Kalevala Project - response to Ivan

[Ivan A Derzhanski <cbmvax!uunet!cogsci.ed.ac.uk!iad>]

>  Date:     Thu, 20 Aug 1992 00:57:56 -0400
>  From: Logical Language Group <lojbab@COM.GREBYN>
>
>  You ask for several changes, all of which remove detail from the persons
>  and scenery details.  To write a good story, the details MUST be present.
>  If we do not specify the culture of the characters, they will have no
>  culture; i.e. they will be colorless, which is exactly what we don't want.

Not necessarily.  They simply won't be identified with any one of the
existing cultures.

>  Actually they won't be - with mostly Americans in the Lojban community, they
>  will all end up as nondescript American in culture.

When I proposed that, I was mainly thinking of the stories of
Alexander Grin, one of my favourite authors.  The events in his
stories happen in a country which doesn't exist in the real world, and
even no hint is given as to its location on the map (though it is
clear that it is a warm area  :-)).  The characters, natives of that
country, are not associated with any of the existing cultures.  Yet
they are by no means colourless - in fact, they are as colourful as
anything - and they are not in the least Russian in culture (that is
Grin's own nationality).

Or take Smirnenski's Stairs story.  What is the nationality of the
youth there?  Well, we don't know.  We aren't told, nor should it matter.
Definitely not Bulgarian, I say.  Is he colourless?  I think not.

>  I would rather attempt
>  and fail to capture hints of a foreign culture than not to attempt at all,
>  and have the result seem too  American.  We may not succeed in capturing
>  a true Arabic or Hindi culture (but then we might come close), but we will
>  get a somewhat non-American culture.

Getting a non-American culture is great, but calling it Arabic or
Hindi (btw, what is Hindi culture?  I've never heard of such), without
having a close familiarity with the real ones, would be way too bold.

>  As for the stairs/ladder (Nora thought you said it was a ladder; my apology
>  if we misunderstood),

I used to call it a ladder, but it was a misuse of the English word on
my part, due to the fact that there is only one word for {serti} in
Bulgarian.  Then I thought of it and changed my habits.  It is a
staircase of white marble with pink lines.

>  the idea was an honorific reference to your much
>  applauded effort; you seem to take offense, for which I'm sorry.

I take no offence, and I appreciate your thought of honouring my
effort, but my staircase doesn't fit into the setting, so it should be
taken out.

>  But the concept in a room furnished in climbing equipment, of using
>  a climbing ladder to access a trap door (presumably leading to the
>  attic, wherein other artifacts may be found that could inspire more
>  stories) fits the scenario even if the association with your story
>  is excluded.

If the association with my story is excluded, I won't mind any number
of ladders, snakes, or anything.

>  (Yet, I do not see why, upon seeing
>  such a ladder, someone of your culture might not use it as a
>  lead-in to just that story.

I don't see how anyone might.  It is a different kind of ladder.
While you're at that, why not put Jacob's ladder there as well, with
angels rolling up and down, and say that Jews are welcome to use that
as a lead-in?

>  Am I missing something???)

Looks like it, but I'm not sure how to verbalise it.

Ivan