Flight of the Heron read-along: Part V chapters 3-4

[regshoe]

But till my last moments my words are the same: there'll never be peace until Jamie comes hame...

The penultimate week of the read-along, and in these chapters we are still very Jacobite.

Next week we will, sadly, read Part V Chapter 5 and the Epilogue.

Comments

[hyarrowen]

We have another instance of voice recognition here; Ewen thinking it's Lochiel who wakes him at first, then realising it's Archie. I don't even know if voice timbres run in families but it seems to be a thing in Broster-world.

At Angus' vision of a boy with Ewen's name at Loch na h'Iolaire I too got a sudden vision - of David Cameron as one of Ewen's descendants! Argh... And I'm reminded of the anecdote DC once told of meeting the current Lochiel, and being greeted by him thusly: 'Hello, I'm your clan-chief,' which is a nice a put-down as can be imagined.

Continuing the theme of Angus' visions – here’s something that puzzles me. ‘I shall not see you, treasure of my heart… but these eyes will see my own son come back to me, and he too grieving.’ Fb qbrf Ynpuyna yvir nsgre Zbene, naq erghea gb Nathf?

I’m as baffled as everyone else by the threads that are twisted at the first meeting (honour? h/c? fighting?)

But I looked up the meaning of the ivy leaves that Ewen hears as he’s drowsily thinking about Keith. In the language of flowers, ivy means marriage or fidelity (and according to this website, immortality, as it’s evergreen. https://interestingliterature.com/2021/05/ivy-symbolism-in-literature-religion-mythology-analysis-meaning/ ) Presumably there’s a reason why DKB chose ivy rather than pine or whin or whatever, just as she chose Keith’s fheanzr\urenyqvp flzobyf bs uvf evat very specifically.

[tgarnsl]

But I looked up the meaning of the ivy leaves that Ewen hears as he’s drowsily thinking about Keith. In the language of flowers, ivy means marriage or fidelity (and according to this website, immortality, as it’s evergreen. Oh, I like that a lot. It is things like these that do make me wonder about how much of these meanings Broster intentioned — I know it's a bit of a useless question, but there are so many of these double meanings with their associated implications... one does wonder. The meanings of plants would seem to be significant, at any rate; Va gur crahygvzngr puncgre fur qenjf bhe nggragvba oevrsyl gb n unmry gerr — nppbeqvat gb n 19gu praghel obbx V unir ba Tnryvp anzrf sbe cynagf, unmry gerrf ner erpbeqrq guhf: 'Va Prygvp fhcrefgvgvba gur unmry jnf pbafvqrerq hayhpxl, naq nffbpvngrq jvgu ybff be qnzntr.' N engure cbvtanag zrnavat.

And ugh, thank you for putting in my head the thought of David Cameron as a descendant. I would like to scrub that particular notion from my brain now. (That being said, it has given me an idea for a line in a story I'm toying with...)

[hyarrowen]

I think she had a lot of fun layering in those meanings. I mean, let's face it, they didn't have the internet, barely even had broadcast radio at that point, and had to make their own entertainment... I hadn't even thought about the ROT'd bit as a symbol. Really not a coincidence, I'm thinking.

Sorry about the David Cameron image! It's really quite a thought, isn't it. :(

[tgarnsl]

The ROT'd bit I noticed because it seemed to draw a parallel of sorts between Xrvgu'f unmry rlrf naq gur unmry gerr. Which naturally led me to wonder about the symbolism behind that choice — Broster is a damned clever writer, and I don't think these things are accidental. Which of course raises the question over the ivy...

It really is quite a thought, mostly because I cannot imagine Ewen, whether modern or 18th century, being in favour of Brexit. (IndyRef on the other hand...)

[hyarrowen]

Ewen would be against Brexit as regards close links with France, Spain and Poland but not with Germany! Until 1789, that is. Then he might rethink a bit.

The significance of hazel eyes is pretty intriguing, I have to admit!

[tgarnsl]

Ha, I mean, the entire notion of canon era Ewen considering the EU is fairly ludicrous given that you’d have to explain to him what a unified Italy even looks like!

…and now I’m contemplating trying to explain Eurovision to someone from the 18th century.

To return to your main point re symbolism: thank you again for pointing that out. I am curious to go back through the rest of the book and see as to what sort of things Broster notes with regards to the natural world and examine the symbolism. It’s something that makes her writing very rich, I feel.

[hyarrowen]

Wearing my Australian hat, I'm still baffled as to why we're in Eurovision. I am not alone in this.

[regshoe]

Now I'm picturing 18th century Ewen, finally having got his head round what and why Eurovision is after tgarnsl explains it to him, giving up in exasperation upon trying to comprehend the logic of Australia taking part.

(I always appreciate Australia's presence, logical or no :D )

[tgarnsl]

I'm also confused by that, although it is in keeping with the general who-knows-what's-going-on that is Eurovision.

[luzula]

I think Ewen would be very confused about the EU and Brexit! What do you mean, most of the European countries have been at peace and sort of had a common government for the past fifty years? ...where's the French king? ...why are there so few people in the Highlands and no one is farming it?? ...OMG, women are wearing pants! ...oh hey, Scottish independence, I'm definitely for that! \o/ And I can still go to the Episcopal Church, but arrrgh, they now accept the descendants of the Elector of Hanover! /o\

[hyarrowen]

Makes one wonder what it'll look like in another 250 years, if we all survive that long.

[regshoe]

One of the interesting things about learning about Jacobite history has been seeing how some contemporary political issues—like IndyRef!—are very much the results of that history having happened the way it did, or part of the same historical story, while other things about the world today are so very different from anything anyone in the 18th century would have recognised.

(Would women wearing trousers be easier to accept for someone who was used to men wearing kilts, or not? Certainly anti-Jacobite propaganda made a lot of the 'petticoats' thing, idk whether that generalises...)

[regshoe]

It reminds me of some of the Significant References in the Raffles books, my other main fandom—where the fandom have made the point that one or two neat-looking things could be a coincidence, but so many have really got to mean something. Bu qrne, gung unmry flzobyvfz vf nabgure arng, gubhtu irel fnq, bar. V jbaqre vs bar pbhyq znxr fbzr xvaq bs cnenyyry orgjrra gur flzobyvpnyyl vzcbegnag unmry gerr ng Xrvgu naq Rjra'f ynfg zrrgvat naq gur flzobyvpnyyl vzcbegnag bnx gerr ng gurve svefg zrrgvat. Tbbqarff, orgjrra gubfr gjb, gur gerr-eryngrq anzr rglzbybtvrf naq gur 'ebbgf bs gjb gerrf' yvar, gurer'f vzcbegnag gerrf rireljurer...

[hyarrowen]

Jryy ohg gerrf ner vzcbegnag. Znlor gung pnzr bhg bs n pbairefngvba jvgu Gbyxvra. "Gurer'f guvf jbaqreshy cvar gerr va gur Obgnavp Tneqraf!" "Bu lrf, V xabj, gung'f bar bs zl snibhevgrf gbb..."

V zhfg gel naq trg zl cvpgherf bs Zbene hc ba QJ, be ng yrnfg ba Vzthe. V pna'g erzrzore jurgure gur gerrf gurer jrer unmryf be abg. Jvyy unir n tb ng vg jura V'ir tbg n oenva.

[regshoe]

Aww, I love that idea :D And definitely agree about the importance.

[tgarnsl]

Yes, the fact that there are so many Significant References... gurer vf fbzrguvat fvtavsvpnag gb gur gerrf, V guvax. Vg'f n funzr jr arire svaq bhg cerpvfryl jurer Xrvgu vf ohevrq. V jbaqre vs vg'f orarngu gur unmry.

[hyarrowen]

I should have said, as he's lying on his bed, falling asleep thinking about Keith...

[regshoe]

:D Of course!

[regshoe]

Ah, good point about the voice recognition—more evidence for face-blind Keith?

Oh dear, the thought has occurred to me that prominent Cameron relations these days include at least one rather unfortunate association... But that anecdote is pretty funny.

‘I shall not see you, treasure of my heart… but these eyes will see my own son come back to me, and he too grieving.’

That puzzled me too! V gnxr vg Nathf vf sbergryyvat uvf bja qrngu jura ur fnlf ur'yy arire frr be gbhpu Rjra ntnva—creuncf ur zrnaf gung ur naq Ynpuyna jvyy zrrg va gur nsgreyvsr?

Aww, that is a lovely bit of flower symbolism... It certainly does seem as though Broster pays a lot of attention to symbolism in general. Some of the them could be coincidence (indeed, things have so many symbolic meanings, some of them probably are), but so many things that work so well definitely suggests deliberate effort.

[hyarrowen]

Ah, good point about Angus' vision!