The Entrance to Porlock

The Entrance to Porlock

Company type	Novel
Industry	Literature
Founded	1970
Founder	Frederick Buechner
Products	Fiction novel

The Entrance to Porlock represents the fifth novel by the American writer and theologian Frederick Buechner, initially released in 1970 by Atheneum in New York.

Plot summary

Peter Ringkoping, an elderly proprietor of a used bookstore and author, has withdrawn from familial connections, favoring the companionship of deceased writers whose works he trades. His eccentric behavior causes concern for his wife, Alice, and alarm among his sons when he reveals his intention to donate ‘Shangri-La,’ an extensive parcel on Tinmouth Mountain, to Hans Strasser, who manages a community dedicated to individuals with intellectual and emotional disabilities. Strasser plans to utilize the land to enhance his care initiatives.

Peter’s relatives worry that he might be vulnerable to exploitation or manipulation and resist the prospect of losing a portion of their inheritance. Undeterred, Peter opts to visit Strasser’s community prior to finalizing the deed. Accompanying him are his sons, Nels and Tommy, along with Tommy’s nineteen-year-old son, Tip. Tip grapples with adolescent uncertainty and self-identity, conveying his emotions through an unsent letter addressed to Libba Vann, his romantic interest. Meanwhile, Tommy confronts his own immaturity and fears concerning mortality, beginning a path toward accountability.

At the heart of this expedition is Nels, the eldest son and headmaster at Putnam preparatory school. He is confronted by a disciplinary dilemma following a student's suicide after being caught misusing prescription medication. Facing pressure to adopt a lenient stance, Nels wrestles with his compulsive need for control and anxieties about health, prompting profound contemplation on life and death.

Their journey reaches its climax at Strasser’s community, where the warden imparts profound reflections on the innocence of the residents while challenging each member of the family to face their personal struggles. Although their physical travel concludes here, their internal growth and familial bonds are only beginning to mend.

Characters

• Peter Ringkoping: an elderly Vermont-based secondhand bookstore owner. In Now and Then, Buechner portrays Peter as a man who perceives ‘the spirits of departed authors’ and glimpses a ‘radiant reality,’ which leads him to become estranged from his family. Critic Dale Brown observes Peter’s quest for deeper meaning beneath surface appearances and his faith in mystical experiences.
• Nels Ringkoping: Peter’s eldest son; a bachelor serving as headmaster at a boys’ preparatory institution. His obstinacy is intertwined with fears of heart disease, fueling an obsession with maintaining health. Buechner compares Nels to the ‘cowardly lion’ character from The Wizard of Oz.
• Tommy Ringkoping: the younger brother known for his clownish demeanor, wrestling with unfulfilled potential and dread of death. His superficial lifestyle is characterized by practical jokes directed at family members and others alike. Buechner describes him as the ‘Scarecrow lacking intellect’.
• Tip Ringkoping: Tommy’s nineteen-year-old son, depicted as ‘a child yearning for home but uncertain where it lies’. Tip faces challenges related to identity and emotional turmoil while observing adults for direction; Brown emphasizes his difficulty in comprehending himself amid absence and misunderstanding.
• Hans Strasser: an elderly warden overseeing a community for individuals with intellectual and emotional disabilities. His sagacity and distinctive outlook on life offer guidance to others searching for purpose. Buechner refers to him as ‘the Wizard,’ whose interactions assist others in approaching what they lack.

Themes

In his memoir Now and Then (1983), Buechner contemplates the thematic elements of The Entrance to Porlock. The title alludes to the infamous visitor from Porlock who disrupted Coleridge's Kubla Khan, symbolizing the conflict between mundane reality and the realm of dreams and imagination.

The narrative loosely draws inspiration from The Wizard of Oz, centering on an elderly man in pursuit of a heart who has become estranged from his family. One son, a failed compulsive joker, represents the Scarecrow’s quest for intellect; another son, a domineering hypochondriac and dean, reflects the Cowardly Lion’s search for bravery; while a bewildered teenage grandson mirrors Dorothy’s longing for home. An Austrian who manages a community for the mentally ill functions as the Wizard figure, guiding them toward self-awareness.

Buechner’s signature dreamlike narrative style permeates the novel, delving into character development and profound inner realities. Key motifs include suicide and shifting theological perspectives. Alongside the theme of identity exploration, Buechner weaves in concepts of lost innocence, authentic humanity, and grace. This work continues his central exploration of finding joy amid life’s perplexities.

Composition

The Entrance to Porlock represents Buechner’s first novel completed entirely while residing at his family home in Vermont. After departing from his teaching role at Exeter, he commenced this fifth novel during a period marked by both personal and national upheaval. In Now and Then, Buechner describes the writing experience as immobilizing, questioning the purpose of adding another book in a year overshadowed by the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy.

During its creation, Charles P. Price invited Buechner to present the William Belden Noble Lectures at Harvard. Despite initial hesitation due to his non-theologian background, he accepted, focusing on the intersection of “religion and letters.” These lectures were delivered in winter 1969 at Harvard's Memorial Church and subsequently published in 1970 as The Alphabet of Grace, coinciding with the release year of The Entrance to Porlock.

Critical reception

Buechner’s fifth novel received favorable reviews from critics and scholars alike. Diana Loercher of the Christian Science Monitor praised its lyrical and dreamlike atmosphere, highlighting how it envelops readers in a fluid sense of time coupled with spiritual profundity.

In her 1988 analysis Frederick Buechner: novelist of the lost and found, Marjorie Casebier McCoy lauded the novel’s masterful craftsmanship and intertextual richness, especially its sophisticated adaptation of The Wizard of Oz. She stressed that it transcends mere imitation to become a compelling narrative employing the classic tale as a metaphor for human existence. Amos N. Wilder, Hollis Professor of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School, similarly commended Buechner’s talent for rendering wonders tangible and reality enchanting.

Rudolph Nelson noted that while explicit religious language is absent, the novel still grapples with ultimate existential questions. Dale Brown concurred, interpreting it as an exploration of grace through fairy tale motifs, reaffirming Buechner’s conviction that reality—despite its complexity—is imbued with significance. James Woelfel observed that like Buechner’s earlier works, Porlock investigates personal journeys toward meaning and love within close-knit familial and social bonds.