SimonofTabor
Posts: 123
Joined: 9/7/2006
From: UK
Status: offline
|
Greetings xoxi,
This is a debate that has raged for years. Let me give you a bit of background.
Anyone who has read the books will have spotted that slaves within the books speak in first person pretty much all the time. There is, however, a passage in which a slave is told to "speak like a slave", and what is clearly meant by that is that she should speak in third person. Because of that passage some believe that third person speech is the appropriate way for slaves to speak, period. How, then, do they explain why the books mostly have slaves using first person speech? The usual reason I hear for that is that it simply makes it easier to read. Others, however, point to the almost universal use of first person speech and say that clearly first person speech was the norm, and third person speech was just a training tool.
From my studies of the books, I don't quite agree with either perspective. It's often claimed that third person speech is only used a couple of times. In reality there are dozens and dozens of places where it is used, and I think only the first book or two do not have at least one use of it. Most have lots. The use of it suggests that it wasn't used exclusively, but only in certain situations. It was sometimes used as a training tool, but usually it was used by the slave on her own initiative. It's a reminder to both her and her master that she is a slave, and knows it. Whenever you see it used it's nearly always because the slave needs to either remind herself of what she is, or more often to remind her master that she knows her place. The most common situation in which it is used is when a slave asks for something, especially forgiveness.
So, if it was not used exclusively on Gor by slaves, does that make it wrong for Gorean men in roleplay to have their slaves use it exclusively? It's often thought to simply be an onlinism, and nothing more. However, when he was revising the series, John Norman added a passage to Guardsman that speaks directly into that very debate:
'I had never made much of this sort of thing, but some masters enjoy having the slave refer to herself by name, rather than having recourse to pronouns, for example, "Beverly begs to be caressed," "Does Master desire aught of Beverly," "how may Beverly please Master," and so on. This is useful upon occasion, of course. It helps the slave distance herself from herself when one wants her to distance herself from herself, and thus see herself rather from the outside as her Master's object. A similar practice, favored by some masters, is to have the slave refer to herself as his slave, for example, "Your slave begs to be caressed," "Does Master desire aught of his slave," "how may his slave please Master," and so on. On the other hand, I usually prefer for her to speak more directly, utilizing delicious personal pronouns, because it is then clearer to her, and to the master, that it is she herself, intimately, his, who speaks, for example, "I beg to be caressed," "does Master desire aught of me," "how may I please Master," and so on. A judicious mixture of modalities may be best. For example, suppose the slave has been somehow at fault, however inadvertently, and, kneeling before the master, nude, must beg punishment. Consider then the difference between "Beverly begs to be whipped," "Your slave begs to be whipped," and "I beg to be whipped." At one time, one might seem best, and, at another time, another.'
(Guardsman of Gor, book 16, revised edition)
Clearly, from that passage, there is nothing wrong with a master requesting that his slave speaks in third person, but it certainly isn't the norm. The whole debate about whether third person speech is right or wrong has been ended at a stroke. Opinions are still strongly held, however, and you have seen some of those expressed already. I'm not here to discuss the rights and wrongs of those opinions, especially as often they aren't open to discussion. If someone finds third person speech hard to read and therefore doesn't like it, then that's all there is to it - end of story. I'm simply trying to give the perspective of John Norman to this issue.
When deciding whether to use first or third person speech there are sevral factors to bear in mind. Firstly, she should follow any instructions given to her by her master. Secondly there is her audience to consider. How would they prefer her to speak? Some simply don't like third person speech, and that is entirely their right, and if the slave has the choice then in their presence it should be avoided. She does, after all, have a duty to make sure she is found pleasing by her audience. Thirdly, there is the situation to consider. Is it one for which third person speech seems appropriate, such as asking for forgiveness for something?
I'm sure there are plenty of points for and against the use of third person speech that I haven't addressed, but I hope I've given a reasonable overview of the subject from the perspective of the Gor books. I hope it's helpful.
Simon
|
Third person speech - 
Profile
New Messages
No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages
Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages
Locked w/o New Messages
Post New Thread