a trip through time

[bedlamsbard]

Y'all are so lucky that my friends dragged me off when they did; you almost got subjected to a long rambling post wherein I tried to timeline out when exactly I read Narnia for the first time.

I just got back from the meeting I was at (Intensive Newcomb, a.k.a. the gender and sexuality studies club, wherein we watched Beyonce music videos and I tried really hard not to talk about genderfuck) and called my mother and together we reasoned it out.

I had the books read to me when I was in kindergarten -- 1995, a year that I was five. I don't know when I read them myself. It was probably around the same time that I had The Hobbit read to me, but after I had the entirety of Edgar Rice Burroughs' work read to me -- the reason we know it was 1995 is because Burroughs' last, unfinished book came out in 1995, and that was the last book my dad read to me.

I read LotR in 1999, the same year I read HP; I know I was reading Tamora Pierce in 2000 but not if that was the first time I was reading it (there was an earthquake this year; I remember I threw the book over my head before I got under the desk. It was one of the Circle of Magic books; I think it might have been Tris's Book or Sandry's Book but I'm not sure). I read Patricia C. Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles before I read Pierce, but I'm not sure when. I know I was reading Mercedes Lackey in 2000-2001 but not if I was beforehand. I know I was reading Diana Gabaldon in 2000-2001 as well (for, you know, the screwed up factor). I am almost positive I read Robin McKinley for the first time in 2000-2001 as well. (The reason I remember the 2000-2001 books is because that's the first time I had friends who were really into the same types of books as me.) I know I was reading Diana Wynne Jones in middle school, but not if I was reading it in elementary school as well. (My elementary school years: 1995-2001. My middle school years: 2001-2004. My high school years: 2004-2008. For age reference, I was born in January of 1990.)

Wait. I had to be reading Jones in elementary school; I have a new hardback edition (well, it was new at the time) of Year of the Griffin, and that came out in 2000.

I also read pretty much the entirety of Nancy Drew at some point in time; we bought them in the Costco sixpacks and I'd read them on the way from Ellensburg to my grandmother's house in West Seattle and I'd have four or five out of the six read. Which means that that was sometime after we moved to Ellensburg but before my grandmother moved to Bremerton; I don't remember the year. 2001, maybe? Or 2003?)

I know I read Marion Zimmer Bradley in middle school; I may or may not have read her in elementary school; I know for sure that I read The Mists of Avalon in middle school.

Obviously there were other authors, but I'm relatively sure they didn't make as much of an impression. (I did read Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons at some point, too.)

I was pretty much raised on the Greek myths and Edgar Rice Burroughs, as well as the children's editions of all these classic novels (Treasure Island, A Tale of Two Cities, etc.). I can't seem to find the editions online.

I did not have any real concept of Christianity probably until the later part of my middle school years; I remember because LotR was in theatres and there were a lot of newspaper articles about the religious motifs in that, and Narnia was brought up there, probably because it was coming out fairly soon afterwards. I can tell you that the day I learned that LWW was being made into a movie I was friggin' ecstatic, and I bounced up to one of my best friends, a fellow writer, and happily burbled the news to her. Her reaction: "I've never read Narnia."

So there went that.

I don't think I really understood Narnia as Christian metaphor until after LWW came out and I went looking for fic, and post-LWW fic did tend to be much more religious than post-PC fic. (Or at least it was in the circles I was reading, which was Peter/Susan.)

The first time I had Christianity shoved at me was, I think, in first or second grade? There was one of those horse books -- yes, I went through that stage too -- where there was a very recalcitrant stallion named Satan, and I liked the way the name sounded. And I told one of my friends, and she told me I was going to hell.

And then in, I think, second or third grade, another friend tried to teach me how to pray. It clearly did not stick. The hardcore paganism kicked in around middle school, but I don't think I had a good idea of what Christianity was about, probably not until early high school.

I think I read S.M. Stirling in 2002 or 2003. (I'm trying to date books from when I remember reading them for the first time as new editions and when they came out.) George R.R. Martin's much harder to date, since there's so long between his books, but I know that AFfC came out in 2005 and I bought it as soon as it did, so I'm going to guess I started reading Martin in 2004. It's harder for me to guess when I started reading Dennis Lehane, but I'm going to say probably around 2004, if not later. I know I read Lehane after the move Mystic River had already came out, but I don't remember if Shutter Island had just come out in paperback or hardcover.

I entered fandom in 2001 following the release of the movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone; I don't think the first fanfic I read is online anymore. I was hardcore HP up through, I think, 2003, which is when OotP came out. Then I wasn't for a while; I never got back into HP to the extent that I was. I did NaNo for the first time in 2004. I got into CSI:NY and onto LJ in 2005, and the rest is documented history.

So, to recap, the short, all-Narnia version: first had the books read to me when I was five, don't know when I read them myself but I know I did several times because damn, my copies are worn (VotDT especially), but not as worn as my LotR books, did not have a functional understanding of Christianity until late middle school/early high school.

So if you want to know where I'm coming from? That's it.

ETA: I definitely read Diana Wynne Jones in elementary school; my dog died in fourth grade and I was in 4-H; I remember asking my 4-H leader about dogs with white fur and red ears. She was taken aback.

Other books I read, and I'm remembering this now, include the Little House on the Prairie books, the Prydain Chronicles, the Dark Is Rising books, most of Michael Crichton, and Tom Clancy. I'm trying to remember if I got into fandom in 2001 or 2002; I know it was one of those two years but I don't remember which one. My references give me 2002 and --

FanLore gives me a date. I remember that I started reading the DT on Schnoogle, but I also chased it back to the Pit of Voles, and it was taken down in 2001, so I started in fandom in 2001. Except the dates don't quite add up. *frowns* I'm pretty sure it was 2001, though.

Dude. According to Wikipedia, William Moseley auditioned to be Harry Potter in PS. I AM SO GLAD THAT DID NOT WORK OUT.

Comments

[realpestilence.livejournal.com]

NOBODY has a functional understanding of Christianity, bedlam, not even *them*.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

I don't think I even understood the concept.

[realpestilence.livejournal.com]

It's just variations on a theme...the Hero with a Thousand Faces, Dionysus being torn apart and reborn, the Year King being sacrificed in the fields for the crops...that's why I can't take it too seriously as the ONE TRUE religion. There's too much shared symbology with other religions, both ones that were impacted by it back when Christianity arose as a cult and the ones it impacted. And the ones in places where they hadn't heard of it and still had similar ideas.

Just look at how many cultures have local versions of a Cinderella tale, even though they had no contact with Europe prior to the time of origin. Some ideas are just common to humanity. *shrugs*

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

*snaps fingers* Once, in class, everyone else did Jesus Christ references to a character. I did Prometheus, because, dude, I can talk about the Greek myths all you want, but I cannot talk about Christianity. I don't think I even really had a working knowledge of Christianity until I had to use it in lit crit.

[lassiterfics.livejournal.com]

christianity (and judeo-christian religions in general, and religions in general i guess!) is such a rich resource of symbolism and metaphor. it's so loaded and beautiful, and it's all like SACRIFICE and ETERNITY and FORGIVENESS and it's just such a poignant response to human frailty. you know i'm not religious, but i love digging into this stuff.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

i am getting that now, because i'm finally at a point where i can get some references, but i know i'm missing a hell of a lot. i might take a bible as literature class at some point in time.

at least i know it'll count for my classical studies minor!

[lassiterfics.livejournal.com]

According to Wikipedia, William Moseley auditioned to be Harry Potter in PS.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

WHAT

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

OH FOOLHARDY BOYS OF DESTINED DOOM

AND SUSAN IS HERMIONE AND EDMUND IS RON

CASPIAN IS DOBBY

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

I KNOW. LASS, I KNOW.

i just can't imagine him with black hair. OR GLASSES.

peter could kick harry's ass, anyway.

[lassiterfics.livejournal.com]

NEITHER CAN I but i bet he'd still be pretty. fhdjksfh that william moseley, HOGGING ALL THE PRETTY FOR HIMSELF WTF
DID THEY NOT TEACH HIM HOW TO SHARE IN KINDERGARTEN OR WHATEV


hey hey at some point next month i am going to see harry potter's schlong 'equus' and i cannot wait. whee!

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

now i want to write peter/harry. i am not sure how this would work; i already wrote peter/tom riddle.

god, my peter sleeps around a lot. right now he's flirting with jack sparrow a pirate. IN JAIL.

no self-preservation instincts, that one.

we reac about equus in my theatre arts class. IT IS SCREWED UP.

[lassiterfics.livejournal.com]

the wood between the worlds? or peter falling through the barrier at king's cross, because he may be no wizard but he's magic-touched. and then... something with time-turners?

cognitive dissonance! 'cos when i see peter/harry i automatically thought pettigrew, even though we had been talking about pevensie.

THAT'S IT, I DARE YOU TO WRITE ABOUT NARNIAN STDS


yay! i am excited. XD

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

THERE IS A FIFTY YEAR GAP damn it. (i don't see why this is bothering me now, i'm sure i could come up with something.)

oh. you said time-turners.

whoa. that time when you said peter/harry i automatically thought spider-man and peter parker/harry osborn. MORE COGNITIVE DISSONANCE.

HE HAS NOT ACTUALLY SLEPT WITH ANYONE YET.

[lassiterfics.livejournal.com]

omg peter pevensie/harry osborn! (he knew princes like harry, soft with pride and longing to be hard.) omg harry potter/peter parker! (but before the spell escapes harry's lips, peter shoots webbing and his wand is stuck to the wall with it. "none of that," peter warns, "you're not getting out of vacuuming duty again time.")

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

you know what this calls for: immortal!susan and resurrected!peter.


earlier peter had sat in on the interview with agent samuelson and carefully, systematically, built an entire army of folded paper animals out of his legal pad, arranging them in battle lines on the table behind the bare cover of the water pitcher, samuelson shooting him irritated looks every few minutes when harry osborn and his lawyers aren't looking.

afterwards, he leaves samuelson in the hotel and goes out to the nearest bar, wishing that susan was here and not in california chasing down that industrialist tony stark.

"special agent pevensie."

he turns around, holding his glass of scotch between two fingers. "mr. osborn."

"just harry's fine," the boy says, and his face is sharp enough to cut, like edmund's had been.

[lassiterfics.livejournal.com]

I WAS HOPING YOU'D SAY THAT

it comes up that his father died, not too long ago.

"must've been hard," says peter, voice soft but eyes unreadable.

harry looks up at him, blurry with drink. "of course. of course it was hard. peter--"

"agent pevensie," he corrects graciously. "or mister, if you prefer."

harry smiles. "agent pevensie." peter senses the change in his voice; whatever harry was about to confide to peter, he is not about to confide to agent pevensie. "i notice you have a way with origami."

peter shrugs. "i'm good with my hands."

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

OH BABY. it has been too long.


it takes a few more drinks for peter to get harry to the point where he says, "my father was murdered."

"i'm very sorry," peter says. he's been watching his drinks, he always does, even with his tolerance.

"he was murdered by a thing, by a monster --"

"mmm," peter says neutrally. he's read the files on new york, of course; he and samuelson both had. norman osborn's name comes up often.

harry grabs his sleeve. "do you know what it's like to lose someone you love?"

peter looks down at his hand. "yes," he says, and thinks, edmund, lucy, narnia. "i do."

[lassiterfics.livejournal.com]

"it's late," says peter. "i should go."

"let me drop you off," says harry, taking out enough cash to pay for both their drinks.

"that's not necessary."

"i know. what, do people not believe in the kindness of strangers anymore?"

peter raises an eyebrow. "do you?"

"i'm trying to, peter, i'm trying hard," harry replies, and peter doesn't correct him this time.

in the back of harry's car, they sit with conspicuous distance distance between them, like now that harry has peter in his car, his job is done and there's nothing more to do but stare out the window at the city going by.

"my best friend's name is peter," harry finally says.

"i don't know anyone called harry," peter replies.

harry turns and smiles at him, a cracked smile tinged with liquor on the rocks. "well, you do now."

[ineptshieldmaid.livejournal.com]

wherein we watched Beyonce music videos and I tried really hard not to talk about genderfuck

Was that the video for 'If I Were A Boy'? I am stupidly fond of that song, but when I finally found the video... SO MUCH UNEXPLOITED GENDERFUCK POTENTIAL.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

That would be it. That and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)."

[ineptshieldmaid.livejournal.com]

SO MUCH UNEXPLOITED GENDERFUCK. THat is all.

Also: Susan Pevensie is a nuisance to carry around as an imaginary friend. Woman thinks fantasy fiction is for those who can't cope with reality, and that imaginary friends are for the weak-minded. I HAVE BEEN CONDESCENDED TO BY AN IMAGINARY CHARACTER ALL AFTERNOON.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

YES. And I was there with a fannish friend, and afterwards we both started talking about genderfuck.

*laughs at you* Well, that's what you get when you pick Susan...

[1aquaesulis76.livejournal.com]

*demanding more Peter Pevensie crossovers...*

This: "earlier peter had sat in on the interview with agent samuelson and carefully, systematically, built an entire army of folded paper animals out of his legal pad, arranging them in battle lines on the table behind the bare cover of the water pitcher, samuelson shooting him irritated looks every few minutes when harry osborn and his lawyers aren't looking."

Made me cry, in a good way. Only Peter! DIY chess? I can imagine him doing this at school too. The best way to pass time during tedious Latin lessons! (An explantion Pevensie? Well sir, I was just reconstructing the epic battle between Gluteus Maximus and Asterix the Gaul... (writers note, have the Asterix books been published yet? Must check..))

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

I wrote Peter/Sarah Connor once...

You just know he staged the entire battle, too.

I am carefully forcing myself not to write the scene in school when Peter gets in a screaming fight with his history professor over the Romans and Hannibal at Cannae.

[1aquaesulis76.livejournal.com]

"I am carefully forcing myself not to write the scene in school when Peter gets in a screaming fight with his history professor over the Romans and Hannibal at Cannae."

*is sad*

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

It may come up as a flashback in Dust. Everything else does, after all. *rolls eyes* Like the time Peter and Susan got arrested for fighting in London. Good times, good times.