something I'd like to see. . .
Jul. 30th, 2013 10:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
marycatelliOpened a novel recently and the first scene presented was a woman desperately pleading with a willful princess that she must learn how to sew.
Someday I'd like to read a novel where the parents' response is to threaten to disinherit her (or him, if it's a dreamy prince instead). If she's utterly unwilling to learn the duties of her station, why on earth would they let her ascend to it?
For that matter, why on earth are they standing free meals, clothes, and lodging to someone who admits of no obligations to them? There are very few cultures where the princess's handiwork is of vital importance to keep things going, but no doubt there are some. At least for diplomatic obligations -- Helen in the Odyssey gave Telemachus a gift made with her own hands, and how important that was. Even in others, idle princesses are not much admired. At the very least, in most of them she has to be able to properly supervise a castle.
Someday I'd like to read a novel where the parents' response is to threaten to disinherit her (or him, if it's a dreamy prince instead). If she's utterly unwilling to learn the duties of her station, why on earth would they let her ascend to it?
For that matter, why on earth are they standing free meals, clothes, and lodging to someone who admits of no obligations to them? There are very few cultures where the princess's handiwork is of vital importance to keep things going, but no doubt there are some. At least for diplomatic obligations -- Helen in the Odyssey gave Telemachus a gift made with her own hands, and how important that was. Even in others, idle princesses are not much admired. At the very least, in most of them she has to be able to properly supervise a castle.
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Date: 2013-07-31 05:53 pm (UTC)Hmm, the bit about her learning how to sew and how it might be of vital importance reminds me of a very old idea I got after reading about how some quilt patterns used in Appalachia were supposed to have uses beyond the decorative. Like how 'Witch Blazing Star' was supposed to keep malicious witchcraft off of the bed.
I combined it with the idea that both blessings and curses are supposed to be more potent if repeated regularly and got this weird idea about a binding for a demon or the like that's not verbal, but a special sewed pattern that's been repeated for decades or centuries -- and then a sewing factory moves into the area, people forget how to do the pattern, and guess what happens.
Sorry to ramble.
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Date: 2013-07-31 06:03 pm (UTC)We look forward to reading your story. 0:)