Rievers

[mamculuna]

rahael just posted something about Firefly that made me think (unusual occurrence): I do NOT want to transpose the Reivers into the Western setting

And what I thought of was Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian, a literary Western featuring the horrific Judge and Glanton's gang of cuthroats, whose behavior, including possible cannibalism, was very Reiver-like. Wonder if Whedon's read McCarthy? I know the original Border Reivers were in Scotland but somehow it seems like it ought to all hook up.

Or probably not.

Comments

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

What a weird coincidence. My Dad was telling me about that book and Judge today.

[wombatina.livejournal.com]

never EVER good to be thinking about rievers. think shiny thoughts.

[mamculuna.livejournal.com]

Quite right!

[oursin.livejournal.com]

My own thought about the Reivers was that they evoked the various groups of soldiers from both sides who went rogue after the Civil War (rather than Native Americans, which there was some wittering about I saw somewhere).

[mamculuna.livejournal.com]

And that's what the Glanton gang in Bood Meridian were--ex-Confederates who just got into killing and decided to take it West (and south to Mexico) after the war.

[ponygirl2000.livejournal.com]

I think there was a deliberate attempt to cast the Reivers as the "Indians" in a traditional Western tale - much like in Stagecoach they come out of nowhere to threaten the natural order - but of course the Westerns changed, John Ford's Stagecoach started a lot of the genre, but Ford ended his career with Cheyenne Autumn where the Native Americans were the protagonists. I think what Joss intended, with what we know about Serenity, speaks to a similar arc - the unknowable Other becomes becomes not so unfamiliar after all.

[mamculuna.livejournal.com]

Yes--great comparison with Ford. The idea that the Reivers were actually created by actions of the Federation doesn't quite work with any of the other myths, but that idea of their becoming more "us" at the end is a great point.

[rahael.livejournal.com]

I try only to think shallow thoughts about Firefly :)

[mamculuna.livejournal.com]

I understood about the cuteness.