Date: Thu, 26 Sep 2002 11:58:36 -0400 (EDT)
From: Michael Straight 
Subject: (urth) Jonas = Quixote? 

On Thu, 26 Sep 2002, Roy C. Lackey wrote:

> There was, in effect, _no_ relationship between Jonas and Jolenta outside of
> Jonas's head. There was no basis in their common history for even a Platonic
> relationship, none at all. Jonas, illogical as it may be for an android,
> lusted after Jolenta just as Sev and every other man who saw her did, and
> that's all it was. Lust, not Love.

Well argued.  I think you're almost certainly right.

But it is possible (although the text doesn't do much to support it) that
Jolenta is not, for Jonas, a Siren but rather Dulcinea.  That, rather than
being in lust for Jolenta, he is in love with his own fantasy, his ideal
woman.  The fantasy may have been sparked by Jolenta and given her name
because of lust, but Jonas may be unaware of that.  He may continue to see
himself as a robot with some icky spare parts, and may imagine himself
returning from the unreachable star all fixed up, ready to love Jolenta
purely and chastely, if not from afar.

-Rostrum


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