Is the "real" world OUR world?

Post by **caamora** » Fri Jul 04, 2003 3:16 pm

Is it just me or have we all assumed that TC's world is OUR world? The world that TC lives in bears virtually every resemblance to our earth. Are we as humans so self-centered that we assume that the only world Covenant [/i]could come from is our own?

I was thinking this morning (I know, I know, a dangerous thing to do!) and it occurred to me that TC's world might just be a different world. I always just assumed that it was our world and TC came from somewhere in the midwest of America. But there is nothing in the books that state this or state exactly where he lives. It is always the town, the highway, the mountain. SRD never gives us specifics.

Post by **[Syl]** » Fri Jul 04, 2003 4:09 pm

Well, to take the easy out, I'd say not, since it's fictitious, though I'd also say it's probably about as close to our reality as SRD could make it.

Post by **Kinslaughterer** » Fri Jul 04, 2003 4:58 pm

It certainly seems like our world. Linden received the note "Jesus Saves" and Covenant went to the Christian revival. Although these things exist in our world I suppose they could exist in another as well. Would they name Leprosy "Hanson's Disease" in another world or would it have a different name?

Dear old Donaldson's world sounds a little like my neck of the woods here in Bunker Hill, WV. Lots of little towns, half abandoned farms and generally ignorant people in the eastern panhandle of the state. Now however its getting hacked apart like the One Forest with new repulsive housing developments full of Northern Virginians and former city dwellers. Its not as bad as you may have heard in the jokes though.

Post by **caamora** » Fri Jul 04, 2003 8:44 pm

VERY good points, Kinslaughterer! I had forgotten about the "Jesus Saves" and Hansen's Disease. Those points do, indeed, link the real world to our world.

Thank you

.

Post by **danlo** » Fri Jul 04, 2003 11:47 pm

2 me Utah is a world un2 itself...yet it is mentioned...

KaosArcana · Post by **KaosArcana** » Sat Jul 05, 2003 8:11 pm

caamora

VERY good points, Kinslaughterer! I had forgotten about the "Jesus Saves" and Hansen's Disease. Those points do, indeed, link the real world to our world.

Thank you

.

Not necessarily. Remember High Lord Kevin? Lena and Elena? If we
go by one or two names, then we could say the Land is really in
our world too.

And then there's the fact that everyone in the Land spoke English...

Post by **Kinslaughterer** » Sat Jul 05, 2003 8:26 pm

The biggest difference however is the monolithic evil present in the Land. There are virtually no evil people only Foul and the Ravers. This place is full of maniacs (like me?).

What if they don't speak English? What it Donaldson is actually writing a translation from Rongo Rongo or Mandarian Chinese?

Post by **caamora** » Sun Jul 06, 2003 12:32 am

Danlo, is Utah really mentioned? Where? I don't remember that.

Kaos, if we go by names and say that the Land is really in our world too, then isn't that almost the same as saying that the Land is a figment of TC's delusions

since he is in our world?

KaosArcana · Post by **KaosArcana** » Sun Jul 06, 2003 2:15 am

Kinslaughterer:

The biggest difference however is the monolithic evil present in the Land. There are virtually no evil people only Foul and the Ravers. This place is full of maniacs (like me?).

What if they don't speak English? What it Donaldson is actually writing a translation from Rongo Rongo or Mandarian Chinese?

What are the odds that Hile Troy, Linden Avery, and Thomas Covenant
would all be abled to speak Rongo Rongo or Mandarian?

Post by **Kinslaughterer** » Sun Jul 06, 2003 2:17 am

Rongo Rongo; not so good since no one actually speaks it now. However more people speak Chinese than English.

KaosArcana · Post by **KaosArcana** » Sun Jul 06, 2003 3:30 am

Kinslaughterer:

Rongo Rongo; not so good since no one actually speaks it now. However more people speak Chinese than English.

Mandarin Chinese isn't the same as regular Chinese, I believe... so
it's very possible it doesn't have more speakers than English. And
how many people named Thomas Covenant, Hile Troy, or Linden
Avery would likely be native Chinese speakers?

Post by **Kinslaughterer** » Sun Jul 06, 2003 3:36 am

No, Mandarian Chinese isn't the same but I'd still put that number around oh eight hundred million or so. And I believe Thomas Covenant in Chinese is Cao Cao (ever read or played the Romance of the Three Kingdoms? It is said he was a great hero to save the land or a wicked villian to destroy it. How paradoxical)

KaosArcana · Post by **KaosArcana** » Sun Jul 06, 2003 3:37 am

Looks like about 70& of the Chinese speak Mandarin Chinese....

Estimate I saw was that about 885 million people spoke it.

However, I seem to recall that English is actually the official
language of India, so the number of speakers of English in
the world may be equivalent or more... depending on your
definition of "native" speakers, I guess.

Post by **Kinslaughterer** » Sun Jul 06, 2003 3:41 am

That's just the arrogant English talking there. There is no conceiveable way more people in India speak English rather than Hindi.

You know I'm starting to feel kind of stupid. Don't worry its not new for me.

Post by **hamako** » Mon Jul 07, 2003 12:41 pm

doesn't really matter though does it? TC's dilemma initially was that the Land wasn't real in comparison to where he came from. That's it really, isn't it.

Post by **Kinslaughterer** » Mon Jul 07, 2003 2:10 pm

Perhaps it doesn't matter but caamora asked if we thought it was our world. I tend to think so.

Post by **Skyweir** » Mon Jul 07, 2003 2:11 pm

kaos and kinslaughterer's little tet e tet wrote:mandarin chinese and rongo rongo

lol ..

rofl .. its amazing how much we can find to .. umm discuss

LOL ..

yes Hamako .. I would agree!!

and danlo where is Utah mentioned? that is really quite funny!! are there any other US states mentioned .. if so then that would certainly support TC's world is on a parallel to this one .. or just coincidentally is a place with very similar state names

I think it is not so important whether TC's world is our world or not .. but that there were at least 2 worlds that TC experienced .. his own and another -> The Land.

Post by **Earthfriend** » Mon Jul 07, 2003 2:18 pm

i think Donaldson was definately trying to describe TC's world as 'real', and American, though i do like caamora's suggestion that it might not be. Very interesting...

Unfortunately, i don't think the text supports that reading

As to the side-bar on language, well, according to my linguistics tutor English is the language most widely spoken in our world, followed closely by Chinese. (There is apparently much debate amongst Linguistics as to whether Mandarin and Cantonese are seperate languages or seperate dialects of the same language).

And as for the Land, what with Covenant being able to speak thier language and all, i guess he must have borrowed a Universal Translator from Picard!

Post by **[Syl]** » Mon Jul 07, 2003 2:27 pm

Or a babel fish

Post by **Skyweir** » Mon Jul 07, 2003 2:35 pm

I've never had a problem with the fact the inhabitants of the Land have no problem communicating with TC and visa versa .. if the Creator was the medium in his translation to The Land .. I guess he would enable his ability to communicate with the inhabitants that he could fulfill his designed purpose there ..

and it would be utterly boring to read ..

errtiggiin shsbbitt zing bong sttieroott .. to which TC replied .. I'm sorry could you repeat that .. I failed to embrace your meaning .. blaaah blaaah ..

then a chapter where TC learns to communicate with the knights that say "Ni" .. and another chapter dedicated to his aquisition of the Language of the Giants etc etc...

its interesting that within one world .. all inhabitants have no difficulty communicating with one another .. even those from different races .. except for the urviles .. i think they spoke a different language all together ..

*shrugs* ..

Kevin's Watch

Kevin's Watch

Is the "real" world OUR world?

Is the "real" world OUR world?

Okay. I was wrong.