Discussion: Time Periods

Time Periods

I think "Deerskin" is set out of Damarian time and place. There is only one Aerin reference (that I can recall--and I'd adore the person who could give me the pages on which Aerin is mentioned); there are seven kingdoms there, where in Damar there is only Damar and "north". I also like the idea of Ossin being an Aerin descendant -- maybe one of their grandchildren went haring off to other parts of the country to fight dragons, and settled down, and established a kingdom, and had a Gold house for the golden kenet... :) But Damar is a place of justice and law, where magic happens, but a different, more reasoned and established magic; I view the Damar books as histories, with parallels to real history (like the Middle Ages in Aerin's time and then Imperial England in Harry's). "Deerskin" and "Beauty" are set in fairy-tale "Once Upon A Times," which can reference the real-world history but are still universes closed into themselves, caught between a moment (Once) and eternity (ever after)--to wax poetic. :) If we had to pick a real-world time, I would say "Deerskin" belonged anywhere between the early 17th and the late 18th centuries, and the same for Beauty. But again, they're fairy tales -- it's like trying to pin a date on "Cinderella," which has variants for every people from Native Americans to Mongolians to the English. (While I'm mentioning variations, there's a fascinating Arabian version of "Alleleirah" (sp?) called "The Princess in the Coat of Skins," which I recommend even over the original tale--though not quite over Robin's.)

From: Cheryl Klein
kleinc@carleton.edu
Tuesday, May 20, 1997 at 01:44:58 (EDT)