"Beneath a shelf of brow ridge, Uldwyr's eyelids expressed skepticism while his mouth grinned."
-Poul Anderson, The Day Of Their Return IN Anderson, Captain Flandry: Defender Of The Terran Empire (Riverdale, NY, February 2010), pp. 74-238 AT 3, p. 84.
We accept this - usually - but should also reflect on it. Uldwyr has eyes with lids and a mouth, all under a brow. His eyelids rise with scepticism. His mouth curves in a grin. In this sentence, he might as well be a man. Of course, Anderson's texts present a completer account of Merseians that informs us of physical and psychological differences between them and human beings.
"Axor smiled. The crocodilian expanse of his mouth drew a shriek from a joygirl. 'A godsend, indeed!' he roared."
-The Game of Empire, CHAPTER ONE, p. 212.
Why should a dinosauroid - or whatever description is appropriate for Wodenites - express pleasure or happiness by developing a smile reflex?
"Fangs flashed as Targovi grinned. 'What a waste, [Axor] a pacifist!'"
-ibid., CHAPTER FIFTEEN, p. 353.
Again, is a grin an appropriate expression of amusement for a fanged Tigery?
One other issue: described as a "godsend," Diana denies that she is a saint but, of course, Axor's God is believed to work mysteriously and not always through saints.
6 comments:
Human smiles probably evolved from a threat-display as we became more social. And smiles -are- universal in humanity, cross-culturally.
So some -- but not all -- species with analogous dental equipment might well evolve them.
Raising your brows in question or doubt is a gesture that means "I try to see more because I'm puzzled/doubtful".
Dogs smile and laugh, by the way.
Little anthropomorphic, I think. "Religion is the smile on a dog," after all.
https://www.livescience.com/65506-are-dogs-smiling.html
I knew an idiosyncratic individual whose lips curved down when he smiled.
I recall in one of the Man-Kzin war stories a Kzin reacting *badly* to a human smiling.
"It bared its teeth at me"
Kaor, Mr. Stirling and Jim!
Mr. Stirling: I agree! I simply don't think "all" are going to be so different from mankind in all ways that "some" won't have body language and gestures much like ours in some ways.
Jim: I think you have in mind one of the Man/Kzin Wars stories written or co-authored by Stirling. The story I have in mind has a Kzin prince of the blood punishing all his sons, innocent and guilty, for not correctly understanding human body language. They were all placed on bland, tasteless rations and locked up till all of them passed, 100 percent, detailed tests on correctly interpreting human body language twice. And learning iron self control!
Ad astra! Sean
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