Lois McMaster Bujold Fans discussion

"'If his brilliance had any flaw, it was in his very versatility, which stole away the sustained effort that would...' she cut off her words, but the thought flowed on. Dy Lutez's many great starts, she realized at this distance, had not been matched by nearly as many great finishes. Fragrant in the flower, green and cankered in the fruit."
What a waste of virtues. Dead capital. And he thought so much of himself.

Hehe, I love that Bujold can create a character like Arvol dy Lutez -- where else in fantasy is there such a "waste of virtues" as you put it? In any other fantasy book, Arvol would've been one or the other -- either debased like Dondo dy Jironal, or a paragon of virtue who just happened to fail. The fact that he came so close and then failed was exactly the right point to make everything worse, as dictated by the General's Curse.

Of course, to answer your question directly, if he existed he would be tremendously irritating. . .

Well, yeah. I like how in Curse of Chalion, he is seen as so virtuous. Then in (?) next book, we see him from the perspective of someone who knew him, and he is kind of an irritating asshat. Pride and egotism rule his world, to the extent that he totally neglects his wife and son.

"he totally neglects his wife"
and, yeah, I know he was gay, but he was also human.. could have shown some compassion.

*Whiny* But they embarassed him. . . ;)

Ha!

No compassion for a man who could go on hurting his child the way he did. I could just whip him for that. One of my children suffered tremendously because his schoolteacher did not like him. When he was in the third grade elementary school, he came home and cried his heart out: "Why doesn't she like me? I just want her to like me!" I could whip her too, even today when he is almost of full-age. And she was *just* his schoolteacher. Imagine the pain of a child being so... dropped like a dirty handkerchief by one's own father, a shining object of adoration. I could just whip him bloody.
Things between spouses may go bad, they may grow estranged and cease to love each other - it is sad, but can be understood, *but* this should not by any means interfere with their relationship with their children.
However, I agree with Phoenixfalls, it is so like Bujold to give us such a revealing of an assumed mortar. Some lesser writer would probably justify Arvol, and make excuses for him being like this, because of his vast amount of "other" responsibilities. Aral managed. Arvol could too, if he wanted. And it elegantly solved Ista from her inner burden of guilt too, in her, and in our eyes.

I missed you people :D