Scan barcode
A review by maria_pulver
Pavane by Keith Roberts
4.0
***SPOILERS***
The book repeats the structure of the dance: six moves of the pavane and coda.
I loved the moves and hated the coda, hated it for real.
The six moves are six different, somewhat interlinked stories, that describe a future, where there the Roman Catholic Church held its power into the twentieth century and kept its Dark ages views and practices including inquisition, feudal society and veto on science advances. A simple yet powerful narration successfully describes such a future singling out individuals that can't find answers to various "why" questions. It seems, that the book is full of humanism, that is pro-science and in general states that stagnation is never a good thing.
However, the coda reverses this impression, as it justifies the actions of the church by saying that they were justified. Were the church not acting in such a way, there would be all sorts of atrocities caused by the rapid advance of science and not sufficient advance of philosophy and morals. The coda claims that the Holocaust, the entire WWII, among other terrible event were prevented by withholding technological advance till the moment when morals became adequate.
I will spare my breath and won't argue that the Holy Inquisition was no better, than Holocaust, or that women dying in childbirth for centuries are as much victims as those killed in WWII bombings. Instead I'll refer you to one of the books that guides me when it comes to looking for the moral ground: [b:Hard to Be a God|759517|Hard to Be a God|Arkady Strugatsky|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1425850190s/759517.jpg|41364467]. It says something very basic: even if you think you know better, and you're in position to enforce your decision on others without their knowledge and without asking for their opinion or without giving them a chance to act on their own behalf, you're clearly in the wrong. You may be doing some good, but you're doing a lot of evil by denying people their choice and turning them to puppets.
The book repeats the structure of the dance: six moves of the pavane and coda.
I loved the moves and hated the coda, hated it for real.
The six moves are six different, somewhat interlinked stories, that describe a future, where there the Roman Catholic Church held its power into the twentieth century and kept its Dark ages views and practices including inquisition, feudal society and veto on science advances. A simple yet powerful narration successfully describes such a future singling out individuals that can't find answers to various "why" questions. It seems, that the book is full of humanism, that is pro-science and in general states that stagnation is never a good thing.
However, the coda reverses this impression, as it justifies the actions of the church by saying that they were justified. Were the church not acting in such a way, there would be all sorts of atrocities caused by the rapid advance of science and not sufficient advance of philosophy and morals. The coda claims that the Holocaust, the entire WWII, among other terrible event were prevented by withholding technological advance till the moment when morals became adequate.
I will spare my breath and won't argue that the Holy Inquisition was no better, than Holocaust, or that women dying in childbirth for centuries are as much victims as those killed in WWII bombings. Instead I'll refer you to one of the books that guides me when it comes to looking for the moral ground: [b:Hard to Be a God|759517|Hard to Be a God|Arkady Strugatsky|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1425850190s/759517.jpg|41364467]. It says something very basic: even if you think you know better, and you're in position to enforce your decision on others without their knowledge and without asking for their opinion or without giving them a chance to act on their own behalf, you're clearly in the wrong. You may be doing some good, but you're doing a lot of evil by denying people their choice and turning them to puppets.