A Companion to Under the Volcano
by Chris Ackerley, Lawrence Jon Clipper
Category: Fiction

An item-by-item discussion of the innumerable, often obscure detailsof Malcolm Lowry's novel, this book comprises 1,600 notes coveringsome 7,000 specific points. The notes are keyed to page numbers in thePenguin paperback and the two standard hardback editions. Theappendices include a glossary, bibliography, maps of the region, and anindex of motifs. In their comprehensive but unpedantic commentary on the novel'scomplexities, the authors' emphasis is on the narrative level. Allpoints of obscurity are followed by an interpretation of fact. Thusreferences are noted to films, books, places, foreign languages, andnational and tribal histories. Special attention is given to theliterary, mystical, and Mexican background.