwood is remembered for his short stories, particularly “The Willows,” “The Wendigo,” and the occult detective stories featuring John Silence, his output includes books composed on a wider, more spiritual canvas. Leaving aside the deeply mystical novel The Centaur (1911), which was Blackwood’s own favorite, a more readily accessible work is Julius Le Vallon, which contains some of Blackwood’s best writing.
Julius Le Vallon was intended as the first half of a two-volume sequence. Although Blackwood began work on it in 1909, he did not finish it until a moment of white-heat inspiration brought him to the cosmic climax in February, 1911. The book was not published until 1916. Its sequel, The Bright Messenger, was not completed until after World War I.
The first volume can stand alone and is artistically superior to the second. It is narrated by John Mason, who could be a personification of Blackwood himself because the story follows Blackwood’s own educational route to Edinburgh University. Mason meets Le Vallon at a private school and immediately recognizes an affinity. Le Vallon has memories of past lives and locales, and he encourages Mason to recall. Flashes of memories return, but it is not until they meet again at Edinburgh University that Mason begins to remember a far distant life. At that time Mason was a being called Silvatela, Le Vallon was Concerighé, and there was a woman named Ziaz. Silvatela is undertaking his spiritual education and is learning about astral travel. On one of these occasions Silvatela has vacated his body. Concerighé and Ziaz are guarding the vacant bodies from spirit possession, but Concerighé seeks to experiment. He uses the vitality of the bodies to summon elemental forces. Silvatela returns to his body just in time, but Concerighé has unleashed elemental forces that are now homeless, and they remain fixed to his spirit through the millennia. In all those ages Concerighé has sought to be reunited with Silvatela and Ziaz to make amends and to conclude the experiment.
Most of the above is told by way of flashback. Mason, now living in Switzerland, is contacted by Le Vallon, who has found the reincarnated spirit of Ziaz and has married the lady embodying that spirit. Mason joins them, allowing Le Vallon to conclude his experiment. The novel builds gradually to its climax, intensifying the readers expectations and drawing the reader into every thought and action.
Le Vallon finally begins the experiment. This part of the novel reflects some of Blackwood’s most potent writing, especially the moment when the channels open and the elementals break through. The experiment fails: Le Vallon is not as strong as he hoped and, unable to control the elementals, he dies. The forces follow the route of least resistance and take over the unborn body of Le Vallon’s son. The novel closes with Mason recounting that Le Vallon’s wife had given birth to a boy and had died the next day. Mason had lost track of the boy, who had been adopted by a French couple.
The sequel, The Bright Messenger, is not so much a story as a study of a human whose body encases the elemental forces of wind and fire. The story is taken up by Edward Fillery, a psychologist who is himself something of an outcast and has inherited a love of nature and mysticism from his father. It is now about twenty years later. Fillery receives a letter from John Mason saying that he is nearing the end of his life and is concerned for the well-being of Julian Le Vallon, the boy named for his father. Fillerys assistant, aware of the background, nicknames the boy N. H., for nonhuman, an appellation that appears throughout the book. It comes to represent not simply the nonhuman but also increasingly the superhuman aspect of Le Vallon. His real name is reserved for the physical but shallow human shell. The novel thereby tracks the capacity for N. H. to emerge from the confines of Le Vallon’s physical self to create a whole being.
Unlike Julius Le Vallon, which has an intense and inexorable climax, The Bright Messenger has no obvious conclusion telegraphed to the reader. Instead it merely observes Julian’s development, his attitude toward society, and societys views of him. The novel reaches its conclusion more by default than design. It closes with the belief that Le Vallon, who has met a strange, wild Russian girl, will father a child who will be the unity of all the powers of nature.