rthstewart | Chapter 11, Squamates

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Chapter 11, Squamates

Chapter 11, Squamates, is up.

After much angst, I decided to split the chapter, putting off, yet again, conversations about camels and same sex bonded pairs of black swans, albatrosses, and giraffes. There will also be a flashback with Lucy, Aidan, Morgan and Edmund which answers the question Doctor Dolly raised after He loves not man the less, but nature more -- if Peter and Susan did the great bonding with Narnia, what did Lucy and Edmund do? The answer is that they performed Narnian bonding ceremonies with their spouses. Also, we (finally) get a normal, non-AU conversation with Mary and Peter -- the first since Part 1. But that is all for later.

For this chapter....

Thanks to

lady_songsmith, clio, and

snacky for the nudges and to many previous reviewers who asked some of the things I now wrestle with here.

I spent way too much time looking at historical agricultural production in Oxfordshire and locations of RAF bases and Aeorodromes. We finally get into the ballroom and return to the plaster blocks and Eustace finally hears about Chinese dragons. I found the story of the four dragons who became the four rivers of China in several places, including here. It is purportedly taken from Dragon Tales: A Collection of Chinese Stories. Beijing: Chinese Literature Press, 1988

I first found the discussion of the same sex giraffe pairs and rams who prefer other rams in the very comprehensive wiki entry, Homosexual behavior in animals and I'll be going back to that in a longer discussion in the next chapter. Other references, however, include the Merck Veterinary Manual which I understand recommends dealing with the rams that will not tup ewes as a matter of herd management and husbandry. N. Bailey and M. Zuk, Same-sex sexual behavior and evolution, Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Volume 24, Issue 8, 439-446, 10 June 2009 was also useful, here

Some time ago, readers expressed an interest in seeing something of Mary and Richard happy, some explanation for why their relationship was what it was. So, I've done that here, writing what I hope is an older man and husband's point of view on his wife, love, lust, and bitter regret.

In an original text with Christian symbolism (I hesitate to call it allegory, as Lewis eschewed the term) and a fandom that so emphasizes it, I know that, nevertheless, there are plenty of readers (including some or many who come here) who do not adhere to Christianity and who do not and never have read the Chronicles for their Christian symbology. Some time ago, a reader asked me if Mary was an atheist. I said no, and of course, Richard is not an atheist as a point of his character was to show the co-existence of science and faith. The question though has stayed with me. As I moved into Part 3, I have begun to play with an idea with Digory -- that as a religious scholar he is, nevertheless, not religious. He is, however, a deist and shows how seeing God in everything means he sees God everywhere. He does not subscribe to the view that God must be worshiped one particular way. He (and Lucy) are very iconoclastic, but still they are not atheists.

With Eustace, I go there, posing the questions a lot of fans have with this series. If we assume Aslan is a Jesus-stand-in, he is, at best, a pretty poor deity, so this argument goes. He imperils children, is inconsistent, arbitrary and even cruel, and, for instance, unlike Jesus who did tell his disciples that he would be resurrected (they just didn't understand the elliptical message), Lucy and Susan didn't have that information and so for a night, they weep over Aslan's dead body thinking he is really and truly gone forever. Nice.

Eustace, both in the canon character that we know, and as developed here, is in a position to express those viewpoints about where Aslan can be seen as falling short in the love your children, God is omnipotent, department. Eustace voices the criticism of Aslan the other Friends of Narnia don't voice. The counter is Jill who, as is developing here, has a very charismatic view of God and has been raised to see God as the deliverer, shepherd, and protector of oppressed people. Jill is very comfortable with the age old question, why does God let bad things happen to good people? She comes from slaves and still believes.

And if there was any doubt, Peter is no theologian or philosopher.

So, the next chapter is mostly finished and the one after that is the Christmas chapter, Just Like The Ones We Used To Know. I've been trying to get AW to the point that I can move seamlessly to my Big Bang, but they may not happen.

Anyway, thanks so much. I would not have pushed Eustace in this direction were it not for the thoughtful commentary I've read over the last 2+ years so my thanks to those who have posed these questions.

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I actually really love the contrast between Jill and Eustace, and how you show so many differing beliefs through the various characters - and most especially how you don't belittle any of those beliefs. Jill is not an idiot or raging fanatic, Eustace is not filled with hate, Lucy and Digory aren't wishy-washy ... there are no stereotypes in your Friends, and I so, so love that.

Yay another chapter!

Eustace's questions have always been mine so I sympathise, but also with Peter since I have converted. I've had many conversations like that on both sides and have yet to come to a conclusion that satisfies me properly. I felt you captured those feelings very well.

Also, much love for the chapter title. Heh squamates. It's such a cool word!

Yea for more Apostolic Way! I particularly like Eustace's questioning. It makes sense for him.

Thanks for writing!

Dear rthstewart Please forgive me if I am using the wrong method of communicating with you, but I have no real idea of how LiveJournal works, so decided to use this comments form. About 2 months ago I stumbled on your wonderful writing. I had a vague notion about the existence of "Fan Fiction" but had no real comprehension of its extent. I discovered fanfiction.net while looking for something else and since I have loved the Narnia books since childhood, starting reading the Narnia postings. I have to admit I found most of it boring, some dreadful and then I found your books. (By now, I think they class as novels.) In my opinion, they are brilliant. (Or as my 13 year old niece would say "epic", which I gather means "better than "awesome.") I think they are the type of books Lewis would have written if he had chosen to write adult books for adults. The thoughtful and caring way you have taken the main characters to adulthood in Narnia and dealt with their lives back in England, makes fascinating reading. I love your new characters too--the guards and Morgan in Narnia, Asim, Mary and Richard in England. Plus your sense of humour! As Mary would say and Peter would agree, "Magnificent!" Discovering your writing has happened at a significant time for me. The week I found it, I was packing for a prolonged stay with my parents. My Dad was about to have a hip replacement and my Mum was dying from cancer. Your writing helped me face this time with a measure of strength and serenity. I won't say it renewed my Faith since I don't have any particular faith or religious belief, but it definitely helped. The timing was certainly serendipitous. I might almost believe that the Lion's paw nudged me into finding it...! In any case, thank you very much for sharing your work with others. This post is probably way too long already, but I have a few questions, if you will indulge me. 1. You give a description of the personal banners of the other three Monarchs, but not that of the High King (unless I missed it.) Does Peter just use the Lion banner? Or the Lion quartered with the sword and/or something else? 2. What is Lucy's chivalric title? As a knight of Narnia is she Lady Lucy? Or does Narnia follow the British tradition and use "Dame" for female knights? 3. In "Maenad of the Maquis" you mention that Peter was "Flying Officer" Pevensie, which I assume means he is in the RAF. But in "Apostolic Way" you have him trying to join the Paras. Does this plan not work out? 4. Are you by any chance a fan of Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan books? I will explain this question if the answer is "yes." Thanks for letting me ramble on at length. I check every day for new postings (no pressure, really!)and will continue to reread favourite sections. ClaireI

I did enjoy this: all the different character interactions, Mary feeling left out, Jill curtseying to Peter, Peter being insufferable about animals. And yes, Mary and Richard being a married couple with a long history together.

Great stuff, looking forward to the next bit!

Fantastic chapter as always! I got the notice on my phone and alas, spent most of the day outdoor and so could not sit down and read it until everyone came and gone and things have settle back to normal. That being said, I also debated whether or not to just print this out and read on the plane Tuesday but I just couldn't wait.

Anyway, it seems this chapter reminded more of the very earlier chapters of TSG. With all the people and varied discussions about Narnia, Spare Oom and the Good Beasts, it did feel like we were all drawn back into the very beginning, with Richard and Mary's arrival at Digory's office.

Wonderful chapter, and I love the fact you've squeezed in the gay giraffes :-)

Seriously though, you've tackled some real biggies here. Elder care, sexuality (in several forms), faith and the nature of God. I think you've done a great job, and it always delights me that you're prepared to go there rather than glossing over the too-hard stuff.

Waiting for part 2 with great anticipation.

I already flailed at you over on FF.Net, but I'll just say again - I really, really enjoyed the conversation between Eustace, Jill and Peter :)))))

I read this chapter with great interest and will attempt to bring together some very disparate thoughts in one post and be coherent about it.

1. Elder care - Been there, done that. No need to comment on it. Funniest moment with my grandfather in the Altzheimer's ward was the other lady who happily disrobed and was waiting on him. The saddest moment with my grandfather in the Altzheimer's unit was that the staff were so busy laughing about it upstairs in the regular unit, that Grandmother heard the whole thing. Granddad was never present in the room, by the way.

2. I've moved from a very liberal part of the country (New York) where it is normal to see women involved in church services to a part of the country (Texas) where this is heretical. You will never go back into that particular box once you've been on the other side. Instead, your mission starts happening in other spaces because there are people who need you and the Lion's Paw knows how to put two and two together.

3. I once had this same conversation about suffering on earth with a preacher (who by the way told me this was his favorite rabbit hole to go through. Thwack!) There are perhaps an element or two that we talked about that isn't here - one is that God allows sin/suffering because he knows he can save us from it. The other is that he uses ones who have not seen, but yet believe to rebuke the ones who have seen and revolted.

So I said that to say this - Eustace may not identify with a religious denomination or sect, but that may not necessarily make him atheist and I have an incredibly difficult time to see him as a fallen friend of Narnia. He has seen Aslan, he understands both his cousin's and his own redemption and he follows his will in Narnia and in England, even if he doesn't have knowledge of the Bible or of other religious texts of the Church of England.

doctor dolly

Wonderful! So much to cover! I'll miss things I know, but just to start:

This view of Richard and Mary's relationship was lovely, perfectly timed for this point in the story, and I think one of your best-written scenes.

Peter and Jill have a fascinating dynamic, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of these two.

Eustace's difficulties ring true with his character. His experience of Aslan during VotDT was dominated by his own redemption. London upon his return was practically yet another new world, his viewpoint had changed so much. But The Silver Chair is to me the darkest of the series short of The Last Battle. Caspian's life had so many unhappy turns, the physical settings were so grim, Rillian's fate hinted at horrible abuse. It almost feels like a challenge from Aslan. "This, too, is part of what it means to be un-dragoned. Are you willing to accept the hard times along with the benefits?" Not a test of faith, but a question. And Eustace questions right back, without losing faith. His belief is strong, but he needs to work through things in an analytical way that neither Peter nor Jill is really suited to. He needs to talk to Edmund and possibly Susan. It's a Concert of Minds approach- Jill leans more towards Peter and Lucy's Heart and Soul.

Mary's feelings of being left out and of wanting to have some of these things happen because of her (and Richard's wonderful, supporting response) were great developments of her character. She seems to be trying to work through things rather than purely blasting her way past whatever doesn't fit.

And the homosexual animals! That will require a reply when I can focus my thoughts better. Too tired right now, but I have much to say, soon.

Late to the party once again due to being out of town all weekend... this chapter seemed so fast paced to me so it was hard to follow at times, but that is most likely due to a) it's late, reader is tired and b) group scenes of characters that I so need to go back and refresh my memory on!

The discussions here in this thread are fascinating with definitely lots to think about. As an uber self-reflective person, it's surprising to learn that you are not! You say someone pointed out that you are self-reflective through the fanfic medium, and I definitely agree with that! Know what's harder still? Self-reflection on self-reflection. (File that with the redundancy department of the redundancy department.) Just a note of observation, it's funny when you do start to reflect on your thought processes, scene developments, plot decisions, or whatever in your responses here and then you cut yourself off. I say: reflect!! reflect!! It's fascinating to hear and always leads to such great discussions!

Anyway, back to the chapter... love the intimate interaction with Mary and Richard. It's a great reminder of what essentially is such a grounding foundation of the Spare Oom side of your 'verse. And Peter! The Jill and Peter interaction was great, and I look forward to more of that. It's sad to know that he nor anyone else will not have the opportunity to "induct" any more Friends of Narnia into their circle.

And gay animals! I had no idea you were going down that route and thought you were joking about the Giraffes! But it's great you're covering that a bit and are discussing the issue... even as I write about homosexual Elephants and had decided a while back to not delve into it much at all. It's just going to be there, and if readers take issue, they're a mouse click away from not having to read any more.

I'm really, really, really looking forward to part two, and am also interested in reading some of the other reviews over at ff.net... But mostly part two and what you've hinted at.

Another delightful chapter!

I like your Jill very much. And I like the connection between Digory and Polly - after their long friendship, they hardly need words any more to communicate.

And I like how Peter withdraws from some topics and doesn't have the need to have the final word on every issue. A King who can delegate?

Then there were so many more small scenes which I also liked very much ...

<333333

I do so appreciate that discussion of differing beliefs, differing ways of believing, and the problem of theodicy.

I suspect I am finding myself closer and closer to the Digory and Lucy view of things, though it's difficult to talk about as I still don't really know where I'm at. I think I've horrified/concerned my poor teacher this quarter, as I started out being the only one of 8 students who was 'on her side' to the extent that it was sides in discussions of science vs religion, and by the end of the quarter was veering away from debates about how theologians have talked about God's benevolence to ask why God has to be good, lol, completely derailing her points about the tradition in order to combat the tradition.

Anyhow, I loved Eustace here, and I loved Jill's understanding of how he needs to work it out for himself - I would still, if it fits in anywhere, love to see a little bit of discussion between Eustace and Lucy on the matter.

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All your Narnia fiction

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