Tigana - Chapter 10
Tigana - Chapter 10
Alessan, Baerd, Devin, Sandre, Erlein, and Catriana arrive at Castle Borso in the southern mountains, where Alienor of Borso, widow of the previous lord, has a magnificent castle and a formidable (or notorious) reputatation. Alessan had referred to Alienor as 'a friend' and there is past history between her, him, and Baerd. Alienor seems clever to the point of dangerousness, and flirtatious. Devin stops Erlein from revealing Sandre's identity by punching him. Alienor doesn't mind. She gives Alessan a message - that his mother his dying. Distressed, he says he will go to her when tomorrow's meeting is over. Devin does not know what that meeting is about, or who it is with.
During the night, Alienor comes to Devin's room and takes him back to her bed, where they have sex. Then she ties him up and they have sex some more. Then he ties her up and carries on. Eventually she dismisses him, and he feels sad and angry. He goes to Catriana's room to talk more frankly than they had talked before. She talks about her shame that her father, who was from Tigana, took his family and left Tigana before the Battle of the Deisa, because he wanted to survive. She is ashamed of his cowardice. She tells how she fought with him when she learned the truth, and left home, and met Alessan and Baerd, who knew she was from Tigana because of her ring. Devin then falls asleep in her room, but leaves before she awakes just after dawn.
Characters in this chapter:
Alessan and his company
Alienor of Borso, also called Alienor di Certando
- - -
Chapter 10 puzzled me as to its purpose. I had to listen to it a second time on audiobook before the light dawned: It's about time being out of joint, expressed as a sexual metaphor.
Just as Tigana is erased and under a pall, the land under the tyrants is askew and personal relationships are all messed up. Alienor, who should be a proud matriarch, and who is trying to be one in her way, is a sort of voracious sexual figure preying on young men - not in a particularly nasty way, but not in a loving way either - some sort of grey area between consensual and otherwise.
Inversely but in a parallel sense, Catriana is frigid and isolated because of her father's refusal to fight for Tigana. Logically there is no connection, but the sense of family shame - and perhaps the curse on her homeland - has made her unable to connect closely to anyone, friends or lovers.
So her first sexual experience is a matter of anger and shame for her, and she can't help associating Devin with that and treating him as if he was into taking advantage, even though she knows it isn't true.
And it's all mixed up with the political. None of them have normal relationships - Alessan is a wanderer, Devin lusts after a girl he can't have (or possibly two of them, if you count Alais), Baerd has the pain of lost incestuous love, Catriana can love no one but her cause, and Sandre's entire family is dead at Alberico's hand, which presumably puts a damper on the idea of remarrying. (Besides, he's supposed to be dead.)
We don't know about Erlein, but I'd hazard a guess that the combination of music, politics, and wizardy that he lives with has messed him up, too.
Then over the sea, Dianora deeply loves the man she set out to kill. An insoluble paradox that has completely messed up her life.
Alessan, Baerd, Devin, Sandre, Erlein, and Catriana arrive at Castle Borso in the southern mountains, where Alienor of Borso, widow of the previous lord, has a magnificent castle and a formidable (or notorious) reputatation. Alessan had referred to Alienor as 'a friend' and there is past history between her, him, and Baerd. Alienor seems clever to the point of dangerousness, and flirtatious. Devin stops Erlein from revealing Sandre's identity by punching him. Alienor doesn't mind. She gives Alessan a message - that his mother his dying. Distressed, he says he will go to her when tomorrow's meeting is over. Devin does not know what that meeting is about, or who it is with.
During the night, Alienor comes to Devin's room and takes him back to her bed, where they have sex. Then she ties him up and they have sex some more. Then he ties her up and carries on. Eventually she dismisses him, and he feels sad and angry. He goes to Catriana's room to talk more frankly than they had talked before. She talks about her shame that her father, who was from Tigana, took his family and left Tigana before the Battle of the Deisa, because he wanted to survive. She is ashamed of his cowardice. She tells how she fought with him when she learned the truth, and left home, and met Alessan and Baerd, who knew she was from Tigana because of her ring. Devin then falls asleep in her room, but leaves before she awakes just after dawn.
Characters in this chapter:
Alessan and his company
Alienor of Borso, also called Alienor di Certando
- - -
Chapter 10 puzzled me as to its purpose. I had to listen to it a second time on audiobook before the light dawned: It's about time being out of joint, expressed as a sexual metaphor.
Just as Tigana is erased and under a pall, the land under the tyrants is askew and personal relationships are all messed up. Alienor, who should be a proud matriarch, and who is trying to be one in her way, is a sort of voracious sexual figure preying on young men - not in a particularly nasty way, but not in a loving way either - some sort of grey area between consensual and otherwise.
Inversely but in a parallel sense, Catriana is frigid and isolated because of her father's refusal to fight for Tigana. Logically there is no connection, but the sense of family shame - and perhaps the curse on her homeland - has made her unable to connect closely to anyone, friends or lovers.
So her first sexual experience is a matter of anger and shame for her, and she can't help associating Devin with that and treating him as if he was into taking advantage, even though she knows it isn't true.
And it's all mixed up with the political. None of them have normal relationships - Alessan is a wanderer, Devin lusts after a girl he can't have (or possibly two of them, if you count Alais), Baerd has the pain of lost incestuous love, Catriana can love no one but her cause, and Sandre's entire family is dead at Alberico's hand, which presumably puts a damper on the idea of remarrying. (Besides, he's supposed to be dead.)
We don't know about Erlein, but I'd hazard a guess that the combination of music, politics, and wizardy that he lives with has messed him up, too.
Then over the sea, Dianora deeply loves the man she set out to kill. An insoluble paradox that has completely messed up her life.