From: Adam Stephanides <adamsteph@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: (urth) PEACE: Adam & The Princess
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 11:02:41 

Michael Andre-Driussi wrote:
> 
> Adam wrote:
> >Cute; but Weer explicitly attributes the princess's exile to the king's
> >jealousy of the princess's future husband (62).  Nor does his
> >questioning strike me as inconsistent with his role as jailer: he wants
> >to know if the unwelcome suitors are still threats.
> 
> While I may have over-stated her oddness in order to shock people away from
> seeing her as a helpless princess, I will argue strongly against your
> interpretation of the king's reaction: look here, at the first case.
> 
> "In time, of course, word of this young man's fame reached the king, and he
> sailed out to pay a second visit to his daughter. He found her alone, but
> [when?]

"when" is correct, according to the 1975 first edition.  Is it omitted
from your edition?

> he asked the whereabouts of that paragon of paladins, the youngest
> son of the king of the gnomes, she would say nothing but that his kisses
> had tasted too strongly of fresh-turned earth"
> 
> The king seems to think highly of the gnome prince!  Likewise, the second
> suitor: "When her father asked what had become of the enterprising merchant
> lad . . . "

To me, "that paragon of paladins" sounds sarcastic; even in a fairy
tale, I can't see someone seriously saying "Oh, where could that paragon
of paladins, the youngest son of the king of the gnomes, be?" <g>  The
same could be true of "the enterprising merchant lad."

But the question is of doubtful relevance to the main story anyway.  The
king's counterpart might be Olivia's father, who leaves most of his
money to Den's father, or it might be Den's father; but there's no
indication that Olivia's father ever met the suitors, or that Den's
father cared (unless his willingness to go all out on her wedding to
Julius indicated his relief at her not choosing any of the others).

On, as you say, to the next story.

--Adam

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