I'm glad I got past this first chapter. One could say that I really didn't like it.
I had expectations, I expected a philosophical greek myth. But it's not. I wanted to read a nice tale, like the picture book I have at home. With plenty of wisdom quotes...
Then I thought that would be a dramatic tragedy, with plenty of tears and wiping... But it's not classical.
At some point I got upset at Lewis: " Come on CS, there is a reason why tragedy are THEATER. It limits the time of intern monologues..."
I like psychological novels, but I like it even more when the author gives you clues in the text, and doesn't feel it necessary to have the charactere thoughts written down, black on white. I like when feelings and suggestions are suggested. I couldn't help but thinking : "oh what a great tragedy that would be on stage" for the scene of the last encounter of the sisters before Psychee is given to the Ungit.
Anyway, I've become more familiar with the characters. Fox is the most interesting one so far, the one eyed king in a kingdom of blinds. You can't help but sympathise for Orual, she is not quite the classic tragedy-hero , but she is doing her best. The king is very caricatural, and so are most of the other intervenants (Redival, Batta, the priest etc.)
I was sad that the queen dies in chapter 2. She was a very intriguing one..
Psychee-Istra was very plain too. the beautiful and kind. I mean kindness is an attribute that is so often overlooked by authors. When a charactere is kind it has to be the kindest sweetest glucosiest person in the world... There could be so much more to it! I hope she gets more interesting later on.(I don't know yet if she survives or not, I guess yes because there are many more chapters, and it's supposed to be her story at some point).
I really got hooked on at chapter 6, when the Father discuss with the Priest and Fox. I had a little stage in my head with heavily made up actors, and togas. ;)
"I'd lose not only my throne but my life to save the Princes, if I were a king and a father".
"I had forgotten that your own safety is the thing we must work for at all costs"
Ha! well said Fox!
"What did I beget her for, if I can't do what is best with my own? What is it to you?"
...sounds like the Dad is pro-choice.
In the last talk between Orual (I always think Oural, like the russian mountains, which got me very confused at the begining, because I thought she was Ungit, (Oural would have been the godness of the grey mountain, it made so much more sense to me!!)
Anyway the last talk between Orual and Istra(-psychee) got me really interested.
Psychee-the-good is longing for death.
Now I'm on board for the rest of that book. The sense of loss, nothingness, death bond desires.. So truly human. This is where the tragedy really begins (IMO).
More on this later. I really really hope CS Lewis deepenth this aspect.
Check on other Till we have faces readers:
Kate
butterfly confidential
amanda (?)
1 comment:
I have a quote at the bottom of all my emails by C.S. Lewis. One reason is because I really, really liked it and the other is because it reminds me how versatile an author it is, here's the quote:
"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one.'" — C.S. Lewis
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