"...raised his arms for silence, but here that gesture was an encouragement for more shouts."
-Poul Anderson, "Day of Burning" IN Anderson, The Earth Book Of Stormgate (New York, 1979), pp. 318-367 AT p. 340.
Hearing joyful hisses and seeing admiring gazes in the Grand Council, Tachwyr:
"...raised a cautionary arm."
-The Game Of Empire, CHAPTER SIX, p. 265.
So two arms are encouraging but one is cautionary? Or the significance of raised arms has changed between Adzel's time and Tachwyr's? Or I am inquiring too closely?
How comprehensive is the Earth Book with three stories set on Avalon, one each on Ythri, Diomedes, Merseia, Ivanhoe and other planets and one about Mirkheim.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
Another explanation is that kind of gesture, raising an arm or arms to ask for silence and attention, might be yet another bit of human influence. In the centuries since "Day of Burning" and THE GAME OF EMPIRE, Merseia was affected by Terran culture, such as learning howto play chess and drinking tea. That might have included as well adopting some human gestures and "body language."
After reading so many of Anderson's works lately, I felt the need for a change of pace, so I'm rereading Ben Bova's collection, SAM GUNN, UNLIMITED.
Ad astra! Sean
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