The Terrors of Tarragina (addendum)

[sythyry]

Mirrored from Sythyry.

A copy of The Terrors of Tarragina was duly procured (from Vind — I refuse to allow more teasing of Alzagonde until she does something else horrible). The crudely-imagined and crudely-drawn cover shows a nearly-naked, voluptuous, and quite aroused Herethroy woman, holding a crowbar in a midhand, staring at it as if it were a serpent about to bite her. Beside her are four very full washbasins, one overflowing, and a Cani man with a hammer in one hand and a tremendous erection visible under his skirt.

I, sacrifically, read the cursed thing, since I have plenty of time on my paws when I want it.

Tarragina is the sixth daughter of a countess of Barency. She has a single passion in life: “rejoicining in elegant circumstances”. Through a sequence of misfortunes too implausible to mention, her family loses fortune and title in chapter two. (OK, I’ll mention the guntry race. They’ve got a prize running-guntry that always wins every race. They bet their last village on the guntry in a race against a stranger — who turns out to be a wizard, whose guntry is a transformed air elemental, and wins in a whoosh. Somehow they neglect to mention that this may be considered cheating.)

Anyhow, by chapter 3, Tarragina is condemned to wander the city and country in a life of toil, a thing which she finds utterly abhorrent. She picks up odd jobs here and there — helping a Cani family demolishing a shed in chapter five (hence the crowbar), and washing clothes for some Herethroy farmers in chapter eight (hence the basins). In each case, she attempts the job briefly throws up her hands and hand-feet at how horrid and vulgar it is, and, um, renegotiates the arrangement to be one in which she performs bodily pleasures upon her employers rather than having to do the work. Then, for reasons unspecified, she is off at a different employer the next chapter, evidently the next day.

For a bit of socioprosody of my own: the description of the chapter’s circumstances take 1-3 paragraphs. The attempts at performing the job, and Tarragina’s abhorrence thereof, take another 3-5. The seduction of the employer takes a single paragraph more. The rest of each chapter — five to fifteen pages — is a description of the encounter.

For what it’s worth: About half the time she’s involved with Herethroy, and half with other species. Nobody seems to find this the least bit noteworthy — not that there is much actual conversation involved.

Also, a half-page of action from chapter 5 appears again, word for word, in chapter 21. Perhaps the author did not think anyone would read that far. In any case, it was dull the first time, and extra-dull the second.

I cannot recommend the book, either as literature, pornography, or a source of threats.

Comments

[kensan-oni.livejournal.com]

It sounds more Libertine then Transaffectionate, though...

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

Well, that distinction is a somewhat artificial -- and somewhat incorrect -- creation of, well, my own theoretical school.

[shurhaian.livejournal.com]

Only somewhat, though. Despite the number of times I've figuratively butted heads on that very point, even I am compelled to note that there was such a tendency among the Vheshrame nobility, at least back when you were describing such matters in detail(I'm not sure how that applies now); it's just that the boundary is fuzzy between how they were behaving, and a more personal transaffection.

At any rate, the book honestly seems more like one about prostitution than actual transaffection. It's just that the prostitute in question is less choosy than some(many? I'm not sure how picky the worst-off prostitutes are, the ones that can barely manage to stay under a roof as it is, or only do so at all by going home with their clients).

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

The tendency is somewhat muted; we are in a somewhat less recreational era. These things change every decade or two, and Vheshrame is generally one of the most actively libidinous cities around in any case.

I would count the protagonist as a prostitute, and (given her eagerness to toss herself at Cani and Rassimel) a libertine as well. I didn't see any actual love in the book, nor even anything remotely resembling a conversation of more depth than "Oh! Your member is so deep in me!"

[shurhaian.livejournal.com]

It can be a fine line at times, but yes, it sounds like she enjoyed it a little too much to just be doing it because it's less tiresome than the actual work(yet still not enjoyable).

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

In every case, she felt herself forced -- shockingly! -- into it and strangely -- unexpectedly! -- aroused. But the detailed and careful analysis of her emotions and cognitions may have been relegated to volume 2 (never written) or some such.

[rowyn]

given her eagerness to toss herself at Cani and Rassimel)

Aha, I perceive another failing in this story as pron: a shameful lack of Orren!

[rowyn]

I don't know. The idea that one can only engage in libertine or transaffectionate behavior and one and only one label may be applied to any given individual is certainly erroneous. That doesn't mean that the distinction between lust and love is without all value. :)

[shurhaian.livejournal.com]

Exactly. Parts of the ideology were flawed, but that doesn't mean the whole is useless. No need to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

[foomf.livejournal.com]

A terrible thing when our own youthful philosophies return to bite us on the tail. Even worse when we find ourselves realizing that our adult philosophies are our unexamined youthful philosophies.