![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Meanwhile, In Awesome News
Jul. 15th, 2013 10:55 amWell, the beginning of the story isn't awesome: some dude kidnaps a little girl. And he would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for that meddling kid! That part--THAT part is awesome.
Jul. 15th, 2013
Skirting Into A Monty Python Sketch
Jul. 15th, 2013 12:16 pmHey, congratulations, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ursulav! That's pretty awesome.
Also, she has a few interesting words about Narnia, and one that made me laugh:
If I didn’t still care so much about Talking Beasts, I wouldn’t want to scream “Why do you need a Son of Adam to rule you? One Beast, one vote! Trumpkin for President!”
Mostly because I just reread the Lord of the Rings, and earlier this year I plowed through the Belgariad, and I have to say I am getting a little annoyed with the King Hath Returned trope.
I suppose if your king disappears or something, you might start out with some hope, appoint a steward, and sit around waiting for the king. But I am not going to buy that it would last for one hundred years, much less a thousand--later generations wouldn't have an emotional attachment to some long-ago king, and they'd probably find some OTHER form of government, because dammit they have things to do NOW, and after a thousand years just waiting for The King to get back, you're going to get bored.
Which means that, decades or centuries later, if some clown came in proclaiming--and PROVING!--he was the Heir to the Ancient Throne, I would not expect the citizenry to really give a shit. "An unbroken line of firstborn males back to King Fabulous IV? Good for you! Anyway, it was nice to meet you, but I'm off to vote for our senators/watch the gladiatorial melee where the last man standing becomes Supreme Ruler/see who the astrologers picked to be in Parliament/pay homage to the third royal dynasty we've had since your ancestor fucked off to wherever. No, your kingly services are not needed. Thanks anyway!" Patrilineal divine right is not the only way to run a government.
Once again, Pratchett gets it more right than the ones he's parodying. Just goes to show.
ursulav! That's pretty awesome.Also, she has a few interesting words about Narnia, and one that made me laugh:
If I didn’t still care so much about Talking Beasts, I wouldn’t want to scream “Why do you need a Son of Adam to rule you? One Beast, one vote! Trumpkin for President!”
Mostly because I just reread the Lord of the Rings, and earlier this year I plowed through the Belgariad, and I have to say I am getting a little annoyed with the King Hath Returned trope.
I suppose if your king disappears or something, you might start out with some hope, appoint a steward, and sit around waiting for the king. But I am not going to buy that it would last for one hundred years, much less a thousand--later generations wouldn't have an emotional attachment to some long-ago king, and they'd probably find some OTHER form of government, because dammit they have things to do NOW, and after a thousand years just waiting for The King to get back, you're going to get bored.
Which means that, decades or centuries later, if some clown came in proclaiming--and PROVING!--he was the Heir to the Ancient Throne, I would not expect the citizenry to really give a shit. "An unbroken line of firstborn males back to King Fabulous IV? Good for you! Anyway, it was nice to meet you, but I'm off to vote for our senators/watch the gladiatorial melee where the last man standing becomes Supreme Ruler/see who the astrologers picked to be in Parliament/pay homage to the third royal dynasty we've had since your ancestor fucked off to wherever. No, your kingly services are not needed. Thanks anyway!" Patrilineal divine right is not the only way to run a government.
Once again, Pratchett gets it more right than the ones he's parodying. Just goes to show.