tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072760.post8078603581473755577..comments2023-09-05T08:38:04.858+01:00Comments on Rameau's Nephew: 'Odalisque' by PF Jeffery (DFL's comments on Chapter 38)Nemonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13308850492930940749noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072760.post-33544345150420599922008-11-03T19:08:00.000+00:002008-11-03T19:08:00.000+00:00I don't really think there was any strong reason f...I don't really think there was any strong reason for you to mention the absence of footnotes.<BR/><BR/>It may be the sort of thing that only seems significant with the benefit of hindsight -- once you notice which two chapters have no footnotes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072760.post-66999162213465880922008-11-03T18:44:00.000+00:002008-11-03T18:44:00.000+00:00Sorry, I did actually notice there were no footnot...Sorry, I did actually notice there were no footnotes wuite consciously and wondered whether I should mention this fact. I now can't think why I didn't!Nemonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13308850492930940749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072760.post-75734222536723130172008-11-03T18:38:00.000+00:002008-11-03T18:38:00.000+00:00Thank you for that.Truth to tell, I was a bit nerv...Thank you for that.<BR/><BR/>Truth to tell, I was a bit nervous as to what you might make of Chapter 38, because I love it so much.<BR/><BR/>Something you fail to mention (and there's maybe no reason why you should have mentioned it) is that Ch 38 is the first chapter to have no footnotes. In her epilogue, Jennifer Petrie remarks: "Two chapters seemed to me too beautiful to be marred by my explanations." Ch 38 is the earlier of these two.<BR/><BR/>Everything you say of Fluff is true. Your saying that she is almost a counterpoint to Tuerqui came as a revelation to me, I hadn't previously thought of her in that way, but you are obviously right. It seems strange that Fluff did not appear in the earlier versions of the book. This now, indeed, strikes as unexpected as the fact that the Mad Hatter was a late addition to "Alice". (Not that Fluff is mad, of course -- far from it.) But I originally introduced Fluff merely to open the door for Tuerqui and Lisa-Louise, and to take their wet cloaks (on their first visit to Bob Bosset's quarters). Without any conscious intention from me, Fluff refused to be anything but a major character. There is, I think, more than one chapter in which Fluff is the star.<BR/><BR/>As to what impends -- it is scarcely a spoiler to reveal that there will be some much less perfect days. A glance at the chapter titles will show that Chapter 41 is entitled "Grim". Yet the reader may be pleased to know that, however grim things may become, there is still another chapter remaining which Jennifer Petrie considered too beautiful to mar with her footnotes.<BR/><BR/>Even if there were no more perfect moments to come, perhaps one perfect day would be enough. A moment to treasure on the rocky road ahead. A road that will eventually lead Tuerqui whither?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072760.post-47170696021291844262008-11-03T16:17:00.000+00:002008-11-03T16:17:00.000+00:00Perhaps 'random' is the wrong word above - more an...Perhaps 'random' is the wrong word above - more an authorial instinct that can seem random but isn't?Nemonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13308850492930940749noreply@blogger.com