Comments | peppermintyrose: Eulogy of a Fairy Godmother

peppermintyrose

Eulogy of a Fairy Godmother

Jun 22, 2011 06:28

Okay, this one is an offshoot of the fairy post. I was thinking about the furore created when Claudine was killed. That was the one death that wounded some people. I didn't like it much myself, but it makes logical sense from the point of view of the books, and I'm going to point out why.

One of the things I have seen said, many many times ( Read more... )

travails of the svm fandom, pmr resident philosoraptor, niall brigant a.k.a. papaw, so many dead and gone, ch & svm is not so amateur, claudine dotty godmother, happily ever afters 'n' such, fairy dust - in the pouch, i thinked about svm today, sookie stackhouse - 28, john 'tiger' quinn the babe

Comments 9

thyradane June 21 2011, 21:31:49 UTC

Thank you for giving Claudine her own thread :-)

And reading that you think certain events showed that CH had punch makes me all the more sure you should read Game of Thrones/Song of Ice and Fire. Not saying more than that :-D

peppermintyrose June 21 2011, 22:08:32 UTC

Poor Claudine - she was so screwed when the portals closed. I think this way is better.

They're on my to-read list. I'm from the horror/fantasy genre, so I love no punches pulled. I remember in one of James Herbert's books, the "happy" ending was that everyone was blind. :D

(The comment has been removed)

peppermintyrose June 22 2011, 09:28:34 UTC

I didn't want to dob you in by name because I don't do that for PMs. I let people out themselves. And even though it's a quote of Faulkner, it inspired this post. So Faulkner wasn't talking to me by PM, and gets no trim. :D

Oh yes - the lazy writers are the worst. They can't edit *anything* out. And they can't make tough calls. Writing forever is really nice, but writing without thought or filter is really fucking terrible. Reading should not equate to wading. I always penalise my students for going over word count - brevity means that you get to the point of the whole thing and don't drag it out and repeat yourself.

Lol - that is the best closing argument. :D

azucar69 June 21 2011, 23:18:00 UTC

Well-spoken my friend:D ( ... )

peppermintyrose June 22 2011, 09:52:48 UTC

I loved Claudine to death. And she cared so much about Sookie, it really was so sad when she died.

It was full of dignity and grace - and it was something worthy for a woman to do - that not many women do in fiction. Usually it's the girl's job to be protected, not to do the protecting. I think Claudine is a good role model that women can do more than sit back and wait for men to take care of stuff.

It's such a time of risk for pregnant women - they're more likely to get hurt, or a guy is likely to ramp it up physically. Of course, it's the time when abuse causes the most fear, and the woman is not likely to be able to fight back. But most people buy into the idea that pregnant women are inviolate by violent people.

I'm glad that you got out - that you had resources and strength. :-* That's just lovely - and I like that you have learned not to take shit. Yay! :D

finiteanarchy June 23 2011, 21:17:10 UTC

I remember hearing during some interview CH being asked what characters, if any she regrets killing and usually the one most often mentioned is Claudine. I could see why but I totally understand the necessity to kill her. Not only was her death alleviating her of catch-22 situation, I think it was also necessary for Sookie's growth ( ... )

peppermintyrose June 24 2011, 11:58:49 UTC

It was a necessity - and I get that it wasn't very nice. Nor was Gran's death.

I agree - Claudine was back up, but now that Sookie's life is calmed somewhat, she's less forgiving and a little more brutal, then she can cope with what's thrown at her.

Pam too might even be inclined to put other vampires over Sookie too - she's a friend, but she's definitely the Vampires First type of friend.

Oh yeah - Gran surviving might have been what Sookie wanted (and who wouldn't) but that doesn't mean that it's essentially good for her life or her growth.

I think it's far better that it was off page and we never saw her body. No way can it be interpreted as an "If only" - I think the symbolism of the knitting needle in Breandan's shoulder was fantastically sad.

fffbone June 26 2011, 02:37:17 UTC

I think I felt more bad for Crystal's death than Claudine's. Crystal was a stupid girl who made wrong choices most of her life. She probably didn't know any better. But she didn't deserve what happened to her.
Claudine knew, She's full fairy and knows what they're capable of doing. I didn't expect anything less from her. It's still sad but that's what fairy godmothers do protect.

peppermintyrose June 26 2011, 07:13:56 UTC

I always feel awful for poor Crystal - the manner and means of her death were horrific. And she had no part in being killed other than she was unlucky enough to sleep with Jason. Neave and Lochlan didn't pick her for any other reason but that it was Jason's baby. It always galls me that lots of readers don't care about her because she's a slut.

That's right - that's what they do. :D