<div>I've not read it, but a leader assuming power legally and trying to ressurrect the tyrannical system of government that once had two powers opposing each other? Sounds a lot like an indictment of incipient socialism within the United States government.</div>
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<div>Or maybe I've just been corrupted by the degenerate filth that passes for political discourse in our terrible modern age.</div>
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<div>LH<br><br></div>
<div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Feb 10, 2011 at 2:40 PM, Marc Aramini <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:marcaramini@yahoo.com">marcaramini@yahoo.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote style="BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; PADDING-LEFT: 1ex" class="gmail_quote"><br>I guess what I see as inscrutable is the relationship between the game and the reality. Is there a "real" society outside the allegory of the game?<br>
<br>Because its pretty harsh to just kill your allies, and works symbolically and metaphorically but not realistically. What is the point of the game? Real power? Entertainment?<br>
<div class="im"><br>--- On Thu, 2/10/11, James Wynn <<a href="mailto:crushtv@gmail.com">crushtv@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br><br>> From: James Wynn <<a href="mailto:crushtv@gmail.com">crushtv@gmail.com</a>><br>
</div>> Subject: Re: (urth) Bloodsport<br>
<div class="im">> To: "The Urth Mailing List" <<a href="mailto:urth@lists.urth.net">urth@lists.urth.net</a>><br></div>> Date: Thursday, February 10, 2011, 12:28 PM<br>
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<div class="h5">> I'm not sure I would call it<br>> "bizarre". Perhaps I'm missing something. I didn't find it<br>> in the least inscrutable.<br>><br>> I think thematically it's a Liberation story. The<br>
> characters are forced to play a game based on chess but the<br>> rules are not the same. For example, there are "bowmen"<br>> (perhaps they are equivalent to a rook). The Queening<br>> process of the pawn is a chess allegory as you say but it is<br>
> motivationally justified on two levels:<br>><br>> 1) On a literary level, when Lurn, as a pawn, queened<br>> herself she restarted the game. In doing so, the Valorius'<br>> (the Knight's) obligations were set in stone. He had to take<br>
> her out. This is not determinism. This was a course of<br>> action that she consciously chose for the purpose of gaining<br>> power.<br>><br>> 2) Valorius' actual motivations were not game-related. They<br>
> were related to notions of liberty--he did not want the<br>> tyrannical governmental system resurrected after the good<br>> fortune of it being destroyed. She took power based on the<br>> legality of the destroyed tyranny and declared her intention<br>
> to restart it along with the games that just previously had<br>> the two of them trying to kill each other for no good<br>> reason. It seems that Valorius thought it quite credible<br>> that she would succeed.<br>
><br>> You say power corrupting absolutely is not a common Wolfe<br>> theme. That's true. But opposing Power for its Own Sake<br>> (that is, tyranny) is a common Wolfe theme. Silk is a<br>> revolutionary. The Rajan is a revolutionary. Able meets and<br>
> defeats (or reforms) several tyrants.<br>><br>> On a side note:<br>> The name Hunas is an phonetic spelling of Hunus, that is,<br>> Latin for "Huns".<br>> Valorius' name also suggests a Roman culture.<br>
> However, I can't find any reference, foreign or domestic,<br>> for "Lurn".<br>> Where did he pull that from? I just can't believe it's<br>> merely a bad reference to "lune". Wolfe does better than<br>
> that.<br>><br>> When I read the part about Lurn's "moon" people, I could<br>> have sworn I recalled one of the sides of chess being the<br>> "moon" side or something. I couldn't remember what the other<br>
> side was. But I don't find any source for that<br>> recollection.<br>><br>> It's difficult to determine whether Lurn's side is White or<br>> Black. It could be either with her black hair or her albino<br>
> white skin. Presumably this was intentional, and cleverly<br>> done.<br>><br>> u+16b9<br>><br>> On 2/10/2011 1:33 PM, Marc Aramini wrote:<br>> > Yeah. I don't know that I have much insightful<br>
> to say, I need to re-read it. On one level I think it<br>> speaks of how any combat is just an accident of allegiances,<br>> but that's a weird message coming from Wolfe. Chess,<br>> Allegory, I don't know. I feel like it begs for<br>
> explication. Maybe I'll look at it again, but the<br>> queening process and the subsequent shift towards<br>> "overthrowing tyrants" is bizarre.<br>> ><br>> > --- On Thu, 2/10/11, James Wynn<<a href="mailto:crushtv@gmail.com">crushtv@gmail.com</a>> <br>
> wrote:<br>> ><br>> >> From: James Wynn<<a href="mailto:crushtv@gmail.com">crushtv@gmail.com</a>><br>> >> Subject: (urth) Bloodsport<br>> >> To: "The Urth Mailing List"<<a href="mailto:urth@lists.urth.net">urth@lists.urth.net</a>><br>
> >> Date: Thursday, February 10, 2011, 11:02 AM<br>> >> Did anyone here read 'Bloodsport' in<br>> >> the Sword& Dark Magic anthology?<br>> >> _______________________________________________<br>
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