Saturday, 9 May 2020

Wind Whined

Here is something at the climax of Virgin Planet that I noticed but forgot to post about:

"'You don't know he's a Man,' she stammered.
"'I sure do, sister. Do you think we'd have stormed the Holy Ship for a Monster?'
"'Night and silence lay thick across the land. A salt wind whined around red-stained battlements.
"'Almighty Father,' choked Bess. 'I think you're right.'"
-Poul Anderson, Virgin Planet (London, 1966), CHAPTER XIX, pp. 146-147.

And earlier, when two clone-sisters argue over the Man, Davis:

"They neared each other, stiff and claw-fingered. Davis cowered into his corner.
"The wind hooted and banged the shutters."
-CHAPTER XVII, p. 125.

As often in Anderson's works, the wind comments. See here. It whines as Bess realizes that she has been fighting on the wrong side and hoots when Barbara and Valeria argue and nearly fight. Pathetic fallacy is almost as pervasive in Anderson's texts as correct grammar.

1 comment:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Again, I had to laugh at that bit about the unheroic Davis Bertram COWERING in his corner as two beautiful nearly fought each other over him! In a more usually cliche way it would have been two MEN fighting over a beautiful girl. Again, we see Anderson's use of humor in this story.

Ad astra! Sean