Comment on Clean-up on Level Seven

  1. Firerose on Chapter 6 Tue 01 Jan 2019 06:21AM UTC

    Here be dragons

    From the other side of the door that separated their offices, he heard his Steward moving about, and an image came to him of Faramir, working late at night as the rest of the City slept – the last Ruling Steward of Gondor seizing this brief moment of absolute authority to place his mark upon the realm. By the time Elessar Telcontar was crowned, Gondor was already a different land.

    This whole section is a lovely concise portrait of both Faramir & Aragorn.

    “No,” Aragorn said. “Yet, as you say, you were in violation of no law. I know when it was repealed, but tell me – when was it passed? Ecthelion, I think, would not have had it.”

    Before aeroplanes/helicopters & modern medicine & international treaties on the conduct of warfare, what other recourse was there? (I was always tempted to side with Aral over Cordelia, to be honest, although in that case, of course, consent would be absent, which is an entirely different kettle of cliché.)

    “Ah me!” she says, when his tale is told. “The rich are different!”

    Great line.

    I didn’t care much for that law, but maybe if one of those boys had gone, he might have been standing next him when those stones started falling, and he might have pulled him away, and then my brother might have come home after all. I don’t know whether you did the right thing or not.

    Clever woman. I do like Faelas, even if she's a bit of a plot device.

    And god, I'd forgotten that Denethor had tried to knife Faramir. I reread TTT last week, I obviously need to reread RotK this one. Thanks for lots of food for thought here.

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    1. Altariel on Chapter 6 Sat 05 Jan 2019 06:55PM UTC

      And god, I'd forgotten that Denethor had tried to knife Faramir. I reread TTT last week, I obviously need to reread RotK this one.

      Yeah, that's the really awful bit, as far as I'm concerned. He snaps, and goes for him. Obviously Tolkien needs the direct parallel with the Abraham and Isaac story, but, to be honest, I do think D is slightly stitched up in this scene by the author!

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      1. Firerose on Chapter 6 Sun 06 Jan 2019 08:13AM UTC

        Here be dragons

        Tbh I hadn't thought of Abraham & Isaac, duh -- I can see Tolkien wanting the parallel. Shudders. Owen has a lot to answer for.

        I did listen to the Backlisted podcast, btw; intrigued by Dan Kieran's pitch and also the oh-so-snooty reactions to fantasy in 1968. I'd cast Minas Tirith as a fallen Rome, but you're right it's probably Constantinople, which trusty Wikipedia says was also called Miklagarth! I'm also intrigued by the trousers -- were they truly superlative?

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        1. Altariel on Chapter 6 Sun 06 Jan 2019 08:45AM UTC

          Have I never bored you with my long spiel about parallels between the Owen poem, the Isaac story, and the Pyre of Denethor?!!

          Glad you enjoyed the podcast: I'm also on one about Georgette Heyer, and another about Anita Brookner (I don't know if you read her). I've forgotten the bit about the trousers - what was that?!

          Last Edited Sun 06 Jan 2019 08:46AM UTC

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          1. Firerose on Chapter 6 Mon 07 Jan 2019 05:48AM UTC

            Here be dragons

            You could never bore me :) But, no, I don't think you've run that one past me. (I'm a tremendous fan of the War Requiem, which sets that poem so well.)

            I'll check out the Heyer one when I get a minute. I'm intrigued as to what the two male hosts made of Venetia! I have read some Brookner, including apparently Look at Me from the condition of my copy, but I fear I'd have to reread it to benefit. I didn't know you were a fan? I was also going to take a listen to the Chandler one, in the hope it pushes me into getting back into my Earthsea Chandler pastiche.

            Heh: 'Spoke cut trousers in more sizes and custom finish for a flawless fit' which one of the hosts claims to be wearing (shorts, if I recall aright).

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            1. Altariel on Chapter 6 Tue 08 Jan 2019 06:43AM UTC

              Oh, there are loads of parallels! The big difference with the Owen poem is that of course there is no angel to hand to save the son, as there is for Faramir and Isaac.

              I'm a massive Brookner fan, have been since I was a teenager. Look At Me is outstanding: definitely worth a reread.

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              1. Firerose on Chapter 6 Wed 09 Jan 2019 04:54AM UTC

                Here be dragons

                I suppose Gandalf is, indeed, literally an angel.

                Will stack LAM for a (re)read (I wonder if the well-read appearance is because my mother bought it secondhand). I have a couple of others on my hundred-strong TBRead pile, too. Maybe one day I'll have reading energy again.

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