Evan Peterson
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
My apologies if this is too personal a question.. I have read a majority of your books and just finished reading Penric's hardcover editions and re-reading the rest of the World of Five Gods series...and I notice a recurring theme of older/younger romances. Betriz/Cazaril Fawn/Dag even Penric and Desdemona. Drawing from personal experience or drawn to that dymamic for purely the tension it adds?
Lois McMaster Bujold
It's merely a variant. There are only two choices of age-spreads for romantic partners; dead-even ages, or some degree of uneven ages. You are just noticing the more uneven ones preferentially. (Although indeed it can add a dramatic element, depending, like any other disjoint cultural aspect that must be worked through by one's characters.) There are lots of even or nearly even pairs as well, that pass by unremarked. Miles and Ekaterin, ferex. Ingrey and Ijada are pretty close, as are Fiametta and Thur, Ista and Illvin, Simon and Alys... the list goes on, but no one makes breathless comments about the near-age-pairs; invisible, I guess.
Ta, L.
It's merely a variant. There are only two choices of age-spreads for romantic partners; dead-even ages, or some degree of uneven ages. You are just noticing the more uneven ones preferentially. (Although indeed it can add a dramatic element, depending, like any other disjoint cultural aspect that must be worked through by one's characters.) There are lots of even or nearly even pairs as well, that pass by unremarked. Miles and Ekaterin, ferex. Ingrey and Ijada are pretty close, as are Fiametta and Thur, Ista and Illvin, Simon and Alys... the list goes on, but no one makes breathless comments about the near-age-pairs; invisible, I guess.
Ta, L.
More Answered Questions
Alexandra
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
Iirc, you recommended the Griffin & Whyborne series; I've recently found a writer with similarly themed work and am wondering if you'd ever tried her -- K J Charles? There's even a Tor.com article (https://bit.ly/2FCtuSH) Just curious about your response, that's all.
Richard
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
You have in the past mentioned that you often decide the theme of a book by asking yourself, what is the worst possible thing I can do to my main character and how will they react. I can see that in your writing but it also seems to me that an underlying theme of most of your books is that damaged people are drawn to damaged people. Or might it be rather that damage people might be more interesting to write?
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