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

[regshoe]

These chapters, especially chapter 3, often feel a bit odd structurally—it's a little quiet interlude between the drama of Ewen's escape and the final chapter. Things are still building towards the ending, of course, but there's less sense of momentum than a lot of books have at this proportion of pages left to go. In the meantime, however, there are lots of interesting details and side questions introduced. I especially like getting to see a little bit more of Aunt Margaret and her backstory—her capably handling the running of Ardroy in Ewen's absence.

I love Ewen's attention to his tenants' welfare and his responsibilities as a landowner. He's so earnest and such a sweetheart. There's a tinge of 'perhaps this is something of an indulgent anachronism, this kind of massive inequality and concentration of economic power is actually bad'—though from what I've read, contemporary Scottish landowners' attitudes to noblesse oblige and all that varied widely, but some of them did care about this sort of thing.

Ewen has thought about Keith quite a few times, and 'his pulse quickened with pleasure' at the prospect of meeting him again. :) I wonder about the passage where Ewen suddenly sees the meaning of the 'twisted threads' part of the prophecy, before falling asleep—like those lines themselves, the exact significance of this seems slightly mysterious. Qbrf ur unir fbzr cerzbavgvba bs jung vg zrnaf ivf-à-ivf gur raqvat (ohg gur zbbq bs gur cnffntr qbrfa'g ernyyl frrz gb fhvg gung), be vg fbzrguvat zber yvxr n ernyvfngvba nobhg uvf naq Xrvgu'f eryngvbafuvc?

I'm amused by 'something wholly unintelligible in which the word "honour" was alone distinguishable'. I feel that this line expresses something very fundamental about D. K. Broster as a writer.

Aww, Ewen's ongoing anxiety about his 'betrayal' of Lochiel—he's so earnest, so scrupulous... His insistence that Archie tell Lochiel EVERYTHING followed by his horror at Archie including the bits that show Ewen himself in an admirable light is rather sweet. And it's at once a shame, slightly funny and somewhat admirable that Ewen regrets his insults to Lord Loudoun, to the point of bringing this up alongside his betrayal of Lochiel. I don't agree, Ewen!

We get quite a lot of information about the history going on in the background of these chapters, although it's in bits and pieces rather than a long scene-setting passage. The wanderings of the Prince (and of Lochiel!), the memorable Flora MacDonald, and even a brief skip into the future and Archibald Cameron's death. The image of Ewen, Margaret and Archie drinking a health to King James is both affecting and interesting—Broster, writing from the future, knows that the Jacobite cause 'had already taken its last, its mortal wound', but it wasn't at all certain at the time—either to the Jacobites or to the Hanoverian government—that this was the case, and I think Broster does well in portraying the perspectives of contemporary Jacobites, with her own knowledge of the future colouring the story she tells but not leading her to misrepresent it. (I read another Jacobite novel last week, Bonnie Prince Charlie by G. A. Henty, which is particularly bad at this—imposed perspectives of the Whiggish historian everywhere—and so it stands out as a strength of Broster's!).

And then the 'creeping sense of chill' as we learn of poor Lachlan's quest for vengeance. The sense of the supernatural in the scene with Ewen and old Angus is powerful and eerie—reading it, I was reminded of sanguinity's recent ghost fic and how very well ghosts fit into this world... Uzz, creuncf gurer'f fbzr cbgragvny va n fgbel jurer Ynpuyna UNF qvrq, rvgure sebz Xrvgu'f cvfgby-fubg be bgurejvfr, ohg uvf iratrshy funqr arireguryrff pbagvahrf gb chefhr Xrvgu...?

The last bit of chapter 4, in which Ewen says farewell to Loch na h-Iolaire, is very beautiful. It's sad but so peaceful, with Ewen still devoted to his home but having reconciled himself to the need to leave it, and with the heron once again flying over the loch as it did a year before. It feels like a conclusion; unfortunately, it isn't, and hence the next chapter...

[sanguinity]

First time through, I didn't know how the novel comes out. Consequently, I didn't experience these chapters as a peaceful interlude at all: I'd been convinced through a lot of part 4 that Ewen was going to be executed -- or, best case, maybe die escaping. It was such an unexpected surprise and relief that he'd gotten away, that I read these chapters absolutely tense that it might all be taken away again in an instant, as Aunt Margaret kept worrying. And yet I was still quietly hopeful that we might get to a happy ending after all? Maybe?

And then we got to the conversation with Angus, where he passes on Lachlan's vow to kill Keith, and my OHHHHHH NOOOOOOOOO went off with the force of sirens.

(Although not, apparently, for Ewen: The story of Lachlan’s vow had perturbed him, but now he saw it in a far less menacing light. I am reminded of him being similarly dismissive of the heron prophecy. Poor Angus is touched with Cassandra's curse, where Ewen is concerned.)


When Ewen is dragging his heels about leaving, I find it a bit surprising and very interesting that Aunt Margaret tries to guilt him away to France via how Keith would feel, if Ewen were to be captured. Not his wife, not the memory of his foster brothers -- her first attempt is to use Major Windham! Which raises the question of exactly how much he has told her about their meetings -- a fair bit, apparently (does she know about the prophecy?) But also makes me wonder how he spoke of Keith, that she thinks that Major Windham is the first and best emotional prybar to use against Ewen.

And then Ewen responds that Keith would understand...! I just. For as close as his bonds of clan and family are to Aunt Margaret and others, it's Keith who most understands exactly where Ewen is right now, emotionally. Keith understands what he's been through, and what haunts him, and what still needs to be set right. It's rather breathtaking that Ewen, who has such close bonds to his kin, is best understood in this moment by his purported enemy.

(Meanwhile, he tells Margaret she doesn't know all the things about why he's dragging his feet, and she's all pointedly like, "you could tell me?" and he goes all silently moody and misunderstood like a teenager. Ewen! Talk to your Aunt who is far wiser than you're giving her credit for!)


There's a mention in these chapters that Lochiel is wounded -- I discovered in other reading that he was shot through the ankles at Culloden, which just, ow. Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow. Given that, it's little wonder that Archie views bringing one to the other as a nonstarter! (Even putting aside that everyone's first duty is to get away to safety so they may make another attempt later! Ewen's lame; Lochiel's lame; he's not going to carry one across the Highlands to meet with the other!)

That whole scene with Archie is wonderful. There's such a strong sense of an older and more centered person dealing with a beloved-but-despaired-of young hothead. He's gentle and understanding and a wonderful confidante, but he's also absolutely implacable to Ewen's drama. (And perhaps a little fondly amused by it? "You do realize that the part of this that would grieve Lochiel is your not trusting him to trust you? And yes, I AM going to tell him you were tortured, you made me promise to tell it all, so you have no one to blame for my passing on that part of it but yourself.") Vg'f bayl n oevrs fprar, ohg vg'f fgebat rabhtu gung lbh pna frr jul Oebfgre gubhtug fur pbhyq unat zbfg bs nabgure abiry ba Rjra naq Nepuvr'f eryngvbafuvc. (Not sure if that counts as a spoiler or not, but with an abundance of caution...)

Fuck, next week is the last two chapters already? *keens*

[luzula]

A very fitting song. : )

And yet again I post my comment without reading any of the ones posted; let's see if there is overlap...

Aunt Margaret is far more sensible than Ewen! Obviously he should go to France--but I do find his behavior in character. I like the conversation with Archie, both because I like Archie as a character, and because I like his interaction with Ewen as a sort of older brother. Ewen is adorable through his eyes here: Ewen uttered a sound like a groan, and, twisting over, buried his face in the pillow; and presently there emerged some muffled words to the effect that he longed to go to Alison, but that...and then something wholly unintelligible in which the word ‘honour’ was alone distinguishable. Dr. Cameron looked down at the back of the uneasy auburn head with the affectionate tolerance which one might display to the caprices of a younger brother.

Awww! He mumbles something unintelligible about honour...of course he does. Their back-and-forth is lovely, too, with Ewen insisting Archie tell Lochiel about everything! Including the parts which show Ewen in a bad light! And Archie replies that yes, of course he'll tell him everything, including the parts about Ewen resisting torture for Lochiel's sake...

This bit about Keith is quite slashy: Again he counted them: here, at Edinburgh, on Beinn Laoigh, at Fort Augustus. And suddenly his pulse quickened with pleasure—that made four, only four!... No, of course, there had been two at Fort Augustus... Yet what (save his own recapture) stood now in the way of their meeting again some day?

And then we get the chilling plot set-up for the next chapter, in various ways...

Reading the bit about Ewen and Old Angus, it strikes me that there's something sort of Sam-and-Frodo about the way Neil and Lachlan and Angus collectively are so loyal to Ewen. Not that any of the characters are at all similar in their personalities, but the romanticized feudal loyalty is similar in Tolkien and Broster. And come to think of it, the anchor in a specific place/home is there in both (Ardroy and the Shire). But of course there are lots of differences, for example that Aragorn has pretty much no flaws as a royal leader, while both BPC and King George do. Uh, I did not set out to begin a compare-and-contrast with Tolkien, it just happened...I wonder if Tolkien ever read Broster, and if they ever met. (While writing this I got side-tracked and saw that apparently some people are trying to get Tolkien canonized?!?)

Is it just me, or does this sound kinda Catholic? But I bless you, my son, with all the blessings of Bridget and Michael; the charm Mary put round her Son, and Bridget put in her banners, and Michael put in his shield I thought Old Angus was an Episcopalian like almost all the Camerons...

The last scene with Ewen by the loch is beautiful! And again with the ties and comparisons between religion and love of place/home: He went to it, and, stooping with difficulty, dipped a cupped hand into the water and raised it to his lips. Perhaps that sacramental draught would give him to see this scene as bright and sharp in dreams, over there in the land of exile whither, like his father, like all who had not counted the cost, he was going. And also the ties/comparisons between religion and Jacobitism, which of course are quite accurate historically. Also, that's just beautiful writing...

[tgarnsl]

Life has rather overtaken me these past few weeks, so I have not been able to keep up with the readalong as I would have liked. I'll try to put down a few thoughts, although I'm sure what I have to say has been said better by others elsewhere.

Part IV, Chapter V:
- With regards to Ewen's distrust of the Earl of Loudoun, I wonder how much of it is ancient clan animosity (fwiw, the Camerons were no angels and were noted as cattle thieves) and how much of it is remembrance of more recent events involving the Campbells, such as the 1692 Glen Coe massacre, which saw Scottish government forces, which was led by a Campbell and involved members of the clan, murder a number of Glen Coe MacDonalds, allegedly for failing to swear allegiance to William and Mary. Apparently, during the Uprising Prince Charles invoked the memory of the massacre by publishing in a newspaper contemporary documents concerning the affair.
- Captain Greening — I know hyarrowen made mention of it, but I also do wonder if Greening was based on any officers Broster knew during the war. I have friends in the army, and I have it on good authority that army captains are often the biggest a-holes around, at least in modern militaries. It is often a dead-end job, and those who make captain often never rise above that rank, leading to a dangerous combination of resentment and over-confidence in ability. I would imagine that it was much the same in the 18th century — someone like Greening may have been able to attain the rank of captain, but due to poverty or a lack of patronage would not have attained higher. It would certainly give him a motivation for obtaining valuable information from Ewen: being the man responsible for the capture of Lochiel would likely gain the attention of his superiors, and might help him secure a promotion.
- Ewen crying on finding out that Lochiel escaped is such a poignant moment. I do wonder how much his tears are for Lochiel, and how much they are for everything he has himself endured. I wouldn't be surprised if even he himself doesn't know where that line lies.

Chapter VI:
- Keith is back to being complicit in war crimes, and generally being a bit of Byronic hero (although there's an argument to be made that he is somewhat of a deconstruction). I find it very interesting how he distances the man he is as a soldier from the man he is with Ewen: I think there's a strong argument to be made that at some point during his childhood, Keith tried to mould himself into someone he was not, someone who his mother and others could love, perhaps, which eventually became Windham the soldier instead of Keith the man. I feel that we get a hint of this in the line “[...]Lord Orkney, who, when Keith was a mere boy, had promised the pair of colours in the Royal Scots which had saved his mother so much trouble and expense — and had deprived him of any choice in the matter of regiment." Sure, he was denied a choice with regards to what regiment he joined, but to me there is also the subtle implication that he was denied a choice in what path he took in life, both by the expectations of his family, as well as presumably financial pressures. The Wi/yndham family historically were landowners in Somerset and Norfolk, but Keith's father being a military man implies to me that he was a second or third son, if not an outright distant relation, and therefore not in line for inheriting land. The fact that Keith makes no mention of owning an ancestral home, or of owning any land at all, would support this theory. While he evidently has money (the guineas he leaves for Ewen in exchange for the stolen clothes amount to about £500 today) it would seem that he isn't extremely wealthy either, given that he is 30 or 31 when he attains the rank of major, something that would have likely occurred earlier had he been a man of significant means.
- With regards to Keith the man, however, I find it interesting how Broster seems to use language to differentiate between the two sides of him: “The shelf has an uncommonly sobering effect upon a hot-tempered and ambitious man, and it did not require two months of it to bring reflection to Major Windham. [...] The first fruit of this new prudence had been Keith’s abstention, not only from writing to Ewen Cameron, but even from sending him a direct message.” I would be interested in exploring further how Broster uses names as signifiers of something else going on; I certainly feel for Keith that the use of 'Captain/Major Windham' is significant, whether from his own POV or that of others'. Gur zbfg cbvtanag hfr vf, bs pbhefr, uvf svany zbzragf nyvir, jurer Rjra, qrfcvgr pnyyvat uvz 'Jvaqunz', guvaxf bs uvz nf 'Xrvgu'.
- On an unrelated note, Keith's ability to single out any attractive man, such as Captain Ferrers, in his immediate vicinity amuses me greatly.
- With that in mind, however, his complete inability to understand his attraction to Ewen is fascinating. He is willing to sacrifice a tremendous amount for Ewen, yet he cannot understand why it is he is doing so. The interaction between Keith and Cumberland is perhaps one of my favourite moments of the whole series, and I desperately would like to see it in a (good) modern adaptation where we could have the non-bowlderised invectives. “...After that the storm was loosed on Keith, and a flood of most unprincely invective it was. The names he was called, however, passed him by without really wounding him much. They were nothing compared to those he would have called himself had he sold Ardroy’s life as the price of his own advancement.” Oh Keith, you numpty. That's love.

...this post has gotten rather long. I'll post this, and continue in another comment.