The White Deer

The White Deer is a 96-page children's novel written by James Thurber (author of The Thirteen Clocks and The Wonderful O) in 1945. It is a fairy tale about the quest of the three sons of King Clode (Thag and Gallow, the hunters, and Jorn, the poet) who are set perilous tasks to win the heart and hand of a princess without her memories who had once been a beautiful white deer. The cover and four color plates were illustrated by Don Freeman.

Part of the summary of the story in The White Deer Summary and Study Guide states this:

“The White Deer concerns faith in love.

Love depends upon the will of lovers to believe in each other despite all obstacles. Though the story is playful, fastpaced, funny, at times satirical and at times absurd, the theme is serious, as are the obstacles thrown up before the lovers. Secrets of the past and fears of the future, prejudices and the lack of imagination, accident and sorcery—all threaten love's survival.”

Kirkus Reviews wrote this review about The White Deer:

“For Thurber devotees -- not of his peculiar brand of humor, but of his equally personal brand of fantasy. This is a fable -- a fairy tale of medieval days and doings, of the white deer who became a Princess and was courted by three sons of King Clode -- and who, to determine the winner of her hand, sent each on a perilous labor. And it is Jorn, the youngest, and the one who loved her truly, who succeeds.”

The book starts out with the description of the enchanted forest, which was supposed to sit between Moonstone Mines and Centaurs Mountain (Thurber, 3). The enchanted forest also had “a distant bell that causes boys to run and laugh and girls to stand and tremble (Thurber, 3).” The toadstools would feel heavy in a person’s hand but would become light enough to float away and trail black and purple stars (Thurber, 3). Rabbits could even pull their heads off of their bodies and tip them as if they were hats (Thurber, 4).

King Clode and his sons, Tag and Gallow, would take sport in hunting, while the youngest son, Jorn, would rather play his lyre and create poetic verses (Thurber, 4). King Clode would tell a story to his sons about how he, his father, and two brothers were out hunting and almost shot a deer at Centaurs Mountain, but the deer transformed into a princess. The princess was under an enchantment caused by an old woman who was jealous of her beauty. King Clode and his father and brothers returned the princess to her father in the north, and the king and queen celebrated their daughters return with feasting (Thurber, 6-7).

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