Oh and another thing

[rthstewart]

This could be subtitled, Confessions of a Mary Sue Mom  the contours of which are laid out here during the Great Mother's Day Debate in which the Just King perceptively noted that I wanted to write the Pevensies so that they would be role models to (my) children and my greatest fear (other than my assistant getting into my laptop) was that my children would grow up to be like Edmund and this was why I didn't let him conclude By Royal Decree by having sex with Evil Banker Morgan.

If you've been paying attention, you will have noticed that a thematic element that is pervasive on the Narnian side of the vision (establishment of a human succession), is worming its way into TSG.  We have the flashbacks as the end of TQSiT to Cyrus with Peter and Morgan, Mrs. Pevensie's (she still does not have a first name) ruminations to Tebbitt and the Colonel, Edmund's flashbacks regarding Morgan and Aidan's small relations, Fooh and Beehn with Peter and Dalia, Thomas Clark's relationship with Jack, and now Mrs. Pevensie again, plus the little John Lennon looking for beatles [sic] and Yi and Maureen's son.  And of course, Mrs Pevensie's long discussion with Peter in AW7.

Fact is, sitting as I do as so very, very old, when I see the college age or even high school age F List women saying "But I can't tell my parents!" I jump up and down and say "Yes!  Really!  You can!"  And so, ideas of being shut out, of a mother's estrangement from children and spouse, the burden of raising children as de facto single parents (even if not divorce or death, work and war called fathers away then and still does today) are all weaving their way in here and some of this is perhaps a bit more personal than I normally go.  I am exploring the effect of the War and separation on family life as well as the continuing issue of Mrs. Pevensie's peculiar relationship with her children.  You can expect an appearance of Mrs. Goodwin eventually and I think the revelation that Mrs. Pevensie is not quite a stodgy as her children think. 

So, by the way, should I call Mrs. Pevensie "Helen" as the films name her?

Further edit:  I got whacked about in the last two days with some of the usual critique I've garnered over the years plus a new accusation that, frankly, troubles me a lot.  It doesn't change what I'm doing or my approach to the story nor does it make me conclude that I am a reprobate, that I have ruined Narnia, or that I should just wander off to write Twilight fic with others of my ilk.  But, having just posted on the subject of the relationships among parents, spouses, and children and the issues of race, ethnicity and prejudice, and in the wake of the last two chapters exploring themes of justice, retribution, and compassion, I'm going to be retooling the next chapter a bit.  Peter and Susan are due for a long, long talk.  I'm working some things out and the overdue conversation between Peter and Susan will be the vehicle for some of it.

Comments

[autumnia]

Oh, I remember a little bit of that "conversation" with Edmund. Hah. Poor dear. You've had Ed, Su and Tebbitt all at your house for talks... will we be seeing Lucy, Peter, or even Sallowpad there one day?

Personally, I like just referring to her as Mrs Pevensie. As much as I like the name Helen, I don't like the usage in the movie canon because we already have a (Queen) Helen in the books.

As for those negative reviews, well, people have the right to their opinions and really, if they do not like what they read, they are not obligated to continue on. You've given plenty of warnings that your vision is unlike most of the stories in this fandom and it's their own fault for not heeding the warnings. If I do not like something I've read, I will not bother reviewing and just stop there. Why upset oneself and the author if one cannot come up with a reasonable and intelligent critique? To me, it seems to reflect badly on the reviewer if there aren't any good reasons to back up their own words.

[amine-eyes.livejournal.com]

Hmmmm whoever's posting these critiques, maybe needs to think a little bit - is it really so wrong to want to write a thoughful, expansive piece that still keeps in the spirit of Narnia?

Ah well, ignore them hun *hugs*

[cofax7]

some of the usual critique I've garnered over the years plus a new accusation that, frankly, troubles me a lot

Bzuh? What's this?

[andi-horton.livejournal.com]

Is it a Biblical critique? Because this is where United Baptist Bible Drills come in sooper-handy, I have found, is when you get whacked with a Biblical critique.

I don't get the "ruining Narnia" thing. I mean, you know that when I read -- back when I had time for reading -- I tend to gravitate to the pieces that remind me most of the books I read when I was little. But that isn't how it should be for everybody, it's only how it is for me-- and only in this fandom, not in others. So shouldn't people just be able to say "cool, not exactly my Narnia, but I really admire you for it being yours" and move on?

*lost*

(my group members think I am researching the Berlin Conference for our presentation right now, but they are across the table watching our classmate's television cameo on youtube, so that's okay, somehow, maybe . . ?)

ETA: Oh, and you should call her anything period-appropriate that takes your fancy, I think . . . I still remember seeing one reviewer get upset at an author for calling Mrs Pevensie something other than Helen, because that was "inaccurate". That was just funny. It was the main reason I deliberately named her something else, myself.

[(Anonymous)]

Well, you know where I'm going to come down on this, because you've heard it several times before. But I'll say it again anyway. Ruining Narnia? Gratuitous? Reprobate? What a load of codswallop!!!!!!

Meticulously researched, fascinating, intricately written? Now that would be closer to the facts. However, that sort of criticism stings, and it's very difficult not to take it to heart. So I will simply note that I disagree utterly, and I'm sorry that parts of the fandom are giving you a hard time because of some proscribed view about what Narnia can and cannot be.

Your 'Mary Mum' take fascinates me. I'm not at that stage of child-rearing yet, but I can see very clearly where you are coming from. I suppose that when I mentioned it previously, I had been thinking in terms of the somewhat combative relationship that can exist between teens and their adults. So the snotty response that Susan is giving her mother would not be out of place in that context. I love the way you've pretty much taken teenage angst off the table with your 'adult-in-a-young-body' approach to Peter's conversation with Mrs P - allows for constructive plot development in future chapters. Again, you've avoided much of the canon 'usual', and while this may be a way of working through issues (and no, that's not meant to be a disparagement, BTW), it again highlights to me why I keep coming back to read more - your writing is always tackling something different, and you always have some new and interesting to say.

OK, enough soapbox. I'll climb down now.

Names? Truthfully, no fixed opinion here. To be honest, I rather liked the movie use of Helen. I appreciated the little nod to the creation of Narnia, and the first Queen. However, it's as Andi says - go ahead and choose anything period-appropriate that you like. Or continue as you have been - the current 'nameless' approach is working very well, I think. Not much help, I know : )

[lady_songsmith]

I was trying to articulate, this morning, before work walloped me over the head and I started thinking and writing in long rambling sentences that went no where in particular -- er, like that one, sorry -- what it was that was annoying bothering itching me about your characters, particularly Edmund, as the TSG set has gone on. I had only gotten as far as pinning to the fact that they are very different than mine, but now, reading this, I think I've got it -- I would want and hope a child of mine would grow up like any of the Pevensies, and they could certainly do much, much, much worse than to emulate Edmund. Sex with Evil Bankers and all. (More sex! *throws confetti*) Actually, and maybe this is my-Ed injecting and overlaying your-Ed, I think Edmund is probably the better of the two boys to emulate in TSG; he's got his head together more than Peter.

As for your little flower of a reviewer, can't you just lob tomatoes at her like the rest of us, and write your vision the way you want? *puppy dog eyes*

[anastigmatfic.livejournal.com]

You know what I think of this but I will repeat it anyway: the whole point of TSG, as I see it, is that of the Pevensies taking what they learned from Narnia and applying it to Earth in all its boom-de-yada glorious variety. Well, that and heaps of research and worldbuilding so detailed I think you assembled it with tweezers and a jeweler's loupe.

The world is a busy, complicated place. Everyone thinks they're the hero of their own story - and they are. It's not easy to break things down into categories, good or evil, this or that, you have to stand back and absorb the whole melee of life.

All of which is to say, this reviewer completely missed the point, and to her I can only offer the dismissive Southern platitude: "Well, bless your heart."

(point, not poit, this is not Pinky & The Brain here, Ana)