nixmom
in
about_time
Reading the Classics - Discussion Post
Well it’s been a week, so I trust all who were interested have had the time to take a look at kastari’s Little Things, but if not, go ahead, it’s still there.
So here’s a question I have for you folks. In this fic kastari ventures outside of what we know from canon about the history of these two characters, mainly because, as Bill says, we don’t ever learn that much about either of them. How do you feel when you see these sorts of details? Do they draw you into a fic or do you find them alienating if they don’t line up with your own head canon? Do you have a head canon that is specific enough to included whether or not Laura can bait a hook or Bill likes bubble baths? (If you do I want evidence that this supposition was a priori especially on that last one!)
He listened to her talk, wanting to store up the sound of her voice so he could draw it out late at night when he was alone and pretend that she was still with him. Her voice, her laughter, how she sighed, breathed and snorted her little snort, the hum that she made when he touched her, the way she whispered his name when he loved her… He found himself hoarding the sounds so that he would be able to remember it all when she was gone.
I love that passage, and what I love about this is that it takes a moment and subtly shines a light on Bill and his loss. It is undeniable that Laura leading the fleet and suffering through her illness makes her a tragic hero, but I think sometimes, especially in fic, Bill is seen merely as her support, or as another part of her tragedy. Do you think Bill’s suffering and loss are equal or similar to Laura’s and do they qualify him as a tragic hero?
And finally, I think anyone who has read her work knows that “Jack” Cottle often popped up in kastari fics, and in the work of many others writers. Why do you think that he makes such a wonderful foil to both Bill and Laura? Yes, I have my own opinions, but I want to know yours!
Feel free to read and discuss and ask your own questions, and we'll be back next week with a new selection for the classics club!
*deep sigh of relief at having posted first set of discussion questions*
So here’s a question I have for you folks. In this fic kastari ventures outside of what we know from canon about the history of these two characters, mainly because, as Bill says, we don’t ever learn that much about either of them. How do you feel when you see these sorts of details? Do they draw you into a fic or do you find them alienating if they don’t line up with your own head canon? Do you have a head canon that is specific enough to included whether or not Laura can bait a hook or Bill likes bubble baths? (If you do I want evidence that this supposition was a priori especially on that last one!)
He listened to her talk, wanting to store up the sound of her voice so he could draw it out late at night when he was alone and pretend that she was still with him. Her voice, her laughter, how she sighed, breathed and snorted her little snort, the hum that she made when he touched her, the way she whispered his name when he loved her… He found himself hoarding the sounds so that he would be able to remember it all when she was gone.
I love that passage, and what I love about this is that it takes a moment and subtly shines a light on Bill and his loss. It is undeniable that Laura leading the fleet and suffering through her illness makes her a tragic hero, but I think sometimes, especially in fic, Bill is seen merely as her support, or as another part of her tragedy. Do you think Bill’s suffering and loss are equal or similar to Laura’s and do they qualify him as a tragic hero?
And finally, I think anyone who has read her work knows that “Jack” Cottle often popped up in kastari fics, and in the work of many others writers. Why do you think that he makes such a wonderful foil to both Bill and Laura? Yes, I have my own opinions, but I want to know yours!
Feel free to read and discuss and ask your own questions, and we'll be back next week with a new selection for the classics club!
*deep sigh of relief at having posted first set of discussion questions*