More questions for discussion

[hebe0.livejournal.com]

Some questions that cropped up in Saturday's chat:

1. (from me, rephrased) Following on from the tributes thread about "borrowings" in the books, what would you in turn choose to borrow from the Gen books as tribute to MWT? An object, setting, character trait, dialogue, ...?

2. (from "mwt") "alternatively, if you could see any quote from another book stuck into Attolia, what would it be? what works are you reminded of when you read them?"

Hebe

Comments

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

1. The first phrase that comes to mind is to have a character in *my* (nonexsistent) book say, "Be blessed in your endeavors."

2. I'm repeating others's ideas here, but a quote from Miles Vorkosigan (Bujold) or Lord Peter Wimsey (Sayers) would make sense to me. Those characters seem very Gen-like. And perhaps something else from Diana Wynne Jones, who is the source of the "What a lie that was" quote in both Thief and KoA. Maybe a line from Fire and Hemlock? I'm trying to think of a really good Miles quote here, but my mind is blank. I swear the next time I read the Bujold books I'm going to jot down those pearls of wisdom, then make really cool icons from them. Or, better yet, have Avian make them for me. :)

[emerald-happy.livejournal.com]

1. Same here, Checkers! I love that phrase. I have it on my LJ because I love it so much!

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

I confess that I went to your LJ to see how to spell "endeavors." :)

[emerald-happy.livejournal.com]

Hehee. In UK English it is "endeavours" but I decided to keep it a direct quote.

Darling Checkers, I must bless your icon as well as your endeavors.

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

Thank you, dear Em. Gods know I need all the help I can get.

[emerald-happy.livejournal.com]

Heehee

[rowana.livejournal.com]

For a second I thought your icon said 'Ivan, you idiot'.

*really needs an icon saying that now*

[rowana.livejournal.com]

Well, here's one Vorkosigan quote. Not sure which book it's from. I agree - DWJ books spring to mind, and I'd love to see some Fire & Hemlock quotes in there. And I really, really have to get around to reading Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey books.

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

Of course, both my suggestions are adult books, and a children's author may not want to include lines from books that aren't geared towards his or her readers...

[hebe0.livejournal.com]

1. How could I have not thought of that...?!

2. In the chat I thought of Fire and Hemlock as a similarly very re-readable book, also one that might be quotable.

What do you see as the similarities between Lord Peter and Gen? (Or is this already discussed somewhere else?) I hadn't considered them together, so am going to think about it... my first reaction was that they have nothing in common, so maybe it is time to reread!

(I've not read the Vorkosigan books.)

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

You must must must read them!

I did dig up a previous--and very interesting--discussion (http://community.livejournal.com/sounis/58386.html) that included a bit about the Wimsey books.

Here's what I said:

Similarities? Yes, they are “smartly” written, and Gen and Lord Peter are both more intelligent than they let on, clever and daring. Both have their weaknesses and tend to hide their kind hearts. Lord Peter has his Bunter and Gen his Costis. Both fell in love with strong women.

In looking back, I see that Megan said she hadn't read them, so much for a tribute. :)

[hebe0.livejournal.com]

Interesting thread; thanks. Reading the various comments about being cleverer than he lets on, I am also reminded of Albert Campion.

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

Oh, and yay Hebe! Has an LJ account!

[dawnbluewings.livejournal.com]

1) Had my druthers I'd steal and modify the line of "[ the ] queen danced like a flame in the wind, and the mercurial king like the weight at the center of the earth" for a certain pair of characters that I have. The line just seems to fit with them, with soem small modification. Also the pin-stealing would work well, for the same characters and the same scene that I have in mind...

As to # 2... I don't really know....

[tiloo.livejournal.com]

hmm... I don't really know... any quotes... but I did notice that Basileus meant fabled prince, and also what they used as a name for a a king, which I thought was neat because Basili means king I think in latin, such as in Basilisk (king snake) or Basilsaurus (king lizard)

[aged-crone.livejournal.com]

Greek, I think. Latin for king is "rex."

[tiloo.livejournal.com]

Okay thanks I didn't know.
I just knew it meant king :P and I guessed latin

[idiosyncreant.livejournal.com]

Gen's glare is rather Basilisk, too. Clever of you to draw that connection--I only wish it had been me. [glares]

[tiloo.livejournal.com]

*falls over dead*

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

Maybe "be blessed in your endeavors" is too well-known a part of the books. No one would have to do any fun searching to find them. Are there some lines that are a bit more obscure?

[aged-crone.livejournal.com]

"Stop whining." "Go to bed."

[idiosyncreant.livejournal.com]

"You've been reading since the sun came up. You're ragged, and you need a rest."

Widely applicable. Wickedly wholesale.

"I told you. One more nasty comment and it would be a nap."

Can I take a moment to say I love the "huge Eddisian nanny"'s part? Okay, I'm done. Carry on.

[idiosyncreant.livejournal.com]

There's a lot of good lines to put in as tributes, that's for sure! It has a fetching side...throwing tributes, one each, through a long career of writing. (So far, I've only made off with T.S.Eliot imagery on purpose.)
I love to go quoting "His Royal Petulance" but I'm not sure I could work that in a story, except in spirit. I get plenty of mileage out of it in my ordinary correspondence, anyway.

As for other-books tributes to be put in...well, Howl is so beautifully rascally in the same way, and I've begun writing down the characters that have a sort of connection that way. One of my more obscure connections is Will Ladislaw from Middlemarch (George Eliot)--one of his finer quotes is "It is impossible!" And then it happens anyway, immediately.
Surely, surely, that would fit somewhere in Gen's itinerary? 0_<

He already has a hook hand for Peter Pan...
But what about McCaughrean's Tammo White, in The Pirate's Son? Anyone else here read that? I swear it's actually a Peter Pan story, though McCaughrean's written the official sequel, too.
I haven't read it enough to produce a rabbit for display, but I'm sure there' be something there.

I do wax eloquent on books.

[philia-fan.livejournal.com]

I love The Pirate's Son! So glad someone else has read it! I'm working on the Peter Pan sequel now, though I'm half reading that and half "Skybreaker," which is a little confusing.

[estarria.livejournal.com]

I've been looking for tribute lines, but so far most of the ones I've found wouldn't work just anywhere. "Lo, the transforming power of love" would be a nice line in certain scenarios, though. I also love when Eugenides barks to describe the crowd, "Arf, arrf, bark, bark, bark, yap yap," but that one is definitely situational.

[avian-xj.livejournal.com]

Oh, no! I commented on this a couple days ago. I KNOW I did, but now it's gone. *sigh* let's see if I can remember what i said...

1. I'm not sure where it could be used, and I don't think this particular quote has come up, "Your Majesty is upsetting his physician." I just love that line. It made me laugh the first time reading it and still does :)

2. I can't think of any other books that really remind me of these because they are so unique. Sutcliff would be the closest I think.

I agree that a DWJ quote would be awesome :D

[(Anonymous)]

I wonder if "Costis wondered if he'd crossed the river into Hell without noticing the trip" (not sure if that's word-for-word, but it was something close to that) is a quote/tribute to a line (the first line?) from "Borders of Infinity" (a Miles Vorkosigan novella by Bujold--it can be found in Miles Errant or the book Borders of Infinity and is also available online).

~Feir Dearig

[philia-fan.livejournal.com]

When I read Lady Heiro's name I kept thinking of Polly/Hero in Fire and Hemlock. Not that the characters are the same.