<p>^ BUandBC82, I like that interpretation! If you aren’t invested in changing your own destiny, then all the aid in the world from others isn’t going to help you. And Gustav really was cavalier about his fortune. He ignored Mrs. Sparrow’s warnings. Perhaps things would have turned out differently if he hadn’t. </p>
<p>I see Mrs. Sparrow’s visions as a valuable tool, to use or not, depending upon the exercise of free will. To extend the Dickens quote above: “I will not be the man I must have been but for this intercourse. Why show me this, if I am past all hope?’’</p>
<p>We know from early on that she is hot-headed. The neighbor tells Anna Maria’s mother: “I fear for your girl, Mother P., she has the temper of a heat-crazed Bedouin” (p. 158). However, that’s after her marriage. I don’t believe we know too much about her beforehand, except that she had dreams of being a wealthy mistress, preferably to royalty.</p>
<p>I think there is foreshadowing of what Anna Maria will become when she purchases her fan from the Nord</p>
<p>The fan that Margot chose for Emil had a special meaning for him - one of change and transformation. It also seemed she may have chosen it because it was expensive and desperately wanted a nice sale, but no fan in the book lacked meaning.</p>
<p>The Uzanne’s household was so toxic it was almost like an underworld. Emil slew the Uzanne in order to rescue Johanna, the “prisoner” of his Octavo.</p>
<p>To me, this resonates with the Orpheus legend, through it is a bit of a reach.</p>
<p>I tried to imagine a life for Johanna and Emil together. They both know the other is capable of murder so it would be an interesting pairing. I do not assume that Johanna is still available to him.</p>
<p>Oh no! Emil has to end up with Johanna. Isn’t that his destiny? Well, I guess he doesn’t really have to end up with Johanna. His quest to find her could result in him finding the real woman of his dreams. Either way Mrs. Sparrow’s vision would be correct, right? Interesting that the Octavo is set up so that no matter what happens the Octavo works.</p>
<p>Could mean a match made in heaven, as they would have strong motivation to keep one another happy. :)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I also want to work the snake imagery in somehow, although I can’t quite piece it together. Eurydice was killed by a snake, a viper. Mrs. Sparrow received her gift of sight by eating bread dipped in the broth of a cooked albino snake. And the Uzanne referred to Gustav as a snake who “must be charmed and locked safely away” (p. 235).</p>
<p>She actually answers one of the discussion questions above, writing that “Now women have their handbags to do some of the work formerly done by fans: indicate style, status, and serve as a useful tool in so many ways." She admits, however, that the handbag does not have a language all its own. For non-verbal communication today, I think we just have texting – or if the phone were in the hands of Anna Maria, sexting.</p>
<p>I was wondering about the fans being used for communication, so I searced 18th century fans. I didn’t find very much about women using the fans for communication. I finally found the following link where the writer is breaking the “myth” of the language of fans. From the link below I found more info by following the “language of fans” link in the article. </p>
<p>It’s interesting. It does seem that if the"language of fans" involves specific fan signals, and not just the body language being used, you had better be sure that the man you are talking to speaks the same language.</p>
<p>I very much enjoyed this book. I liked learning-via Wikapedia!-a little about Gustav and his assassination, the conflicts between royalty and nobles and the connection to the French Revolution. (Gustav’s mother is really interesting. She was a sister of Prussia’s Frederick the Great. She was involved in a lot of political scheming.)
We visited Stockholm when our son was studying in Sweden a few years back. It was fun to read the author’s description of the town.
I liked Margot and Christian most of all. I felt for Johanna and even Anna Maria with her tragic past. And Master Lind I loved. I felt it hard to have a lot of sympathy for Emil -I felt there was not enough of his personality revealed to identify with him</p>
<p>^^^ I like Margot and Christian, also. I think Christian, out of the cast of characters, seems least likely to move forward, to adapt to changes thrust upon him. Margot seems the stronger of the two. Perhaps that played into the author’s thinking as she “kills” him off.</p>
<p>BUandBC82: I love the links you posted. Funny, but the book I’m currently reading has a couple of passing mentions to a character and her fan. I notice now when before it wouldn’t have captured my attention. I guess the same will be true of artwork.</p>
<p>I think I’m going to reread the last few chapters, as I was in such a hurry to finish that I missed out on some of the enjoyment.</p>
<p>I will never think of fans in the same way again. </p>
<p>Cassiopeia was appropriately named. From wiki: Cassiopeia is a constellation in the northern sky, named after the vain queen Cassiopeia in Greek mythology, who boasted about her unrivalled beauty.</p>
<p>We also know that Cassiopeia first belonged to Madame de Montespan, and that the Uzanne planned to use the fan in the same fashion as she did. “Her name is Cassiopeia and once belonged to a woman of great influence, a woman whose path I plan to emulate.” (p.186). Apparently, Madame de Montespan was into poisoning:</p>
<p>Mme. de Montespan is a fascinating figure. I loved the idea of the fan being connected to her, and the idea that changing one of the stars could change the destinies of the fan-holders. That made me expect the fantasy element of the story to be more there than it was.</p>
<p>I love this, Mary! I hadn’t thought of the Cassiopeia fan that way.</p>
<p>Thanks to all for the links on history, models for the characters, and fans. The historical setting and descriptions of Stockholm were the most interesting to me. I didn’t know anything about King Gustav, either, or the connection to the French Revolution. The book was a little too pro-monarchy for me, and I found most of the characters a little thin, although Emil was interesting, and Master Lind was a wonderful one.</p>
Well, I guess he doesn’t really have to end up with Johanna. His quest to find her could result in him finding the real woman of his dreams. Either way Mrs. Sparrow’s vision would be correct, right? Interesting that the Octavo is set up so that no matter what happens the Octavo works.</p>