SECTION 8: Chapters 20-22 [End of Part II]

[Ian]

Here are some possible starting points for discussion when the group read formally commences:

1. Working out how to leave.

2. "I'll be back." He smiled and so I said the words again for him in an Austrian accent.

More evidence of CM's sense of humor.

3. Still no sign of Jaris.

4. Letter to Bowden. "It's a warning."

5. Borlu to Corwi: "...you're good, and...you're the soul of discretion."

What is the relationship between these two?

6. Borlu describes Corwi as a "sequined Ute Lemper look-alike".

For those who mightn't be familiar with her music, here is a photo (without sequins):



And a 1992 live performance of "La Vie En Rose" & "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCswMK...

If you don't like the version of "La Vie en Rose", for fans of Proust, here's another by a 10 year old Madeleine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPGF9o...

7. The crossing is planned for Copula Hall

8. Bowden is to join them

9. A sniper shoots Dhatt and kills Yolanda.

10. Borlu shoots the sniper

11. Breach!

[Andrea]

ok, Ian, you asked about gender issues. I have always thought of the Borlu/Corwi relationship as one without any gender baggage, one of typical police procedural partners, with huge mutual loyalty and trust, without any of the usual gender stuff of a male not wanting to put a female into danger,etc. Borlu does not hestitate to call on Corwi, putting her into danger of breaking the law (twice).
Its interesting that CM likens her to a very pretty woman, who is very talented - musician, actress, author, painter, mother - perhaps CM uses this to highlight that her physical attractiveness has nothing to do with her worth as a person? ie irrelevant to her many talents.
To me, the Borlu/Corwi relationship is androgenous, without gender or sexual undertones.

[Ian]

I totally agree. But what about the sequins?

[Andrea]

maybe she just likes trashy clothes?

[Ian]

Enough of this trash talk. You're good, and...you're the soul of discretion. Let's move on.

[Andrea]

heh

[Cecily]

Andrea wrote: "...Its interesting that CM likens her to a very pretty woman, who is very talented - musician, actress, author, painter, mother - perhaps CM uses this to highlight that her physical attractiveness has nothing to do with her worth as a person? ie irrelevant to her many talents.
To me, the Borlu/Corwi relationship is androgenous, without gender or sexual undertones"

Apart from the Lemper reference (which I forgot almost as soon as I read it), I have no strong impression of Corwi's physical appearance (or indeed, anyone else's), which makes this very striking analogy all the odder.

I wouldn't quite go as far as to describe her relationship with Borlu as totally lacking any sexual undertones, but close.

[Annie]

I think CM is referring to a singer in the bar when he mentions Ute Lemper. Although the idea of having a gorgeous partner fits with the detective beautiful lady noir combo...in that case the female is somewhat weak and breathless. Why can't Lemper just stand up and sing beautiful songs?

[Ian]

Annie wrote: "I think CM is referring to a singer in the bar when he mentions Ute Lemper. Although the idea of having a gorgeous partner fits with the detective beautiful lady noir combo...in that case the fema..."

Oops, how embarrassing. You are so right, Annie. And it's actually a drag act, so Ute Lemper actually inspired a guy to dress up in sequins and sing.

Ute Lemper sings a lot of songs from the Weimar period.

I was hoping that she was an artist who meant something to CM or his mother, who was also the inspiration for the crime genre of the novel.

I was hoping that Corwi was a character who CM might have dedicated to his mother, hence the lack of sexual interest.

A possible resemblance to Ute Lemper wasn't vital to this theory, but Annie's closer reading of the novel has definitely blown one of my theories out of the water. So why not two?

I haven't found a lot on the web about CM's mother, although it appears that she was an ex-hippy or an unreconstructed hippy.

[Annie]

I think Borlu made a major miscalculation in movinf Yolanda and Bowen to Besz so he could help them on HIS turf. Who learns about the plan? How does a sniper get there to shoot Yolanda? The whole show gets buried by the chase scene and Breach. This is the point at which the story looses some of its credibility.

[Ian]

Do you think this embrace of adventure let the rest of the novel down?

Did he have to insert it, so somebody might want to make a film of it?

[Cecily]

Surely the hero making a big mistake is a staple of the genre? And it might make a better film that way (am I right in thinking that none of his books have been adapted for the screen yet?).

[Traveller]

Weell, i suppose, one could excuse Borlu in that he really didn't know that somebody would have been informed of their exact whereabouts... - the big mistake he had made, i suppose, was that although he sometimes changed to different phones for more secrecy in their communications, Corwi still kept using her usual phone, and there lies the problem; they should have foreseen it would be tapped.

I also saw absolutely zero sexual inference between the 2 police officers, and i think it's good. It's nice to have friends of the opposite gender without there being any sexual tone to the relationship.

In fact, the latter often tends to spoil things.

Of course, Mieville seems to meticulously attempt avoiding any accusations of sexism being pointed at him, though i am sure that there will be those who will label the fact that two females were shot, as sexism. He should perhaps rather have made Yolanda a male? ..but then it might have been harder for Borlu to have found him, so probably a plot device to enable Borlu to follow her boyfriend to her.

I suppose the same could also have been achieved with switched genders, though? Or she could even have been a gay male, for that matter...