As a writer, I'm more interested in what happens after. I'm more interested in writing the funeral than in writing the death; more interested in the cost of action than the necessary action itself.
Yes, I can see this, now that you said it. The characters' reflections on these costs and their awareness of them give them a depth that is otherwise missing from the more plot-driven series (in the sense that the plot is the only thing that matters in the book). Character development and voice matters in these in ways that don't occur in other books (UGH Robert Jordan ::shudders::).
The only character who doesn't seem to fit this is Kallandras. He seems numb to the costs of what he does, almost emotionless many times, but at the same time he reflects and experiences costs in other ways. He almost seems to be aging as we progress through the series - reflecting more, allowing his past experiences to color his thoughts and behaviors.
And yes, it adds words... If the books weren't already so long, and thick enough to scare students into not-reading, I'd almost consider assigning bits from them. The best bits, unfortunately, don't extract well because -- for the reasons you mentioned -- these actions and concerns only have meaning in the broader context of their societies. :-(
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branchandroot
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Date: 2004-12-01 03:10 pm (UTC)Yes, I can see this, now that you said it. The characters' reflections on these costs and their awareness of them give them a depth that is otherwise missing from the more plot-driven series (in the sense that the plot is the only thing that matters in the book). Character development and voice matters in these in ways that don't occur in other books (UGH Robert Jordan ::shudders::).
The only character who doesn't seem to fit this is Kallandras. He seems numb to the costs of what he does, almost emotionless many times, but at the same time he reflects and experiences costs in other ways. He almost seems to be aging as we progress through the series - reflecting more, allowing his past experiences to color his thoughts and behaviors.
And yes, it adds words... If the books weren't already so long, and thick enough to scare students into not-reading, I'd almost consider assigning bits from them. The best bits, unfortunately, don't extract well because -- for the reasons you mentioned -- these actions and concerns only have meaning in the broader context of their societies. :-(