Beauty Is Power and Elegance ...
May. 22nd, 2008 07:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ed_rexOne night as they were falling asleep Nadia said curiously, "Why me?"
"Huhn?" He had almost been asleep.
"I said, why me? I mean, Arkady Nikelyovich, you could have loved any of the women here, and they would have loved you back. You could have had Maya if you wanted."
He snorted. "I could have had Maya! Oh my! I could have had the joy of Maya Katarina! Just like Frank and John!" He snorted, and they both laughed out loud. "How could I have passon on such joy! Silly me!" He giggled until she punched him.
"All right, all right. One of the others then, the beautiful ones, Janet or Ursula or Samantha."
"Come on," he said. He propped himself up on an elbow to look at her. "You really don't know what beauty is, do you?"
"I certainly do," Nadia said mulishly.
Arkady ignored her and said, "Beauty if power and elegance, right action, form fitting function, intelligence and reasonability. And very often," he grinned and pushed at her belly, "expressed in curves."
"Curves I've got," Nadia said, pushing his hand away.
He leaned forward and tried to bite her breast, but she dodged him.
"Beauty is what you are, Nadezhda Francine. By these criteria you are queen of Mars."
"Princess of Mars," she corrected absently, thinking it over.
"Yes, that's right. Nadezhda Francine Cherneshevsky, the nine-fingered Princess of Mars."
"You're not a conventional man."
"No!" He hooted. "I never claimed to be! Except before certain selection committees of course. A conventional man! Ah, ha ha ha ha ha! - the conventional men get Maya. That is their reward." And he laughed like a wild man.
-- Kim Stanley Robinson, Red Mars
"Huhn?" He had almost been asleep.
"I said, why me? I mean, Arkady Nikelyovich, you could have loved any of the women here, and they would have loved you back. You could have had Maya if you wanted."
He snorted. "I could have had Maya! Oh my! I could have had the joy of Maya Katarina! Just like Frank and John!" He snorted, and they both laughed out loud. "How could I have passon on such joy! Silly me!" He giggled until she punched him.
"All right, all right. One of the others then, the beautiful ones, Janet or Ursula or Samantha."
"Come on," he said. He propped himself up on an elbow to look at her. "You really don't know what beauty is, do you?"
"I certainly do," Nadia said mulishly.
Arkady ignored her and said, "Beauty if power and elegance, right action, form fitting function, intelligence and reasonability. And very often," he grinned and pushed at her belly, "expressed in curves."
"Curves I've got," Nadia said, pushing his hand away.
He leaned forward and tried to bite her breast, but she dodged him.
"Beauty is what you are, Nadezhda Francine. By these criteria you are queen of Mars."
"Princess of Mars," she corrected absently, thinking it over.
"Yes, that's right. Nadezhda Francine Cherneshevsky, the nine-fingered Princess of Mars."
"You're not a conventional man."
"No!" He hooted. "I never claimed to be! Except before certain selection committees of course. A conventional man! Ah, ha ha ha ha ha! - the conventional men get Maya. That is their reward." And he laughed like a wild man.
-- Kim Stanley Robinson, Red Mars
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Date: 2008-05-22 12:16 pm (UTC)I Believe You, I Do ...
Date: 2008-05-22 07:43 pm (UTC)But seeing as how insomnia drove me to Red last night, you may find me a-knockin' on your door sooner than later to get it back. (I'll request your address, along with a reasonable time and date under separate cover. I'm "supposed" to be reading Gravity's Rainbow in any case. (Oi. So far, I think I've managed to get as far as Page 3.)
Re: I Believe You, I Do ...
Date: 2008-05-22 07:45 pm (UTC)Six days and counting until I can have somewhat of a life again!
Re: I Believe You, I Do ...
Date: 2008-05-22 07:52 pm (UTC)I know, it's supposed to be a Classic and all that. I couldn't help but note it's about the same length, gets compared to some of the same books (eg, Ulysses - which I have read, thank you kindly!) and was published within a year or so of Delany's Dhalgren, which I consider a masterpiece of "post modern literature" or "weird science fiction" or however you'd classify. If you haven't read it I'll lend it - Oh wait, on second thought ... :)
I seem to recall I once something Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49, but I'm damned if I can tell you a single thing about it; maybe that too got laid aside for a week Thursday.
Re: I Believe You, I Do ...
Date: 2008-05-22 07:54 pm (UTC)Re: I Believe You, I Do ...
Date: 2008-05-22 07:56 pm (UTC)Re: I Believe You, I Do ...
Date: 2008-05-22 08:09 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-05-22 10:19 pm (UTC)I *Knew* That Would Get You Out of Your Hole?
Date: 2008-05-22 10:20 pm (UTC)