"The Trouble Twisters."
An epic is a long narrative poem with heroic content. A mock epic is epic in form but not in content.
Poul Anderson's "The Trouble Twisters," a prose narrative, combines humor and heroism. I have not catalogued all the humor so far. Gujgengi tells an army officer:
"'...see to it that no one else discourses with the shi'. The magic involved could so easily get out of hand.'" (p. 171)
("...shi'..." is the Ikranankan mispronunciation of "ship.")
A canny Terrestrial would think, "It is advantageous to converse with the ship and Gujgengi wants to monopolize the advantage." However, that individual knows how to exploit his fellow Ikranankans' superstitions:
"'Indeed, most noble!' shuddered the officer." (ibid.)
Next, the text tells us that "...heroes of adventure fiction..." (ibid.) can endure anything effortlessly whereas real people like David Falkayn cannot! Of course, we know that David Falkayn is a hero of adventure fiction but a narrator located in the Technic History timeline can only refer to him as a real person.
I hope that no one is trying to follow the plot of "The Trouble Twisters" by reading these posts? I skip past the plot, assuming that blog readers have read or will read the story, focus on disjointed details and also proceed at a snail's pace. But the object is to continue appreciating Poul Anderson's works appropriately and for as long as possible.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I count at least three errors in the blurb. First, THE TROUBLE TWISTERS should be considered the third, chronologically speaking, of the Technic books at the time it was published. After THE MAN WHO COUNTS and TRADER TO THE STARS.
And Nicholas van Rijn was THE merchant prince par excellence, not David Falkayn. Also, there was no "galactic empire" coexisting with Polesotechnic League.
And Gujgengi had to first overcome his own fears and superstitions before plucking up the nerve to talk to Muddlehead.
And I do appreciate your appreciations of Poul Anderson's stories!
Ad astra! Sean
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