posted
I spent a summer of my youth reading the majority of Mr. Card's published works, and noticed that a dancing bear showed up more than once. I realize it was just a literary device, but i've always wondered how that bear managed to waltz his way into OSC's stories.
Posts: 1156 | Registered: Jan 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
I'm trying to think of ANY story of mine with a dancing bear. Are you sure you're not thinking of John Irving?
There are very dangerous bears in two stories: Enchantment and Grinning Man, plus a song about not getting eaten by a bear in Alvin Journeyman. Apart from that, I'm fresh out of ideas about where I might have used bears. As far as I can recall, none of these bears dance.
Enchantment has a bear because it's in RUSSIA! <grin>
The two bears in the Alvin series are there because they were the most fearsome predators in the American frontier. The American equivalent of dragons. What, I should have used a wolverine? <grin>
Posts: 2005 | Registered: Jul 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
I do remember several bears, but the only "dancing bear" reference I remember at present was in Memory of Earth, when Issib was telling Nafai "not about lost words, but words that have lost their meaning because the thing they referred to no longer exists." (Only a paraphrase there -- I'd quote exactly, but my copies are all in the bedroom right now, and Mama is taking a nap.)
posted
I'm not sure about the Mind Game but ther was a time Ender was playing a game made for launchies where he was controling a bear, when he died it was a cute death with music I belive, maybe it danced a little while it died.
Posts: 147 | Registered: Aug 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
The bear in the Alvin series and in Enchantment were both missing an eye. I still haven't been able to figure out the meaning or connection for these two.
Posts: 2425 | Registered: Jan 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
No sir, the bear wasn't a character, it was a device used as a simile, describing something that was lumberingly graceful. it isn't a large or stand-out part of any book, but i've wondered why you used it more than once. its very unique and has stuck with me. i'll try to back myself up, and feel kind of foolish telling the author what he wrote.
Posts: 1156 | Registered: Jan 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
It doesn't sound all that unique to me. A dancing bear sounds like the perfect simile to convey lumbering grace. It's positively archetypal. Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
| IP: Logged |
quote:I do remember several bears, but the only "dancing bear" reference I remember at present was in Memory of Earth, when Issib was telling Nafai "not about lost words, but words that have lost their meaning because the thing they referred to no longer exists." (Only a paraphrase there -- I'd quote exactly, but my copies are all in the bedroom right now, and Mama is taking a nap.)
Huh. I could have sworn that this takes place in one of the Foundation stories.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
| IP: Logged |
quote:"You're not researching lost words. You're researching words that have lost their meanings because the thing they refer to doesn't exist anymore."
--The Memory of Earth, chapter six, and yes, they were referring (in part) to a dancing bear.
So I was decently close. I still can't think of another reference to it, though.
*quick Google search*
Ok, chapter two of Alvin Journeyman, apparently. First paragraph.
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
