Brief Notes
Grrrrrr... Thanks to the plundering plumber's gutting of my father's shower, I need to do some rapid research, take the opportunity to get the bathroom renovated, preferably to the new Universal Living standards, and get it all implemented asap, all of which leaves no time for the thoughts burgeoning in my mediocre mind. Just a few brief notes today, then, with the hope and intent of eventually returning to work them out more thoughtfully...
Claire as epic protagonist:
- of unknown origins, her parents having died somewhat mysteriously
- note: Geillis Duncan's origins similarly shrouded in mystery, she having determined that her antecedents were irrelevant (see college notebook)
- like Beowulf, a distant kinsman come from afar in time of war who proves to be useful in the coming fights, if unable to effect actual victory, which was never in the cards anyway
- like Aragorn, the hands of a healer
- like a demi-deity, with foreknowledge of things to come because of her access to 20th C data & tools
- added touch of the supernatural in her inexplicable yet clearly tangible ability to "read" people, especially with regard to the workings of their physical beings
Purpose in Life:
- unknown, though she seems to be an important means of guaranteeing that history will, in fact, turn out the way it her timeline says it should, despite her best efforts to change outcomes, reminiscent of Scott Bakula's character in Quantum Leap
- She has lived thru a Scottish Illiad, though the great misguided warrior paralleling Achilles might be Collum or Dougal; Prince Charles serving as a reasonable facsimile of flawed Agamemnon, sans military or political savvy
- Likewise, Claire has had her own Odyssey, surviving twenty years (what a coincidence...) of separation before being able to return to her Highland hero whose heart has become her home
- then there is the actual physical trans-Atlantic voyage, complete with monsters, storms, and decimation
- there are encounters with exotic cultures
- there is the shedding of traveling companions who fall by the wayside or wander off on their own journeys
Through it all Claire continues to practice her medicine, her reputation growing, her repertoire of skills and tools increasing. As I read, she is busily attempting to replicate modern remedies, building on remembered knowledge and empirical experimentation. She is ably if tangentially assisted by her grown daughter, much as Telemachus assisted his father with a slightly different, complementary skill set. Of course, Bree has a degree from MIT, which is a distinct advantage over Telemachus, but then, one might argue (unhappily) that it seems to take two smart women to replicate the wisdom of one man (Odysseus), which kinda bites, actually... lol
Okay, gotta zip. Will continue to mull, hopefully as well as the fine wines and whiskeys of the NC backwoods... ;->
Claire as epic protagonist:
- of unknown origins, her parents having died somewhat mysteriously
- note: Geillis Duncan's origins similarly shrouded in mystery, she having determined that her antecedents were irrelevant (see college notebook)
- like Beowulf, a distant kinsman come from afar in time of war who proves to be useful in the coming fights, if unable to effect actual victory, which was never in the cards anyway
- like Aragorn, the hands of a healer
- like a demi-deity, with foreknowledge of things to come because of her access to 20th C data & tools
- added touch of the supernatural in her inexplicable yet clearly tangible ability to "read" people, especially with regard to the workings of their physical beings
Purpose in Life:
- unknown, though she seems to be an important means of guaranteeing that history will, in fact, turn out the way it her timeline says it should, despite her best efforts to change outcomes, reminiscent of Scott Bakula's character in Quantum Leap
- She has lived thru a Scottish Illiad, though the great misguided warrior paralleling Achilles might be Collum or Dougal; Prince Charles serving as a reasonable facsimile of flawed Agamemnon, sans military or political savvy
- Likewise, Claire has had her own Odyssey, surviving twenty years (what a coincidence...) of separation before being able to return to her Highland hero whose heart has become her home
- then there is the actual physical trans-Atlantic voyage, complete with monsters, storms, and decimation
- there are encounters with exotic cultures
- there is the shedding of traveling companions who fall by the wayside or wander off on their own journeys
Through it all Claire continues to practice her medicine, her reputation growing, her repertoire of skills and tools increasing. As I read, she is busily attempting to replicate modern remedies, building on remembered knowledge and empirical experimentation. She is ably if tangentially assisted by her grown daughter, much as Telemachus assisted his father with a slightly different, complementary skill set. Of course, Bree has a degree from MIT, which is a distinct advantage over Telemachus, but then, one might argue (unhappily) that it seems to take two smart women to replicate the wisdom of one man (Odysseus), which kinda bites, actually... lol
Okay, gotta zip. Will continue to mull, hopefully as well as the fine wines and whiskeys of the NC backwoods... ;->