(urth) Are the Neighbors REALLY the Neighbors?

David Stockhoff dstockhoff at verizon.net
Wed Feb 16 17:43:51 PST 2011


Sometimes that's true. And I read today of a piece of Russian Tolkien 
fan fiction---a novel in which Mordor is the oppressed and the elves are 
the oppressor. Apparently it's not bad!

On 2/16/2011 8:16 AM, James Wynn wrote:
> IIRC There were tribes in which Modred was viewed as a hero. There was 
> a story of Arthur attempting to get rid of Modred by putting him and 
> all the infants of Britain into baskets and setting them adrift in the 
> sea. In mythology heroes and villains trade roles almost as often as 
> DC comic characters.
>
> u+16b9
>
>>>> Dan'l-
>>>> Suddenly I have a glimpse of an interpretive schema in which Typhon 
>>>> is actually the real hero
>>>> of the Solar cycle...
>>>>
>>> Lee-
>>> I kinda know what you mean. I always hated Typhon and considered him 
>>> the worst of all villains.
>>> Until it occurred to me that he didn't really do anything so bad, 
>>> especially with regard to Severian.
>>> No different than what Severian did to Eata in coercing him to be 
>>> his second. Some conquering,
>>> some ruling, some sexual perversion but no worse than the 
>>> Commonwealth is, in its current state.
>>> Who did more for humanity, Typhon or Severian...?
>>>
>> David-
>> You mean Typhon is one of those blond jock heroes we love to hate 
>> even though they are really decent enough, and Severian is a 
>> chainsmoking goth in black, the kind of rebel/antihero we love to 
>> love? I seem to recall Lancelot being like that. I think Wolfe has 
>> touched on that theme elsewhere. (Or Jack vs Sawyer, for a Lost 
>> analogy.)
>
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