Hello again, sirs and madams, and welcome back to the blog-about.
When last we spoke, I was apprising you of the mysterious story sent to me by my friend, the story that had been written on twenty or so bundles of antiquated parchment and had been boldly left upon his unsuspecting doorstep.
I have now read the first chapter of the tale, and I must admit that I have done so with celerity, for my great literary passion often excites in me a profound voracity for reading, and there is little to be done about it.
At any rate, I have faithfully transcribed this first chapter and uploaded it to the blog-about; a link to the text is provided below. I highly recommend, my friends, that you follow that link and read the chapter for yourself before you read my commentary, for it is true in matters of literature that an individual should always develop his own, personal relationship with a story before considering the opinion of another. I implore you, then, to experience the tale for yourself before you allow my words to sway you. There will, after all, be plenty of time for them to sway you afterwards.
And now, having warned you, I will proceed to deliver the commentary.
I have little to say about the author's foreword that I did not say in my last post. I am intrigued, however, by what this Jonathon fellow says about “the notion of heroism,” implying that a true hero is someone who is willing to forsake or otherwise transcend his humanity in the name of overcoming fear. Alternatively, the statement could mean that a hero is so drastically changed by having overcome his fear that he can only be recognized as something other than human by those around him. I find this idea intriguing, and I hope that it is more thoroughly explored as the story progresses.
Broadly speaking, this is a story of the eighteenth ruler of the kingdom of Orofyld and his rise to power. This ruler, whose name is Bida, is introduced to us immediately, and we are given some insight into his upbringing as a young swordsman. We meet his friend Rafael, who is a chosen knight of the Sun God, and we follow their exploits as they defend their village from a band of brutish orcs and attempt to rescue their childhood friend from captivity. Ultimately, they fail to save her, and their village is destroyed by a cursed talisman. As the chapter ends, Bida and Rafael go their separate ways, swearing to reunite one day and wreak their vengeance on the evil sorcerer who has brought them such misfortune.
The setting of the story is rather vague. We know that it takes place in the kingdom of Orofyld, but we do not know much about that kingdom or where it is located. We can only assume that it exists in geographical seclusion from any other kingdoms or landmasses, surrounded, perhaps, by vast oceans. As for the “when,” we know only that the story begins some time during the reign of the seventeenth ruler of this kingdom.
What most perplexes me thus far is the ambivalent tone of the author. As Jonathon himself states in the foreword, the tale is intended to be an historical account of the rise of King Orofyld XVIII, and there are several passages, such as the valiant battles against Chunky the Orc and Saint Rupert, that certainly possess the laudatory detail which would be expected of such an account. However, the parenthetical comments inserted by Jonathon throughout the chapter have a sarcastic ring to them, and details such as the origin of the hero's full name, “Bida Bo Bida,” seem blatantly derisive, eliciting humor at the expense of the hero's dignity. The author's comical intent is too frank and genuine to be satirical...and yet, he is absolutely mocking his king, the one who he is supposed to be (and, oddly, still is) praising. I wonder why the author intentionally crafted the tone in such a way—I very much doubt that it was done in error, for he seems to be, at the very least, an intelligent man, and I believe that he must have had some rationale for writing in this manner.
I do not have much more to say, except that while I would say that I found this first chapter to be both memorable and amusing, I cannot convince myself of the truth of any of the events I have just read, and I am entirely baffled that my associate in the Americas would declare them to be true. Really, I wonder if he is enjoying a distasteful joke at my expense, if perhaps he has written this story himself and has gone to such lengths to deceive me for the sake of his own amusement, for he possesses both the mischievous personality and the leisurely lifestyle which would drive him to invent and carry out such designs.
His feasible treachery notwithstanding, I will continue to read and critique this tale, for despite my confusion and my reluctance to accept it as a factual account, I do confess that I am uniquely charmed by the heroics of Bida and Rafael, and by Jonathon's treasonous wit. I look forward to discussing the chapters to follow, and I do hope, sirs and madams, that you will join me in my examination of this strange and fascinating history.
Ever yours, and ever classy,
Good Sir Darcy