Re: Lyonesse Trilogy


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ WWWBoard: Jack Vance ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by Martin Read on February 18, 1998 at 02:34:42:

In Reply to: Re: Lyonesse Trilogy posted by Gabriel Stein on February 10, 1998 at 02:54:10:

: I have also encountered this strange attitude and find myself equally puzzled. I very much enjoyed Lyonesse, in fact more so than the Cugel books (good as they are). But I think onepoint made in an earlier comment regarding the characters (the differences between Adam Reith and Kirth Gersen)still has some truth. Why do we read Vance? As for myself, I see three reasons: 1) His superb writing style, in particular his way of writing conversation. 2) His descriptions of strange cultures. In contrast to other writers, Vance never needs to postulate a disaster/war/plague to explain how a certain society came about (To Live Forever is the exception to this rule). He basically says, if we continue to be as we are, one day this kind of society might well develop. 3)His "mood settings". However, his description of characters is much less strong - but that doesn't detract from the pleasure of reading him.

The hero of Lyonesse (and to a lesser extent the rest of the trilogy) King Aillas (spelling?) seems a very untypical Vance hero. Most of Vance's central characters are in some way at odds with the culture they find themselves in, and are often pivotal in making changes to that culture (Emphyrio, Blue World etc.). In contrast Aillas is not only very much at home in his culture, as a king he is central to its very functioning. That he remains a sympathetic character is a tribute to Vance's abilities in character portrayal, though I would agree that this isn't one of his greatest literary strengths.



Follow Ups:



Post a Followup

Name:
E-Mail:

Subject:

Comments:

Optional Link URL:
Link Title:
Optional Image URL:


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ WWWBoard: Jack Vance ] [ FAQ ]