flyingskull (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
flyingskull) wrote2007-03-20 01:46 pm
flyingskull) wrote2007-03-20 01:46 pm
Tam Lin, or...Once More, With Feeling
First, take a peek at my icon. That thing really existed, hundreds of millions year ago, in the Cambrian era. Which makes me wonder why Fantasy author never bother to go look at past reality for their beasties, but such is Fantasy, never let it be tainted with real things, no matter how definitely extinct. Anyway, they've found fossils of it and they've named it Anomalocaris which means Odd Crab which also means they didn't get it right the first time. It was a winged lobster with double grabbing shrimp-like appendages and a circular bone-crushing maw. I rather love it and I decided this one's name is Tam Lin. Why? Because he used to wreck havock, back in the old days when humans were not, and Tam Lin is a hell of a havock wrecker on writers.
Which elegant transition brings me to my
I mean, I admit that the story of Tam Lin is a popular and lovely thing: after all it's got Evil Elves, which always pleases; it's got a Beautiful Young Man, which never hurts; it's got a Feisty Tenacious Heroine, which young gels everywhere can identify with; it's got a powerful storyline with suspense and romance, it's certainly got SEX! There are several version of the basic plot, but they are all about a Thomas (Tam's the Scot version of the name) who's too sexy and musical to be left in peace. Enter the Queen of Elfland and... voila! One sexy beauty in the hands of a pagan goddess gone to the bad. Enter young heroine who is not one to be set aside for immortal hussies, thankyouverymuch, so she grabs young Tam and the poor boy has never got a chance, has he? So between going to Hell, going to the Twilight or going to be married I don't know what to wish him, really. Anyway the story's Matriarchal and older than the current Patriarchy (which is why I presume the pregnancy is not always present and was pastede on yay! later) so the fact that the poor sod hasn't got a say in what happens to him - TAM *whingeing* "But I WANT to be celibate, you sodding harridans!" - is not very off-putting.
Pamela Dean takes this basic plot and rewrites it as a Young Girl Romance Series, I have NO idea why. The woman can write. She wrote the Secret Country Trilogy which is very very good. Then she ups and writes this interminable piece of drivel. I use interminable advisedly, though I freely admit it's not boring, not if you like college romance, American style, that is.
I was trying to give the plot, but really there's none that makes sense, given the book is Tam Lin by Pamela Dean and not My Life and Loves While at College by a Young Lady. As I said, four fifths of the book are about Janet's love story with Nicholas, an Elizabethan actor who's been seduced by the Queen of Elfland and is now, for reasons known only to an Elizabethan actor who worked with Shakespeare and got seduced by an immortal crumpet, an everlasting student at a minor American University. The only reason he would submit to such an everlasting boredom is that he spends his time screwing Young Girls Of Impeccable Reputation and Putting A Spoke In His So-Called Friend Tam Lin's Wheel of Being Rescued.
The Immortal Crumpet assumes the name of Professor Medeous (Ware the Punnish Names! She's supposed to recall Medea. Good grief! And what's Medea got to do with Tam Lin or anything except she was a witch? She also killed her babies, y'know? o very literate Dean!) and for quite incomprehensible reasons teaches Ancient Greek. Why Ancient Greek? Why not? What's Ancient Greek Literature got to do with Elves? Who happen to be a Gealic myth? Who cares? Am I the only one who got so thouroghly pissed off at Pamela Dean for her atrocious and pompous dissertation on Literature? That said - er... ranted - she's just hard as nails and also bi and that's it for the Queen of Elfland. This doesn't actually grate all that much because she's supposed to be a shadowy figure, a powerful force never quite seen as a person. But Ancient Greek Literature! And wouldn't you know our SuperHeroine would learn Ancient Greek in less than a term? HA!
That's more or less it. In the last fifth or sixth part Janet suddenly decides she wants to bonk Tam, she does, she gets preggers, she saves him, end of story. Can readers believe this second and WAY TOO LATE romance? NAH! There's a sort of retcon reference when one of her friends - but more about them later - says 'you wanted him for months' (not a precise quotation, I can't be arsed to re-read the thing) but, Pamela dear, it won't wash.
Not to say there aren't intimation of Eeriness and Mystery, 'cause there are. Actually the first time Janet goes to see Melinda Wolfe - yes, all names of professors are atrocious puns. *sigh* - we get a nice horror atmosphere which convinces us all who know the ballads or the story to think she's Elfland Queen, but alas, she's but an elfess and not even a lycanthrope, now I ask you, Wolfe!
There's a striving for normalcy which is odd in that the heroine seems to always have feelings, intimations and odd things happening, but she never once deviates from her chosen Young Girl Romance path. This is because the sodding story takes FOUR years to happen and if Spunky and Literate Janet were to sit and reflect on things with any kind of efficiency, said story would end in one term.
Now in DWJ's Fire and Hemlock which may not be one of her best book, but it sure as Death and Taxes is a profoundly disturbing and fascinating book, the whole thing takes what? Ten years. Yet you get told why and her Janet, who's actually named Polly, is made to forget by MAGIC! And MENACES! And TERROR! Also, as her Tam Lin has apparently set out to seduce her when she was ten, she HAS to be lots more grown up for the grand finale. Which is not really really happy as it shouldn't be. IMO, it's well worth a read AND a re-read.
Back to our poor Pamela. Now, Janet's friends: Molly. Molly is Zany! Molly wants to be a Marine Biologist, but with lots more literature and lots less science in it! Molly is Not Pretty, Nor Beautiful! Molly is an Optimist Who Has Always A Smile Ready! Molly Reads Fantasy and Sci-Fi and Children's Books! Molly has a Teddy Bear! Molly is Practical and also a Tower of Strength when she needs to be. Molly Smashes Bunkers With Her Field Hockey Stick (which, BTW, was a scene I really could have done without, because it's utterly pointless and tells me NOTHING about any of the three friends, excepts that the Author is trying too hard)! Molly gets the other Shakespearian actor, none other than the great Armin! Gosh, isn't Molly really super fab?
The sad thing is that no, Molly isn't any kind of super or fab, Molly is a poorly written character who fails to impinge on the reader in any way except as a mild irritation when the book goes on and on about her. The other one, Christina, somewhat randomly called Tina (Dear Pamela, a tip: you don't have to actually type the names of your character, there IS such a thing as a Remember Things Function in all the wordprocessors I know, it saves lots of time and aggro. Please remember to use it when you feel tempted to use nicknames because you can't be arsed to type the whole name. Thank you.) is a sort of placid cow, only not really, but yes, deeply down she IS a placid cow and all conventional and things. Her only reason for existing seems to be the one who Tam Lin is fucking for a lot of the book, though we MUST think he secretly lUUUUURVES Janet, and who gets to dump him for no apparent reason except he has to be dumped if he is to be saved by Janet, now, don't he? She's also Suddenly A Drama Queen For Reasons Of Plot. Still, it's the one I liked best, at least she's got Sense.
Janet is a rampant Mary Sue. 'Nuff said.
Tam Lin is Beautiful But In A Manly Way And Also Supposedly Kind Even Though He's Got Draco's Colours (I mean white blond hair, grey eyes and pale skin, not that he's green and silver, which I'd have preferred for reasons of originality). Actually he's... not. A cypher if I ever read one. A nothing. A name. On second thought, he's quite self-seving and a tad hysterical at times so maybe he's not only got Draco's colours, he's got a little of a Howlish personality as well. Or he would if he were. Anything.
To conclude a quote from Ellen Kushner's Thomas the Rhymer. the novel is divided into four parts each of which is in first person POV from respectively: Gavin, thomas the rhymer, Meg and Elspeth. Who are they? Read the book! This quote is from the Gavin section:
Then the dog at my feet, Tray it would be, son of old Belta that was, Tray goes stiff like he's heard something, though my ears caught nothing over the racket of wind and rain. "Soft, there, lad," I say, like you do to a dog that's spooking. "Easy lad. Silly hound, scared of a bit of weather."
See? STYLE and plenty of it. :-D
Well, methinks perchance me's ranted enow, good fellowes. Now to Shakespearian tragedy and love immortal...
Which elegant transition brings me to my
Why resurrect old tales of Magic and Otherness, Pamela, if you're going to write a Freshman Scandal bad romance?
I mean, I admit that the story of Tam Lin is a popular and lovely thing: after all it's got Evil Elves, which always pleases; it's got a Beautiful Young Man, which never hurts; it's got a Feisty Tenacious Heroine, which young gels everywhere can identify with; it's got a powerful storyline with suspense and romance, it's certainly got SEX! There are several version of the basic plot, but they are all about a Thomas (Tam's the Scot version of the name) who's too sexy and musical to be left in peace. Enter the Queen of Elfland and... voila! One sexy beauty in the hands of a pagan goddess gone to the bad. Enter young heroine who is not one to be set aside for immortal hussies, thankyouverymuch, so she grabs young Tam and the poor boy has never got a chance, has he? So between going to Hell, going to the Twilight or going to be married I don't know what to wish him, really. Anyway the story's Matriarchal and older than the current Patriarchy (which is why I presume the pregnancy is not always present and was pastede on yay! later) so the fact that the poor sod hasn't got a say in what happens to him - TAM *whingeing* "But I WANT to be celibate, you sodding harridans!" - is not very off-putting.
Pamela Dean takes this basic plot and rewrites it as a Young Girl Romance Series, I have NO idea why. The woman can write. She wrote the Secret Country Trilogy which is very very good. Then she ups and writes this interminable piece of drivel. I use interminable advisedly, though I freely admit it's not boring, not if you like college romance, American style, that is.
I was trying to give the plot, but really there's none that makes sense, given the book is Tam Lin by Pamela Dean and not My Life and Loves While at College by a Young Lady. As I said, four fifths of the book are about Janet's love story with Nicholas, an Elizabethan actor who's been seduced by the Queen of Elfland and is now, for reasons known only to an Elizabethan actor who worked with Shakespeare and got seduced by an immortal crumpet, an everlasting student at a minor American University. The only reason he would submit to such an everlasting boredom is that he spends his time screwing Young Girls Of Impeccable Reputation and Putting A Spoke In His So-Called Friend Tam Lin's Wheel of Being Rescued.
The Immortal Crumpet assumes the name of Professor Medeous (Ware the Punnish Names! She's supposed to recall Medea. Good grief! And what's Medea got to do with Tam Lin or anything except she was a witch? She also killed her babies, y'know? o very literate Dean!) and for quite incomprehensible reasons teaches Ancient Greek. Why Ancient Greek? Why not? What's Ancient Greek Literature got to do with Elves? Who happen to be a Gealic myth? Who cares? Am I the only one who got so thouroghly pissed off at Pamela Dean for her atrocious and pompous dissertation on Literature? That said - er... ranted - she's just hard as nails and also bi and that's it for the Queen of Elfland. This doesn't actually grate all that much because she's supposed to be a shadowy figure, a powerful force never quite seen as a person. But Ancient Greek Literature! And wouldn't you know our SuperHeroine would learn Ancient Greek in less than a term? HA!
That's more or less it. In the last fifth or sixth part Janet suddenly decides she wants to bonk Tam, she does, she gets preggers, she saves him, end of story. Can readers believe this second and WAY TOO LATE romance? NAH! There's a sort of retcon reference when one of her friends - but more about them later - says 'you wanted him for months' (not a precise quotation, I can't be arsed to re-read the thing) but, Pamela dear, it won't wash.
Not to say there aren't intimation of Eeriness and Mystery, 'cause there are. Actually the first time Janet goes to see Melinda Wolfe - yes, all names of professors are atrocious puns. *sigh* - we get a nice horror atmosphere which convinces us all who know the ballads or the story to think she's Elfland Queen, but alas, she's but an elfess and not even a lycanthrope, now I ask you, Wolfe!
There's a striving for normalcy which is odd in that the heroine seems to always have feelings, intimations and odd things happening, but she never once deviates from her chosen Young Girl Romance path. This is because the sodding story takes FOUR years to happen and if Spunky and Literate Janet were to sit and reflect on things with any kind of efficiency, said story would end in one term.
Now in DWJ's Fire and Hemlock which may not be one of her best book, but it sure as Death and Taxes is a profoundly disturbing and fascinating book, the whole thing takes what? Ten years. Yet you get told why and her Janet, who's actually named Polly, is made to forget by MAGIC! And MENACES! And TERROR! Also, as her Tam Lin has apparently set out to seduce her when she was ten, she HAS to be lots more grown up for the grand finale. Which is not really really happy as it shouldn't be. IMO, it's well worth a read AND a re-read.
Back to our poor Pamela. Now, Janet's friends: Molly. Molly is Zany! Molly wants to be a Marine Biologist, but with lots more literature and lots less science in it! Molly is Not Pretty, Nor Beautiful! Molly is an Optimist Who Has Always A Smile Ready! Molly Reads Fantasy and Sci-Fi and Children's Books! Molly has a Teddy Bear! Molly is Practical and also a Tower of Strength when she needs to be. Molly Smashes Bunkers With Her Field Hockey Stick (which, BTW, was a scene I really could have done without, because it's utterly pointless and tells me NOTHING about any of the three friends, excepts that the Author is trying too hard)! Molly gets the other Shakespearian actor, none other than the great Armin! Gosh, isn't Molly really super fab?
The sad thing is that no, Molly isn't any kind of super or fab, Molly is a poorly written character who fails to impinge on the reader in any way except as a mild irritation when the book goes on and on about her. The other one, Christina, somewhat randomly called Tina (Dear Pamela, a tip: you don't have to actually type the names of your character, there IS such a thing as a Remember Things Function in all the wordprocessors I know, it saves lots of time and aggro. Please remember to use it when you feel tempted to use nicknames because you can't be arsed to type the whole name. Thank you.) is a sort of placid cow, only not really, but yes, deeply down she IS a placid cow and all conventional and things. Her only reason for existing seems to be the one who Tam Lin is fucking for a lot of the book, though we MUST think he secretly lUUUUURVES Janet, and who gets to dump him for no apparent reason except he has to be dumped if he is to be saved by Janet, now, don't he? She's also Suddenly A Drama Queen For Reasons Of Plot. Still, it's the one I liked best, at least she's got Sense.
Janet is a rampant Mary Sue. 'Nuff said.
Tam Lin is Beautiful But In A Manly Way And Also Supposedly Kind Even Though He's Got Draco's Colours (I mean white blond hair, grey eyes and pale skin, not that he's green and silver, which I'd have preferred for reasons of originality). Actually he's... not. A cypher if I ever read one. A nothing. A name. On second thought, he's quite self-seving and a tad hysterical at times so maybe he's not only got Draco's colours, he's got a little of a Howlish personality as well. Or he would if he were. Anything.
To conclude a quote from Ellen Kushner's Thomas the Rhymer. the novel is divided into four parts each of which is in first person POV from respectively: Gavin, thomas the rhymer, Meg and Elspeth. Who are they? Read the book! This quote is from the Gavin section:
Then the dog at my feet, Tray it would be, son of old Belta that was, Tray goes stiff like he's heard something, though my ears caught nothing over the racket of wind and rain. "Soft, there, lad," I say, like you do to a dog that's spooking. "Easy lad. Silly hound, scared of a bit of weather."
See? STYLE and plenty of it. :-D
Well, methinks perchance me's ranted enow, good fellowes. Now to Shakespearian tragedy and love immortal...
Re: Here I am, intruding like a very intruding thing
See, this is what I mean. You know cool stuff. =] And of course I know some interesting tidbits too, but I tend to tell people all about them at the slightest provocation. You just sort of hint at them. ;)
This being you, I'm guessing it's because you don't want to presume that people want to listen. Well, allow me to clarify - I always want to listen to mythological freakiness. :D And to sociological theories and historical oddities and whatever else you've got up your sleeve. Okay? =]
I can't abide with that miserable man and you know it! :P
:P Yes. I'm aware.
Well, it's easy enough to write a female who would kill all living things if she din't get big with sprog, innit?
I am very sorry to disagree with you, but no, it isn't. Not if you want it to make sense on a character level. And as evidence I'd like to point to every other writer I've ever read who tried to do this, and who made me throw the book down in disgust.
I mean, look up there at the start of this thread! See how completely hysterical this whole issue makes me! ^_^; And Donaldson still managed to make me accept that in this case, it made sense. Wouldn't you say that that means something, even if it just means something about what I will and won't accept in a story?
The whole sorry tale just tells me that that Stuck Up Bastard Breast Beating Donaldson is sexist as well as a Catholic fascist.
(*WAILS IN DESPAIR*) But he ISN'T A CATHOLIC! I draw a reversed pentacle over my heart and hope to die! Please believe me! ^_^;;;;
As for sexist... what about his female characters who got redeemed all on their own, no pregnancy necessary? What about his female characters who are apparently committed bachelorettes and who didn't need redemption in the first place? That's a big part of the reason why I accept this kind of thing from him - I know that he doesn't use a plot device like this for lack of anything better, he uses it as one possible device. Once. In between lots of other ones. That, in the world of me, means he's entitled. :)
To talk of real things...
Yeah, my mom had an abortion when she was young, too. I... note with some surprise that I say this with a certain amount of filial pride. ^_^; But, yeah. I've got a mother who has the guts to be in charge of her own body. I'm proud of that. :)
she decided to have me even if I was rather surplus to qualifications because... actually she said 'just because, don't be forever harping on about it Jane'
Given that your mom considers birthpains to be "orgasmic," I'm not sure I want to know why... ;)
Me being a smartass aside... =] I would guess it had something to do with there being a big difference between having a kid when you don't have any, and having another kid when you already have two. :)