The Name of the Wind, Chapter 9 - Riding the Wagon With Ben

Well, we don't learn of any secret bloody meanings of "Edema Ruh" (speculated about in chapter 8). Instead, the story continues in a very short chapter that is similar in scope and subject to the last.

Chapter 9: Riding the Wagon With Ben

Within days of traveling, young Kvothe is finding himself riding in Ben's wagon (a.k.a. Abenthy's wagon). For someone with eyes as wide as his, the wealth of knowledge to be mined for a "true archanist" was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Being as mannered as possible, Kvothe was fishing for an excuse to let loose a flood of questions about his life at the university and Ben's profession. He just needed to find th right moment to let loose. After all, he couldn't just outright lay his hundreds of questions out at Ben's feet and expose himself to be as wide-eyed as he truly was... that would be rude. (And what if he refused?)

Fortunately, the moment comes and he doesn't refuse.

Kvothe asks, Ben answers and again, Kvothe tempers his wide-eyed intentions. At the university they taught all the sciences: Botany, astronomy, psychology, anatomy, alchemy, geology, and chemistry. And again; Kvothe waits, the moment comes, and his wide-eyed intentions are revealed.

"Could you teach me?"

* * *

Learning to Learn 102

Much like how Kvothe's parents were teaching him how to "learn to learn" at an early age (described in chapter 8), in this chapter, Ben now keeps the learning flowing in Kvothe's direction. But unlike Kvothe's parents who taught him the performance arts of song, dance, and theater, Ben now teaches him the basics of bontany, astronomy, psychology, anatomy, alchemy, geology, and chemistry. From his parents he learned the arts, from Ben he learned the sciences, and from both he learned how to learn.


The Scientific Method

It'll be interesting to see how Rothfuss chooses to handle the juggling of both science and magic in this world. In the face of the unexplained, it's reasoned that there is just lack of knowledge/data among scientists to explain the phenomenon. And in the face of "magic," what makes those same scientists so sure that the magic isn't just another example of the unexplained. What quantifies something as "unexplained phenomenon" versus "magic?" If it's just going to be arbitrary then that's going to be a little annoying. But if there's some structure and categorization behind it, then it works for me and I'm on board.

Remember, when Ben vaguely defines "sympathy" for Kvothe (when describing the sciences) he says Kvothe would probably consider it "magic." This means that it isn't actually magic. This also means that Ben is aware of how non-university graduates view unexplained phenomenon. Because of this, Ben has shown that he's very aware of everything I just described in the paragraph above.

My point is that this subject isn't just me over-thinking some aspect of the book. This isn't just me injecting something that's beyond the boundaries of what Rothfuss intends to cover. Like Ben, Rothfuss is very aware of everything described above and it'll be interesting to see how he handles it.


Twitter @BlogBookReview

You'll notice that I just created a Twitter account for these blogs and added a Blogger gadget at the bottom of this page. From that account I'll be announcing each new chapter review, talk about other fantasy shows that I'm currently watching (such as Game of Thrones episode 2 on HBO that's airing in about 4 hours from now), and talk about other science fiction books I'm reading (such as Dune).

If you're interested, you can follow me on Twitter @BlogBookReview.

The Name of the Wind, Chapter 8 - Thieves, Heretics, and Whores

The story Kvothe first chooses to tell is about growing up as a young boy of the Edema Ruh. It's a story of perception versus reality. It's a story about the informed, the ignorant, the educated, and the stupid.

Chapter 8: Thieves, Heretics, and Whores

The Edema Ruh were an elite band of entertainers. They were not just a mindless rabble of traveling gypsies, fortune tellers, and freaks. Most interestingly, they were sanctioned by the royalty that governed the land in which they performed; by Baron Greyfallow.

Wearing the Baron's colors of green and gray, Kvothe speaks of his talents as a storyteller even at an early age. He excelled at it. And now in hindsight, practicing these talents he realizes he wasn't just "playing games" as he once thought. His parents were teaching and preparing him. He was learning to learn. And because of the vagabond lifestyle of the Edema Ruh, they regularly welcomed random (and educated?) strangers to travel with them; there was safety in numbers. And from these people, through the conditioning of his parents, he picked up whatever skills they had to offer.

Kvothe then recounts a time when the Edema Ruh were riding into a small town and greeted by the mayor who was none too pleased by their presence. The mayor met them as if they were "thieves, heretics, and whores;" he met them as if they were not Edema Ruh. It was the ignorance of the man which angered Kvothe at that early age.

With graceful tact and effortless acquiescence, his father produced a document which held the seal of the baron. Soon the mayor came running back in a huff, apologized, and accommodated their short list of reasonable requests.

That was the hardest part about growing up Edema Ruh; we are strangers everywhere. Many folk view us as vagabonds and beggars. While others deme us little more than thieves, heretics, and whores. It's hard to be wrongfully accused, but it's worse when the people looking down on you are clods who have never read a book or traveled more than twenty miles from the place they were born.

Soon after the mayor let them be, another wagon rolled into town and again, the mayor was not pleased. Kvothe went in to get a closer look. Together with a constable, the mayor wanted his town to have nothing to do with this self-proclaimed arcanist. There were "god fearing men" in these parts. And when some tough words and a pair of sympathy lanterns (which gave off an odd glow) didn't ward off the constable, the arcanist called forth the wind "in his name." A gust of wind blew past the wagon, directly into the faces of the god fearing men as they ran away.

He didn't have papers and the Edema Ruh did. And on behalf of his people, Kvothe struck a deal with this man named Abenthy and welcomed him into the troop. Kvothe wanted to learn much from the old man. Above all else, he wanted to know the name of the wind.

* * *

Learning to Learn

Kvothe's life growing up as part of the Edema Ruh was not the emphasis of this story. And sure, the introduction of an arcanist and another reference to "the name of the wind" are both important, but I'm much more interested as its choice as "the beginning." They way Kvothe now talks about the wind sounds like he's been curious about this something for a long time. So why start here?

Remember that this story is the first story in a long series of stories. And unless every subsequent story recounts periods of times when he felt misunderstood and spoken down to by less intelligent me (which is entirely possible), his life as one of the Edema Ruh makes little sense as a starting point. It was Kvothe's educational foundation, molded by his parents, which was the focus. His capacity to learn how to learn is what I think will carry him through his life at the university. Then again, maybe both emphases are both equally important.


Flow and Emotion

Long time reader (and friend of the blog) vespreardens writes:

I find it interesting that you focus on the whole "stories lie" theme. It's not really something I've seen the fans discuss much, but I've read the first two books and it's not something I've quite been able to let go of. Then again, if you want to tell a real story, you have to bend the truth a bit or it lacks the proper flow and emotion.

I think what you say about "flow and emotion" is true. But "stories lie" is important to me for two reasons: First, I'm one of the people who try to guess the endings to murder mystery movies as early as the opening credits (which can sometimes annoy people who just want to passively enjoy the mystery unfold). Second, unlike the skepticism directed at the accuracy of Old Man Cob's stories in chapter 1, this was the main character speaking directly about the accuracy of his own short story (a.k.a. his note) who was then going to recount a much longer story shortly after. Whether or not I'm right about this theory depends on how self-aware Kvothe is when he speaks. This is something to make note of in the future.


Of Edema and the Names of Things

In modern English, the word "edema" is a medical term used to describe the pooling of fluid (usually blood) into bodily cavities and/or between layers of tissue. Whether or not the name "Edema Ruh" is intentionally referencing this or not depends on the origin of that word as part of the lore of the book. But because I'm a glutton for over-analysis, let's just say it is. What does this mean?

Off the top of my head there are no obvious connections to that definition and the band of entertainers described in this chapter. Maybe it speaks more their origins? Maybe the founders of the group lived through a much more brutal period of time that's no longer reflected in their current performances?

And then there's "ruh" which is just gibberish in modern English as far as I know. So maybe in this world "edema" isn't referencing anything in particular and this theory is just a stretch. But in a book of stories based on lies, maybe it would do the reader good to pay extra attention to "the names of things." After all, the best lies are always half truths.

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