regshoe | Flight of the Heron read-along: Part I chapters 5-6

What is right and what is wrang, a short sword and a lang, a weak arm and a strang for to draw...

Welcome back to the read-along! This week's chapters are getting a bit more serious, historically and for our characters...

Next week we'll read the first two chapters of Part II.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

regshoe

Well, I think there's a lot to discuss in this couple of chapters!

I do like the scene with Alison and Keith, she first trying to figure out the 'enigma', and then Keith, after being so sardonic all through last week's chapters, so earnest and concerned for Ewen (after initially seriously doubting his good intentions, ' Alison met his eyes, and they convinced her of his sincerity')—

—and it's not just an act of sincerity that he's putting on for the sake of being courteous to a lady, because she noticed how nobly sad he was looking while he was gazing out at the loch before he saw her—

—but misunderstanding both Ewen and Alison so badly! For all that he's their enemy, Keith seems to feel very little actual political enmity towards the Jacobites as a party, here or anywhere else in the novel; he simply thinks they're wasting their effort and risking their lives pointlessly, 'blinded and besotted' into actually believing in their political aims, which to Keith is as silly as believing in other people. It's perhaps an interesting view for someone whose job is to take an active part in fighting against them!

I also like the religious details we get in chapter 5. A quick historical summary for anyone who's not familiar with the background here: after the Reformation the established church in England is Anglican, basically Protestant but also kind of Catholic but very importantly not Roman Catholic; that of Scotland (the Kirk) is Presbyterian, rather more Protestant. A minority in Scotland are Episcopalian, theologically similar to the Church of England but institutionally separate; there are also Roman Catholics in both Scotland and England, as well as various smaller Protestant sects. The more Catholic denominations—including the Scottish Episcopalians—tend to be more in favour of the Jacobites, and the Jacobites' Protestant enemies like to portray them as trying to bring the country under the tyranny of Rome. Anyway, pasting 'James' over the 'George' in religious books is something Episcopalian Jacobites really did! Keith and Aunt Margaret's conversation about sermons and Morning Prayer is good fun; as for Bishop Jeremy Taylor, he was a seventeenth-century Royalist clergyman and famous writer on religious subjects; and, not to give anything away, he will return later on...

Bringing those two subjects together, 'the analogy which occurred to him' is an... interesting moment—perhaps a subtle comment from the omniscient narrator on Keith's political scepticism?

I absolutely love Keith's constant refrain in these two chapters of what are these feelings?? why do I CARE about him so much???. Poor man really doesn't know what to do with genuine emotion, does he—and for much of chapter 6 he's lost in a very confused mixture of the sincerity of chapter 5 and more sardonic teasing of Ewen, which by now Keith has turned into quite an art, with 'pleasure of pursuing it'. But Ewen does get his own back with that little comment about High Bridge, and I love the interplay between them, wobbling as it does between enemies and friends, sincerity and sarcasm—the bit where Keith actually tells Ewen what he's been so confusedly thinking about him for the past several days, '"I vow ’twould give me pleasure to think that we might one day encounter each other again."', thinks that Ewen won't take this as meant genuinely and immediately veers off into joking about it is a lovely bit of conversational complexity. 'Enigma' was the right word! But yes, 'civilised young barbarian' and 'my own young Achilles' and so on—no, Keith, I'm sure I haven't a clue why you're so sorry to say farewell to Ewen either...

Even at the end of the chapter Keith looks at Ewen 'with a smile which held both amusement and liking'—and his note mixes sincere liking, the honour of a soldier and a good deal of snark.

Keith dressing himself up in Ewen's Highland clothes is also good fun! Here is a video demonstrating the complexity and general usefulness when worn correctly of the plaid—although this is a belted plaid/great kilt, where kilt and plaid consist of a single piece of cloth, whereas Ewen wears a separate kilt or philabeg, which was becoming more popular by this point in the eighteenth century.

From:

sanguinity

I like your observation that Keith's bitterness about love not only distances him from personal relationships, but also leaves him unable to comprehend the sincere feeling motivating the Jacobites.

It's perhaps an interesting view for someone whose job is to take an active part in fighting against them! Is it? He strikes me very much as a professional soldier, aiming himself where he's pointed, and not having much feeling about any of it. It's a profession, no more and no less.

And yes, so many feelings! And so many possessives for Ewen: "my Warrior," too along with the rest.

his note mixes sincere liking, the honour of a soldier and a good deal of snark. I shook my head over that. Had to lob one last dart, did you, Keither? Just say you like the man, and stop pulling his pigtails.

I did feel bad for Ewen on finding his prisoner had fled, though. There's something almost domestic about their arrangement over the previous week (Keith offering his cloak to Ewen!), and I daresay Ewen had settled into the seeming of it, and momentarily forgot its truth. Poor Ewen! I suspect Keith is right, that the experience has taught Ewen not to make that oversight again, and I hope that in one of their subsequent meetings there will be more domesticity between them...

From:

regshoe

He strikes me very much as a professional soldier, aiming himself where he's pointed, and not having much feeling about any of it. It's a profession, no more and no less.

Yes, that's true! I suppose I expect someone in that position to have some feeling about what the profession actually involves doing, and some opinions on the enemies he's fighting. But you're right, for Keith professional ambition without much emotional detail is the important thing.

Just say you like the man, and stop pulling his pigtails.

XD

Oh dear, yes, poor militarily naive Ewen! And aww, I agree about the weirdly sweet quasi-domesticity. Actually, if you enjoyed that bit of domesticity, I have a couple of fic recs for after you've finished the book—this one is a canon divergence which starts with Keith failing to escape at Fassefern and this period lasting a bit longer, and in this one there's another period of lovely quasi-domesticity while a prisoner. (Do wait till you've finished the book though, both contain big spoilers!)

From:

sanguinity

Thank you for the recs!

From:

luzula

He strikes me very much as a professional soldier, aiming himself where he's pointed, and not having much feeling about any of it. It's a profession, no more and no less.

Yes, he's very much a professional solder--but that moment when he refuses to promise that he will not take part in the remainder of the campaign in exchange for being set free does show that he has pride in his profession, and also he has standards that he keeps himself to!

From:

killclaudio

Hi! Luzula recommended the book to me and told me about the read-along, I hope you don't mind me joining in. :)

The scene with Alison and Keith was lovely - possibly one of my favourites so far. We've mostly only seen both of them interact with Ewen, so it added a new dimension to their personalities, and it was really endearing that they're both trying so hard to meet the other half-way, even if it fails.

Keith's feelings about the Jacobites worked really well for me - it feels like the natural result of his kindness coupled with his 'ugh, look at these savages' attitude from the earlier chapters. Even though I don't know much about this period of history, I know how things shake out, so everything has a kind of...dramatic irony? And I like that both sides are a bit wrong in their ideas about what's going to happen, it makes everything feel more complicated and human.

Keith's pining was so good, wasn't it? It really does read like he's repressing his attraction, especially with the way every chapter includes at least one reference to how fine Ewen looks in his kilt, and so on. And 'conversational complexity' is a perfect way to describe it! There's been a bit about Keith's backstory, but I like actually seeing the consequences on the page, where he can't help but say something heartfelt, but then he kind of shies away from the intimacy of it?

Thank you for that really helpful video! I was struggling a bit to visualise that part, about as much as Keith was struggling to actually put it on. :D That explains all the stuff about sitting on and sleeping on his plaid, although I'm still very sceptical of Ewen's claim that wet plaid is warmer.

From:

regshoe

Hello! :)

And I like that both sides are a bit wrong in their ideas about what's going to happen, it makes everything feel more complicated and human.

That's a good point! I do like the balance at this point between the omniscient narration, which does ultimately know what's going to happen both in history and in Keith and Ewen's story, and showing the perspectives of people who don't know how things are going to end and make wrong predictions in ways that make sense from their own perspectives.

Hehe, yes, this is some excellent oblivious pining :D

Wet plaid being warmer, I don't know—wool does cope better than a lot of fabrics with getting wet, at least. Perhaps I should find a suitable blanket and try to test this theory...

From:

luzula

Hi, glad to see you! : )

So glad you're enjoying Keith's pining. I feel like it's almost...fanfic quality pining? Like, this is pining written by someone who knows that this is what she wants out of this part of the book.