Shadow and Bone - Ch. 5
Jul. 29th, 2012 12:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rainwatersparkI think I really might do a "Let's Read" of this book, it's getting so much on my nerves that I need a distraction.
So I was intrigued by the map on the cover of the book, showing not just Ravka, but two other countries: Fjerda and Shu Han. Shu Han is obviously the pseudo-China, while Fjerda, I'm guessing, is a pseudo-Sweden.
Of course, rather than existing to provide more interesting worldbuilding, the two countries are vilified. Look at how evil they are! They don't treat their mages (I'm going to call the Grisha "mages" here, because I doubt they're called Grisha in the other countries) well, while Ravka is so enlightened!
Yawn. Of course, let's forget that China was far more advanced than Europe in the pre-modern era, and let's ignore Swedish culture completely.
I might have mentioned this before, but I hate blanketing an entire group/country as Teh Evulz. If Alina was saying this, and saying something like "those superstitious Shu Han are so backward" or "those pagan Fjerdans are so barbaric," this could have been an interesting study in cultural clashes and racism, but instead it's the Darkling who's making these judgments, whom we're supposed to respect.
I still don't get why Ravka, Fjerda, and Shu Han exist in such an antagonistic relationship. So Shu Han and Fjerda are taking advantage of Ravka's separation from its coastline to...do what, exactly? It doesn't sound like they want to invade--Shu Han is separated from Ravka geographically by a mountain range, while there's that weird Permafrost region between Fjerda and Ravka. Are they competing for the same monopoly over overseas trading? Or are they each vying for power? (Where's the rest of the continent, anyway?)
So I was intrigued by the map on the cover of the book, showing not just Ravka, but two other countries: Fjerda and Shu Han. Shu Han is obviously the pseudo-China, while Fjerda, I'm guessing, is a pseudo-Sweden.
Of course, rather than existing to provide more interesting worldbuilding, the two countries are vilified. Look at how evil they are! They don't treat their mages (I'm going to call the Grisha "mages" here, because I doubt they're called Grisha in the other countries) well, while Ravka is so enlightened!
Yawn. Of course, let's forget that China was far more advanced than Europe in the pre-modern era, and let's ignore Swedish culture completely.
I might have mentioned this before, but I hate blanketing an entire group/country as Teh Evulz. If Alina was saying this, and saying something like "those superstitious Shu Han are so backward" or "those pagan Fjerdans are so barbaric," this could have been an interesting study in cultural clashes and racism, but instead it's the Darkling who's making these judgments, whom we're supposed to respect.
I still don't get why Ravka, Fjerda, and Shu Han exist in such an antagonistic relationship. So Shu Han and Fjerda are taking advantage of Ravka's separation from its coastline to...do what, exactly? It doesn't sound like they want to invade--Shu Han is separated from Ravka geographically by a mountain range, while there's that weird Permafrost region between Fjerda and Ravka. Are they competing for the same monopoly over overseas trading? Or are they each vying for power? (Where's the rest of the continent, anyway?)
