more Idnn

aramini1 at cox.net · 27 Oct 2005, 18:55 · from 2005-October.txt.gz

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From: aramini1 at cox.net (aramini1 at cox.net)
Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2005 14:55:10 -0400
Subject: (urth) more Idnn
Message-ID: <20051027185438.BVOT29333.fed1rmmtao05.cox.net at smtp.west.cox.net>

This whole discussion of Idnn's change in character is pretty interesting.  I think Wolfe makes it pretty clear that all of the characters except perhaps Ravd start off as contemptible in some way: Toug a highwayman, Svon a contemptible brat because he is denied his title, Able a bully posing as a knight because he got bigger, Idnn a scared child, Garvaon a jealous man, Uns living a lie to grant himself importance by using Org, Beel an opportunist, Morcaine an alcoholic evil wench, Arthnor a petty tyrant who doesn't understand honor, etc. 

But by the end, every one of them has changed significantly to become an ideal.  Arthnor dies "nobly".  I'm not sure if Morcaine does, but she enters into an alliance with Arnthnor's wife.  Indeed, one of the nicest characters the first time through is Garsecg, probably the villain of the tale.

The big question is: what changes all of them?  Is it Able's example?  Is it the interference/noninterference of the Valfather?  The intagible idea of honor?  Or is it just that the natural order is being restored, and the aelf are starting to worship them as gods instead of the other way around.  (caveat: in the normal scheme of things, people of Mythgarthr are really the god of kullili, because kullili is the natural inhabitant of Aelfrice.  The aelf are the equivalent of Mani: a created being made from meshing leftover elements of that level with bits of "spirit".)

Marc Aramini

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