Linden and her Covenantaphilia....

Book 1 of the Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant

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Kaos Arcanna
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Linden and her Covenantaphilia....

Post by Kaos Arcanna »

Is it me or is Linden's constant thoughts of Covenant bordering on obsession?

If she spent less time thinking about how she's not Covenant and how Covenant did this or that and that she was the woman who stood beside Covenant when he did X, then she might be a lot more productive?
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Re: Linden and her Covenantaphilia....

Post by iQuestor »

Kaos Arcanna wrote:Is it me or is Linden's constant thoughts of Covenant bordering on obsession?

If she spent less time thinking about how she's not Covenant and how Covenant did this or that and that she was the woman who stood beside Covenant when he did X, then she might be a lot more productive?

its almost as if she knew the series was named after him.... ;)
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Re: Linden and her Covenantaphilia....

Post by emotional leper »

Kaos Arcanna wrote:Is it me or is Linden's constant thoughts of Covenant bordering on obsession?

If she spent less time thinking about how she's not Covenant and how Covenant did this or that and that she was the woman who stood beside Covenant when he did X, then she might be a lot more productive?
Covenant changed Linden. Covenant gave Linden the ability to actually live above and beyond the bare biological functioning. And then he was taken away from her.

Covenant:Linden::Joan:Covenant in terms of obsession.
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Post by Damack »

I think this is another of SRD's contradictions of character: he makes Linden out to be a whiny, annoying, "I can't do anything without Covenant" type of gal only to give her moments of strength and clarity in other situations so that she might live up to a semi heroine status like TC is/was.

Or, he just might be setting us up to really appreciate Covenant's eventual return (hopeful) so at least there'll be a buffer to Linden's constant whining. But I do find it amusing to think of Covenant as a buffer to anyone because as an anti-hero, Covenant definitely requires buffers of his own. Again the contradictions... :)
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Re: Linden and her Covenantaphilia....

Post by wayfriend »

Kaos Arcanna wrote:If she spent less time thinking about how she's not Covenant and how Covenant did this or that and that she was the woman who stood beside Covenant when he did X, then she might be a lot more productive?
I can't agree with that assessment.

Sure, in the prolog to Runes, the author explains a lot of the backstory between her and Covenant. Since, as it has been noted, its a story about Covenant. But you can't count that as its really backstory, nothing that Linden is doing in the story's present tense.

Then there's the fact that someone is sending her visions of Covenant, and Covenant is talking to her in her dreams, and the Masters are explaining how they do everything they do because of Covenant, and the Ramen are going on and on about how they honor Covenant, and Esmer is blaming Covenant for "havoc", and the Elohim are walking around going beware the halfhand, and the Humbled are waving Covenant hands in Linden's face, and Covenant's wife has white gold and is creating ceasures, and Covenant's son got her summoned to the Land ... I'm sure that this is bound to cause Linden to think of Covenant from time to time.

Then there's the fact that she needs to defeat Lord Foul, and there's only one person in the whole of the Land that has ever done that - that's sure to cause some thoughts.

Given all of that, I didn't find Linden dwelling on Covenant more than was warranted. Perhaps some specific examples could point out the issue.
Damack wrote:Linden's constant whining
Sticking to Runes due to the forum... where was the constant whining?
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Post by Relayer »

What I agree with from the OP is that Linden does have a habit of thinking things like "she was not Covenant..." and viewing him as a "legendary hero" like Berek or Giants or Haruchai, while discounting herself and what she has contributed. She doesn't realize that if the history of the Land were still told, she would also be a legendary hero, equal with the others, to the current peoples of the Land. As soon as she proves to Stave who she is, he offers to aid her in any way the Masters can. Does this not reflect on her worth?

Because of this, she tends to doubt herself where others, including the Ranyhyn and myself, do not. As I've posted before, "Be the Chosen."
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Post by White Gold Ark »

You can all chose to criticise Linden Avery about her obsession with Covenant, but here we all know that Covenant is a fictional character, and still there is an entire forum with tons of members to discuss every intricacy of the books. :)

Imagine how much more impressive Covenant would have been in person, then try and tell me that Linden thinks about him too much.
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Post by jacob Raver, sinTempter »

Relayer wrote:What I agree with from the OP is that Linden does have a habit of thinking things like "she was not Covenant..." and viewing him as a "legendary hero" like Berek or Giants or Haruchai, while discounting herself and what she has contributed. She doesn't realize that if the history of the Land were still told, she would also be a legendary hero, equal with the others, to the current peoples of the Land. As soon as she proves to Stave who she is, he offers to aid her in any way the Masters can. Does this not reflect on her worth?

Because of this, she tends to doubt herself where others, including the Ranyhyn and myself, do not. As I've posted before, "Be the Chosen."
SRD probably wants to downplay that little part at the end of the 2nd Chrons where Linden is like, near omnipotent and has no problems or contradictions using both the Staff and the Ring.
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Post by thewormoftheworld'send »

jacob Raver, sinTempter wrote:
Relayer wrote:What I agree with from the OP is that Linden does have a habit of thinking things like "she was not Covenant..." and viewing him as a "legendary hero" like Berek or Giants or Haruchai, while discounting herself and what she has contributed. She doesn't realize that if the history of the Land were still told, she would also be a legendary hero, equal with the others, to the current peoples of the Land. As soon as she proves to Stave who she is, he offers to aid her in any way the Masters can. Does this not reflect on her worth?

Because of this, she tends to doubt herself where others, including the Ranyhyn and myself, do not. As I've posted before, "Be the Chosen."
SRD probably wants to downplay that little part at the end of the 2nd Chrons where Linden is like, near omnipotent and has no problems or contradictions using both the Staff and the Ring.
I've already harped on this at length here back in 2007. TC advises LA to "find me," not literally, but as a metaphoric part of herself. Didn't he tell her at the end of WGW, in the vastness between worlds, that he would be a part of her forever?

But of course LA took his advice literally, and you can see the result of that. LA does not even possess the basic wisdom of TC's Unbelief, or the paradox of caring where one does not believe. She lacks the rudimentary wisdom required by someone from the "real" world to survive in the Land and to solve its problems.

Knowing at least this much, LA mistakenly thinks she needs to literally find TC.

SRD must be getting some kind of huge kick out of all this.
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