On Fri, 23 Nov 2001 10:27:05 -0500 "Dana Shilling" dshilling@worldnet.att.net writes:
Helen said:
I think Avon's default would be the formal. No idea which he'd use
for
the situation in "Blake" as he believed the betrayal to be from
someone
very close indeed.
It all depends on whether the Bible has survived as a religious or even a literary text, cf. "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me." In fact, religious texts are the only ones in which "thou" continues to be used in C21 English.
And Shakespeare, I suppose (I can really imagine Avon and Vila having an Antipholus-Dromio conversation [and am now imagining a story in which Avon and Vila arrive on a planet where, unbeknownst to them, their long lost twin brothers (with the same names and wearing identical outfits [I can see it in Avon's case (black leather is black leather [am I asking for trouble, saying that?) but it's a bit more of a stretch in Vila's]) live and where Blake (also unbeknownst to them) has been taken prisoner and will be executed at the end of the day. Jenna, who also (unbeknownst, etc) is living there, having taken up the religious life after mistakenly concluding Blake was dead, further complicates things]).
I don't have any idea which way Avon would go with Shakespearean English. I suppose he'd use 'thou' with Vila, being his social superior, and with Anna. Outside of that, I'm not sure of the times when it would have been right to use and when it wouldn't. But I think he'd use 'you' with Blake, being formal and distant, right up until 'Blake.' Dana's right. The Biblical overtone makes it that much stronger (brilliant idea, actually, IMHO).
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Ellynne G. said:
And Shakespeare, I suppose (I can really imagine Avon and Vila having an Antipholus-Dromio conversation [and am now imagining a story in which Avon and Vila arrive on a planet where, unbeknownst to them, their long lost twin brothers (with the same names and wearing identical outfits [I can see it in Avon's case (black leather is black leather [am I asking for trouble, saying that?) but it's a bit more of a stretch in Vila's]) live and where Blake (also unbeknownst to them) has been taken prisoner and will be executed at the end of the day. Jenna, who also (unbeknownst, etc) is living there, having taken up the religious life after mistakenly concluding Blake was dead, further complicates things]).
I'm about halfway through a "Comedy of Errors" story, where Blake's rebel contact, Rashel, thinks Blake is her husband, Reg Black the used spacecraft dealer (which makes perfect sense because he's one of the clones) and Vila's clone has a romance with Rashel's sister, and a gang of thugs repossesses Blake's teleport bracelet because they think it's the expensive watch that Reg hasn't paid for.
Dana
-
Dana Shilling -
Ellynne G.