185 replies to this topic

[amster]

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It was a massacre. The remnants of a once powerful race stood little chance against the fury of the vengeful Cimmerian. Undulating knives glanced harmlessly off the whirling streak of his restless scimitar. Each time his blade licked out, a dark-robed figure sank dying to the floor. His rough code of chivalry tempted him to spare the white-haired crones; but when the women flung themselves upon him in unrelenting frenzy, he returned blow for blow.

Its quite a stupid line IMO, especially given the situation. If someone, male or female, is leaping at you trying to kill you, you don't have time to consider sparing that person's life. You only have time to react. I consider myself a pretty chivalarous guy, certainly more so than our barbarian friend, and if I a woman attacked me with the clear intention of killing me, I wouldn't pause to think about the moral implications of defending myself.

Its just another example of LSdC turning Conan from a man of action into a philosopher.

[Strom]

That's true. He's also with a woman that he's grown quite fond of, which would motivate him to be on his best behavior. I recall that after he rescues Yasmina from Yimsha, Conan tells her that he's going to keep her as his "woman", against her will. That's hardly chivalrous behavior. So we have Conan behaving quite contradictorily within the same story.

I think that behavior falls into the "rough" or "not perfected" code of chivarly. Rough talk but nothing more.

That's true. He never actually does the deed in a particularly story, though I doubt that he would have had any qualms about killing Salome or Tascela...it just didn't turn out that way. I doubt that REH would want to risk alienating readers of Weird Tales by actually including such a scene in one of his stories, and Wright might reject such a story anyway.

Well, assuming what REH did get away with, I think it is a stretch to say REH didn't have Conan kill a woman because he didn't want to risk a story offending readers or be rejected. Especially when the stories were selling so well, REH probably could've gotten away with pretty much anything. Even with such freedom, REH didn't have Conan kill a woman because that would've been out of character, IMO. The female vampire - forgot her name - is a perfect example of an opportunity for Conan to destroy an evil woman - and instead REH has him flee.

Good stuff amster.

[amster]

Good stuff amster.

And I must say that you've offered convincing arguments as well. Cheers!

[deuce]

A very interesting topic and worthy of a bump. The posts of Ed "aquaman" Waterman, Ironhand, theGrayMan and good ol' Orkin are especially thought-provoking, IMO.

[deuce]

I remember smiling at that post when I first read it, great parallels and cunning humour. Makes me think that Conan is, after all, a self-made man, and the fact that he doesn't bear any affection for his native land pushes further the mercenary spirit. With that in mind, he surelys takes the options that suit him best. Another quote I am fond of is a Busiek one, stating in an interview on this very website that reading the Conan stories, we are in fact witnesses of the education of a King. With all the trial and errors it involves...

We definitely know that REH read Shakepeare's Henry V. I don't think that the experiences of young Prince Harry (carousing, associating with ne'er-do-wells) were lost upon Howard.

[deuce]

An interesting thread that deserves another look.

Edited by deuce, 02 February 2011 - 10:34 AM.