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Readblogging: Cordelia continued
When I last checked in on Cordelia's Honor, I'd just finished Chapter 4. Now I'm about to start Chapter 14, and rather a lot has happened in the meantime. I meant to post about smaller chunks of story, but between the holidays and family stuff, it hasn't worked out that way so far. Oops.
So let's see. Chapter 4 was about the time that Cordelia and Vorkosigan had spotted the Barrayarans, right? Since then, we've had Aral's proposal; Cordelia saving Aral's ass, then leaving him; the Escobar war with Cordelia's capture, rescue, and second capture; Cordelia saving Aral's ass, then leaving him -- again; a fairly disturbing picture of state of mental health care on Beta Colony, and Cordelia making a dramatic escape from her homeworld.
I continue to not be certain whether Aral/Cordelia is a fine romance or deeply problematic. I have difficulty with love-at-first-sight romances under the best of circumstances, and this is hardly that. Something about the way it's written makes their feelings seem a little distant to me, a little too telling-not-showing. We only see the depths of Cordelia's feelings for Aral in flashes: the kiss, the way she reacts to being drugged by him, the fact that she saved the uniform she wore in his ship, a few other things. I want a stronger sense of a continuing connection. Hopefully that will change now that she's escaped to (I assume) go be with him on Barrayar.
The suggestion that Cordelia is actually a deeply programmed Barrayar agent and doesn't even know it is a pretty fascinating one. It would help explain the weird dips and rises and gaps in her emotions; it would explain the lost hours on the ship. I'm not sure it's fully consistant with the story as it's been presented to us, but I think it could be made to work without being a cheat. If that is the case, and Bujold pulls it off, I'll be really impressed. (I hope goes without saying that, as of this writing, I don't want to know whether this is going to happen!)
The Emperor's plan for getting rid of the Prince was pretty brutal, but effective, and interesting. I like the insights the whole situation gives us into Barrayar as well as the individuals involved. Now that I've accepted that we're going to have bits and pieces of the worlds revealed to us, I can appreciate how well that's being done. Like Cordelia commenting that her world has neither moonlight nor lakes: a sudden shift to my image of Beta Colony, and what life there must be like.
I do still get flashes of a fanfictiony feel to the story. The "canon slash" of Vorkosigan's past relationship with Vorrutyer, for one; also, Cordelia having to bear up under media reports of Vorkosigan being personally responsible for atrocities puts me in mind of a fic that's tweaking canon to write a romance between a heroic character and a villain. It makes me wonder whether Vorkosigan was based on a specific Star Trek Klingon character. Barrayar is developing more of its own character over time, although that may be because I don't know too much about ToS Klingons -- I'm much more familiar with the later series, and it's my understanding that TNG and DS9 developed the Empire rather differently.
Final thought: it's come to my notice that, almost every time Betan president "Steady Freddy"'s name comes up, the speaker makes a point of saying they didn't vote for him. A simple running gag, or hints of something deeper? Hmmmm...
So let's see. Chapter 4 was about the time that Cordelia and Vorkosigan had spotted the Barrayarans, right? Since then, we've had Aral's proposal; Cordelia saving Aral's ass, then leaving him; the Escobar war with Cordelia's capture, rescue, and second capture; Cordelia saving Aral's ass, then leaving him -- again; a fairly disturbing picture of state of mental health care on Beta Colony, and Cordelia making a dramatic escape from her homeworld.
I continue to not be certain whether Aral/Cordelia is a fine romance or deeply problematic. I have difficulty with love-at-first-sight romances under the best of circumstances, and this is hardly that. Something about the way it's written makes their feelings seem a little distant to me, a little too telling-not-showing. We only see the depths of Cordelia's feelings for Aral in flashes: the kiss, the way she reacts to being drugged by him, the fact that she saved the uniform she wore in his ship, a few other things. I want a stronger sense of a continuing connection. Hopefully that will change now that she's escaped to (I assume) go be with him on Barrayar.
The suggestion that Cordelia is actually a deeply programmed Barrayar agent and doesn't even know it is a pretty fascinating one. It would help explain the weird dips and rises and gaps in her emotions; it would explain the lost hours on the ship. I'm not sure it's fully consistant with the story as it's been presented to us, but I think it could be made to work without being a cheat. If that is the case, and Bujold pulls it off, I'll be really impressed. (I hope goes without saying that, as of this writing, I don't want to know whether this is going to happen!)
The Emperor's plan for getting rid of the Prince was pretty brutal, but effective, and interesting. I like the insights the whole situation gives us into Barrayar as well as the individuals involved. Now that I've accepted that we're going to have bits and pieces of the worlds revealed to us, I can appreciate how well that's being done. Like Cordelia commenting that her world has neither moonlight nor lakes: a sudden shift to my image of Beta Colony, and what life there must be like.
I do still get flashes of a fanfictiony feel to the story. The "canon slash" of Vorkosigan's past relationship with Vorrutyer, for one; also, Cordelia having to bear up under media reports of Vorkosigan being personally responsible for atrocities puts me in mind of a fic that's tweaking canon to write a romance between a heroic character and a villain. It makes me wonder whether Vorkosigan was based on a specific Star Trek Klingon character. Barrayar is developing more of its own character over time, although that may be because I don't know too much about ToS Klingons -- I'm much more familiar with the later series, and it's my understanding that TNG and DS9 developed the Empire rather differently.
Final thought: it's come to my notice that, almost every time Betan president "Steady Freddy"'s name comes up, the speaker makes a point of saying they didn't vote for him. A simple running gag, or hints of something deeper? Hmmmm...
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oh my gosh.
I am INORDINATELY excited about these readblogs, but I find myself having a hard time responding to them, because of SPOILER CITY. It could be an interesting exercise for me to try and engage both you and the story as-it-comes, rather than as a whole, but I am just afraid that in discussing it I will give things away.
For example I just had a pretty lengthy discussion with the (Original-Trek soaked) partner about the Star Trek angle that I can only share part of! SADFACE. We talked a lot about the Barrayar-Klingon comparison in Origiral Trek terms and the general conclusion... Basically both the partner and I could see the similarities and possible derived origin, but agreed that the two diverge (and keep going their separate ways). One of the most distinctive parts of the book for me, the plot against Prince Serg, for example, doesn't really translate well into old Klingons for either of us. You definitely have the proud warrior race guy thing going on, and the honour, but I guess what I'm saying is, if I wasn't looking for the comparison, it wouldn't really occur to me besides as two takes on the same trope. Overall it felt ambiguous to us, but a lot of the more nuanced Barrayar development, I can't discuss yet. SITTING ON HANDS. Basically, this is one of the first things she wrote and the first that got published -- which is not an excuse -- but it does mean that I can say it gets better and more nuanced later on. In this very book, even! This is why omnibus volumes are good >.>
HOWEVER! One Original Trek comparison that we can talk more fully about now! The Federation, and Cordelia as a Federation officer. Partner and I agree that this comparison is most probably influenced by later development of the Federation, as opposed to the original take. The Federation did not have much of a presence in OT, especially not compared to its presence in the later series. I can definitely buy Cordelia herself-and-alone as a Federation officer; but Beta Colony, not as much. Especially now that you have learned interesting things about Beta Colony! Beta is actually interesting to watch as you learn more about the place; I'd be interested in further thoughts on Beta. INTEREST.
If anyone you've met so far is Federation-ish, I think it would probably be Escobar, maybe.
As for Aral/Cordelia! I admit that one of my personal... disappointments, maybe? That might be too strong a word. But the lack of... elaboration? on Aral/Cordelia is one such thing that doesn't really hit the spot for me in Shards.
But also, I somehow never read it as a love or (as you mentioned in chat but not here, I think) devotion at first sight. Attraction, being intrigued by each other, sure. But I never got any intent of love at first sight from it, though of course things do move fairly quickly -- they knew each other what, a week before Aral proposed? fffff
SADLY we are running into things I can't talk about again. BUT I am really looking forward to when I can REALLY discuss Aral/Cordelia!
BUT I HOPE YOU CAN SEE HOW EXCITED I AM. Thank you so much for these posts.
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As for the romance: doesn't Aral say that he "knew" from the time she buried her fellow officer, the one who the Barrayarans killed? And, right, proposed to her after less than a week, and it didn't sound like he was after a political or practical alliance. Maybe love is a little strong, but I think we are supposed to read strong affection at the very least.
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Romance: ah! I was taking too narrow a view. I was speaking about Cordelia's perspective and extrapolating that to being "the book's" perspective. Which is dumb, seeing as it takes at least two and all that. I'm not sure how much I can say about Aral's perspective without spoilers, though. However, most of those spoilers are elaborated in the second part of the book, so what weaknesses/inconsistencies you're detecting are happening in a self-contained unit.
I find Aral's side somewhat explainable since we... just don't know it, being in Cordelia's head instead. I had always taken the suddenness and degree of his feelings for/towards Cordelia as a statement about his character and psyche, rather than about the romance. Less that the romance was that sweeping and more that he was that deeply in need of something. Though again, I'm not sure how much further I can speak on the subject fffff
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