A Companion to Under the Volcano

Book excerpt: An item-by-item discussion of the innumerable, often obscure details of Malcolm Lowry's novel, this book comprises 1,600 notes covering some 7,000 specific points. The notes are keyed to page numbers in the Penguin paperback and the two standard hardback editions. The appendices include a glossary, bibliography, maps of the region, and an index of motifs. In their comprehensive but unpedantic commentary on the novel's complexities, the authors' emphasis is on the narrative level. All points of obscurity are followed by an interpretation of fact. Thus references are noted to films, books, places, foreign languages, and national and tribal histories. Special attention is given to the literary, mystical, and Mexican background.