When Dominic Flandry tells Kathryn McCormac:
"'I want to be your man myself, in every way that a man is able.'" (p. 108)
- what happens? Does she respond immediately? No. Are there background sounds? Most certainly:
"The wind lulled, the river boomed." (ibid.)
Regular Anderson readers should know what to expect by now. The wind lulls as Kathryn realizes what Flandry has said. The river booms as he awaits her response. The wind in particular has become almost a part of the grammar like a full stop or an exclamation mark.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I almost certainly overlooked this example of Anderson using the wind in a pathetic fallacy in my previous readings of THE REBEL WORLDS! For one thing it's a "quiet" use of the wind, meant to indicate thoughtfulness or hesitation on Kathryn's part. That "booming" of the river is meant to indicate Flandry's tension or anxiety. He would feel tense both because of how he felt about Lady McCormac and realization he was potentially making a choice that would be very bad for the Empire.
Ad astra! Sean
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