I don't remember how I came to have The Red Queen in my library, but she was very patient, I think, waiting for me to come around to reading her. Set in 18th century Korea, it's the story of the Lady Hyegyong and her mad husband, Crown Prince Sado. Like the Wife, the Queen conflates time. Her 18th century consciousness has adopted a 21st century ability to analyze the roots of her husband' s psychosis in his relationship with his father, the king. Gazing from the 18th century through 21st century lenses, the Queen tells her story, interpreting and re-interpreting events. Some of that (re)-interpretation is provided by Margaret Drabble. The Queen is given an awareness of a legacy, that others not yet born when she is writing her memoires are reading her story. This device helps the reader to understand the setting and empathize with the Queen.
However, in the second half of the book, the Queen suddenly becomes a character in a biography and the scholarly Dr. Babs Halliwell is reading her. It is Oxford, sometime in the early 21st century. Since the life of an academic is one of observer rather than participant in history, the horror of the prince's slow death in a rice chest is replaced by an academic conference in modern day Seoul. The switch from viewing events through the Queen's eyes to Babs' view of the conference and her life afterwards is a too-sudden release of tension, rather like the air escaping from a balloon.
Is it a next of Reading Literary Broads: A Wife?
ReplyDeleteYour introduction strats about story suddenry, i could not sympathsis yours.
I think I confused you with the term "broads." It is American slang for "women" and it is/was considered disrespectful. However, it is also an American custom to be ironic, and to refer to oneself in a derogatory way. As a woman I can do it, but since you are a man, you can't--not without giving offense. Some African Americans do this. However, unless you are a member of the group, you can't do it, or you'd get in a heap of trouble! Remember the movie Rush Hour?
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