Scotha is appropriately like and unlike Earth:
slightly larger;
slightly further out;
not one large moon causing rhythmic tides but three small moons causing turbulent tides;
a nineteen-hour day;
green vegetation but of different shades;
no pollution because industry was moved into space;
no mines, highways or megalopolises;
children taxed and untaxed children enslaved;
colonies in space and in other systems.
In particular, the "...picturesque old villages, steep-walled castles..." (p. 256) remind me of 1920s and '30s Europe as described in the novels of Dornford Yates.
Flandry admires the architecture and achievements and might here spot some clues as to whether it was the Merseians that had initiated Scothan industrialization.
Scotha cannot compete with Hermes, Avalon, Aeneas or Dennitza because it is described on only one page of only one short story but it is one of the many planets of the Technic History.
8 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Even if we only get glimpses of Scotha in one story, Anderson still gives us sharply delineated images in that single piece.
I was disturbed to recently find out that Greg Bear, Anderson's son in law, died on November 19, from complications following heart surgery. He is survived by his wife Astrid (daughter of Poul Anderson), and their two children Erik and Alexandra.
I'm only moderately a fan of Greg Bear, but I liked some of his books.
Ad astra! Sean
Yes, that was bad news about Greg Bear. Nice to know Poul has grandchildren, though.
Scotha shows some of the advantages of getting modernization at one swell foop -- they avoid the megalopolitan overbuilding of Terra, for example. Their industry is largely automated from the beginning.
BTW, IIRC, the tax on children was only on non-dominant-culture children on Scotha, to keep the dominant group dominant.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I agree, what you said about Greg Bear. And hope I Anderson's grandson and granddaughter also have children.
What I recall is that all Scothans had to pay that tax before they could have children. It's simply that the wealthy and powerful could afford to pay the tax and have three, four, or five children.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: yes, you're right it's on all Scothians -- but I think it's mentioned that the dominant culture's people are disproportionately likely to be able to afford it.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I would need to reread "Tiger By The Tail" to be sure, but you are almost certainly correct.
Now I'm wondering, was that child tax imposed on Scothans on planets they colonized? I can think of good reasons for thinking it was not.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: no, I don't think it was -- one more way to encourage people to move to the colonies.
Which were probably much less 'traditionalist' than Scotha proper, since they'd be settled at a high-tech level from the beginning.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I agree, the child tax LESS likely to be imposed on Scothans who emigrated to the colonies.
Now that was interesting, suggesting that Scothan colonies were MORE advanced than the mother world, because a higher level of tech would be available from the start than was originally the case on Scotha.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: yes, they wouldn't have peasantry and aristocracy in the same way.
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