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rthstewart) wrote2009-07-18 10:05 am
Chapter 2 and Dieppe
About Diepee
On 19th August 1942 a small mixed force of 5,000 Canadian and 1,000 British troops landed at Dieppe, France. They immediately came under attack from German troops. Within a few hours 4,000 of the men were either killed, wounded or captured. The raid was an utter strategic failure and the reasons for that failure continue to be debated today.
Why I wanted to use Dieppe
I’ve wanted to reference Dieppe for some time in this story for several reasons. First, it occurs on August 19, 1942, just as the Pevensies’ summer is ending. Surely, something so tragic would be on the minds of everyone. Further, I assume that by virtue of their experience in Narnia, all the Pevensies have a profound appreciation for the perils of battle, are intimately familiar with the risks of death, and as Monarchs, have done their share of consoling the bereaved. I did wish to show how this Narnian experience is relevant to and would be appreciated by those who have lost loved ones in battle and Dieppe was a good vehicle for showing this.
Further, a thematic element in The Stone Gryphon is how the Pevensies might view and observe the collapse of the British Empire and the more multi-cultural social structure that begins to arise. Dieppe is widely viewed as evidence that the British commanders were more than willing to sacrifice Commonwealth soldiers to preserve the British Army. This vestige of colonial abuse is something that would be relevant to all the denizens of Russell Hall, and by virtue of his involvement with them, Peter, and likely the others as well. They would all be very sensitive to the implicit charges of racism and making cannon fodder of Canadian soldiers.
Using Dieppe at the end of Part 1, Digory, Peter, Asim and the Dawn Treader
In the last chapters of Part 1, Asim and Peter are discussing North African tactics. Given that Dieppe was in the European theater, not North Africa, and that apparently an appalling small number of persons were consulted before it was launched, it’s not unreasonable that Asim would know nothing of it. So, I did write a scene where Asim and Peter discuss Dieppe. They would have discussed it for all the foregoing reasons. Also, Digory buys an evening paper at the end of Part 1; that paper was going to be about Dieppe.
Yet, I did not use these elements and perhaps you see why. A real tragedy of the magnitude of Dieppe could not be dealt with properly when I’m also revealing what you, the reader, expect – Lucy, Edmund, and Eustace’s, long awaited return from the Dawn Treader. I couldn’t do justice to both, and so left Dieppe out, even if I feel like Holmes observing about the dog that didn’t bark from Silver Blaze.
And frankly, it was time for Peter to catch the train and get out of there.
So Dieppe is now in Part 2
So, I waited, and thought to include it here in Part 2. And so I do, sort of, and without the colonial gloss. I had thought that this would be a good opportunity for Narnia flashback – specifically, I have sketched out shorts where Lucy, Edmund, and Peter all recall personal encounters with the death of beloved subjects, friends, and soldiers. Again, I’ve hesitated. First, I don’t think we really need that. I have Peter’s recollection and slowly dawning realization that perhaps the citizens of Narnian and those of England have more similarities than he might have thought. Second, we have Edmund’s reflections on their dead during his time at World’s End. Last, we have the scene, long part of this story in my head, where we see Edmund, Lucy, and Peter doing their duties as monarchs and moving confidently and compassionately among those who have sacrificed in the cause of war. So, do we really need anything more? In a rare moment of self-restraint, I decided no.
Dieppe, fan fic, and where we go from here
Last, and most important, can I really compare the imaginary losses of fictional characters to the real ones of Dieppe? No, probably not.
I find it of a different magnitude to add Richard Russell to British Museum expeditions to Tendaguru, to have Mary Russell explore the Sahara with Fr. Lapparent, or to add Asim to the Arab Revolts. When it comes to Dieppe, and the dead of World War II, well, it gives me pause. As with my depictions of other cultures, I wish no disrespect to these things, yet am trying to make them serve the purposes of what is, let’s be frank, fan fiction. I’m not doing a PBS or BBC documentary.
So, what you see here is my uneasy compromise. My concerns that the fic veers too close to real life and my efforts to remain respectful are only going to get much worse in the chapters that follow. The British really were spying on the Americans and they did some things that most certainly illustrate the principles of whether the ends (obtaining America’s full commitment to the war in Europe) justify the very dodgy means the British used to obtain that commitment. I’m going to be wrestling with this quite a bit in the chapters ahead as I seek to take certain real events, fictionalize them, and then turn them into a Narnia story.
Hang on. It’s going to be a bumpy ride and if I have moments of self-doubt, well, bear with me. I posted this long ramble because I do toil at this alone, and have been blessed with some truly extraordinary, thoughtful, and intelligent readers. Should you be interested in any of this, I am interested in what you think and the choices I am making.
no subject
One of the things I have loved most about the potentialities of fanfiction is the ability for incredible intertextuality between not only the reader and the text, but with the world of the text and even with other texts. Something that I've seen in The Stone Gryphon is the comparison between the letting go of the Narnian kingdom that the Pevensies have to do, and the letting go of the British Empire that England was having to do at that same time. There is a contrast, though, in that, like you said, some of the process of reverse colonization in the cultural sense doesn't happen for them with Narnia like it happens for the rest of England. When I was in my critical theory class and learning about post-colonial criticism it really made an impact on me and did make me think of the Pevensie's travels back and forth- they're cultural bridges, and that isn't an easy prospect. One book that I read for that class that made that impression was Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih; you might enjoy it, it certainly influenced my depictions of Peter and Susan in the two fics I wrote.
Last, and most important, can I really compare the imaginary losses of fictional characters to the real ones of Dieppe? No, probably not.
Nope. But that makes you different than any other historical fiction author how? I don't think you are equating in any way: you ARE comparing, when it comes to human reactions and interpretations of experiences of the world. Those things remain constant and observable whether one is talking about fiction or history.
no subject
In any event, over a year ago, I started thinking about how indiscriminate trees were in their reproductive habits -- they try to pollinate my car and lungs every spring, for instance. And this brought me to the plans for a smutty little romp in Narnia, until I started thinking about the more interesting question of what it really meant if your subjects were Trees and Beasts and you have to learn tolerance of those who might be very different than you are. And then, what happens if you were to go back to 1942 white, male dominated, conservative, monolithic England with this tolerant, multi-cultural viewpoint? England is on the brink of huge cultural change once the war ends, they change immigration laws, and with drastic labor shortages, citizens from Commonwealth countries being entering the country. Empire Windrush and all that. And, I thought, well, it's not just that the Pevensies are different; they are also, by virtue of their experiences in Narnia very tolerant of physical and cultural differentness in others. And whht better way to show that than through the eyes of those who are non-whites of the soon to be former British empire.
So... that's where Stone Gryphon came from and I had no idea that some of the ideas here that I'm stringing out and piecing together has actually been thought out properly somewhere else. Thanks so much for this.
no subject
No, I'M not worthy. You reasoned through all this on your own, whereas I was given a reading list from a Slovakian professor who was jonesing after Homi Bhabha and Edward Said. It's because of her that I'm currently utterly lusting after the Master's degree in Cultures of Empire, Resistance, and Postcoloniality at the University of York. It's a really fascinating subject, however you learn about it, and I love learning about how empires go about colonising and the methods of resistance and hegemony that spring up in result.
n any event, over a year ago, I started thinking about how indiscriminate trees were in their reproductive habits -- they try to pollinate my car and lungs every spring, for instance.
God, sounds like where I live- I'm near Atlanta, GA, and the pollen is just horrific. ... a bit more horrific, now that I realize how terribly promiscuous those trees are behaving, in my nose.
no subject
While it seems to be a controversial subject, it did work well as a comparison to show how experiences in Narnia can be the same in England. So far, I've found nothing that you've written in this series coming out as disrespectful. While you may be wrestling with how to make it work, to me it seems you have managed to find a good balance between the reality and fiction.
no subject