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The Manticore

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description The Manticore Overview

"The Manticore" is a 1972 novel by Canadian author Robertson Davies and the second volume in his Deptford Trilogy, situated between "Fifth Business" and "World of Wonders." The narrative is uniquely structured around the Jungian psychoanalysis of its protagonist, David Staunton, in Zürich, Switzerland. Through his sessions with a psychiatrist, Staunton examines his childhood, his strained relationship with his father, and a mysterious childhood tragedy that connects him to the trilogy's other characters. The book won the Governor General's Award for English-language fiction.

help The Manticore FAQ

What happens to David Staunton in The Manticore?

David Staunton travels to Switzerland after the mysterious death of his father, Percy Boyd "Boy" Staunton. He undergoes Jungian psychoanalysis while trying to understand his father, his family, and his own emotional failures.

How is The Manticore structured?

Much of the novel is presented as David's account of his analysis with the Zurich-based Jungian psychiatrist Dr. von Haller. The therapy structure turns the book into an extended examination of memory, dreams, family history, and archetypes.

Where does The Manticore fit in Robertson Davies's Deptford Trilogy?

It is the second novel, published in 1972, between Fifth Business from 1970 and World of Wonders from 1975. The three books revisit the consequences of an event involving Dunstan Ramsay and Boy Staunton.

Is the manticore a literal creature in the novel?

The title refers primarily to a psychological and mythic image rather than a literal monster appearing in the plot. In traditional mythology, a manticore combines features of a lion, a human, and a scorpion or serpent.

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