Tortall and Colonialism

[spheralunaris]

As any reader of the Tortall books knows, the discussion of race, colonialism, and imperialism improves as TP herself grows and improves as a writer. One drawback of published work is that you are stuck with your early mistakes, so the somewhat simplistic world-building of early Tortall ‘verse could not be scrapped as TP’s ideas clearly became more

Comments

[spheralunaris]

I feel like Onua is just waiting for a good fic to be written about her, well all of the Saren characters really and I agree--the potential is there but not very many fic when you start looking (maybe Goldenlake needs to promote an "immigration/emigration" drabble series--I think the concept applies to just about every single character in Tortall 'verse including the main cast!)

re: Jon--this is just my problem. As soon as I start thinking about colonialism and appropriation and the Bazhir I cannnot *cannot* like Jon in the insufferable sort of way I usually do and I think this is why for the longest time I haven't wanted to think about it and just wanted the books to be "fun".

building characters from the inside out Yes. Damn, you make me want to write this fic. I seem to keep having my own TP plotbunnies sicced on me lately!

First this quote about education for girls in Afghanistan:

"When a girl learns how to read and write, one of the first things she does is teach her own mother. The girls will bring home meat and veggies, wrapped in newspapers, and the mother will ask the girl to read the newspaper to her and the mothers will learn about politics and about women who are exploited.” --Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/19/opinion/19friedman.html)

made me want to write a Tortall fic about mothers and daughters and literacy which through the goading of a friend keeps growing into a larger idea and becoming more enticing to write (Kalasin, Thayet, Kalasin and building schools, memories of Sarain, Tortall)and now you're pushing for this Bazhir plotubunny so eloquently I'm itching to dig up my Alanna books and start researching!

I cry foul (or at least demand to be repaid with a fic in kind--I look forward to your Bazhair fic)!

[anait]

maybe Goldenlake needs to promote an "immigration/emigration" drabble series--I think the concept applies to just about every single character in Tortall 'verse including the main cast!
Cool idea! I think that writers in this fandom who are so creative are unused (for the most part? There are always exceptions.) to stretching their imaginations in this direction. It would be great to see more writers that strive to do this while telling the stories they want to tell. There are other kinds of stories that I think this fandom has yet to produce as well. I have A List. ;)

I agree about Jon. It is hard to really look at the books and think about his actions in these terms. They are pretty appalling. There is room for a story that takes on the consequences of his rule in a critical way, but I don't think I want to be the one to write it. :(

The quote about female literacy in Afghanistan is very powerful.

made me want to write a Tortall fic about mothers and daughters and literacy (Kalasin, Thayet, Kalasin and building schools, memories of Sarain, Tortall)
Um, YES PLZ!! I would eat this up. Are you thinking that the story of the Bazhir girl, who possibly attends the local University, will also incorporate the Saren angle (awesome!!), or would they be two separate stories (also awesome!!).

I cry foul (or at least demand to be repaid with a fic in kind--I look forward to your Bazhair fic)!
Ahaha! I will do my best. I have to do some reading first, in order to write about desert life with anything other than second-hand generalizations and stereotypes. It could be a while.