Post by Dizzy on Jun 19, 2006 18:36:32 GMT -5
Pernese Worldview and Society
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonriders_of_Pern
General
In the Pern series McCaffrey attempts to portray a society caught between its attempt to build a utopian dream and a grim and inescapable reality, which from the start forced exceptionally hard choices. The creation of the Dragons such that they were bound, without true free will, to aid humanity, was certainly morally questionable--but they were also created from non-sentient beings, to preserve the lives of the sentient, and we cannot presume another solution existed. Pragmatism can forgive many things, and this reality is one that we often learn on Pern, where proclaimed utopian traditions fall against the reality of simple day-to-day survival.
McCaffrey does allow a more utopian and progressive outlook to win out in the end, though at current the future of this society could be considered somewhat in doubt. Before this occurs, however, Pernese society was largely static and many of its functions and features are open to review as an interesting case of a utopia trying to survive in conditions where it cannot thrive.
Another repeated theme is the preservation of ideas and the generation of myths. Knowledge and cultural practices must persist for 150 year Intervals (see below) -- a length of time 2/3 as long as the United States has existed -- without an external impetus in that time. In that time, facts can become legends and societal practices can appear to be meaningless tradition. As McCaffery herself asks to open the first story 'Weyr Search' (see below): "When is a legend legend? Why is a myth a myth? How old and disused must a fact be for it to be relegated to the category: Fairy tale?"
Societal Considerations
Pernese society exhibits the usual organizational characteristics of feudalism, but shows a certain specific leaning towards utopianism which is worthy of some review to understand the series' context. The social structure on Pern is strictly divided between Hold, Hall and Weyr--broadly comparable to the medieval triune of Nobility, Guild and Church (in that order)--and is considered by the Pernese themselves to be an ideal organization specifically meant to avoid the violence and excess of their Terran ancestors. In this there is perhaps a similar Platonic foundation for both societal influences. One remarkable feature of Pernese society is its stability, having lasted approximately 2,500 years with little change.
The agrarian idealism of Pern, however, is marred by the constant reality of the Thread. Fighting the Thread requires a considerable concentration of societal resources. Suspending disbelief and focusing on the necessary supply of material to the Weyrs to sustain the dragons, and the populations (a Weyr, exceeding two thousand persons, compares to some medieval cities) leads one to conclude that a principle part of the available agricultural and industrial productions of the planet would be devoted to this quasi-War Effort during the Pass, and a considerable fraction during the Interval.
This has created interesting possibilities in the development of Pernese society, both in how it is developed in the series and how it is popularized in the online fandom. A constant repetition of Passes and Intervals leads to the tantalizing prospect that Pernese outlook in general may be cyclical rather than progressive; this similarity with Egypt under the Pharaohs would go some ways to explaining the extreme duration and rigidity of Pernese culture which is seen in the series. However, the end of the Thread and rapid technological progress at the end of the Ninth pass has thus been speculated by some fans to possibly result in severe social disruption. McCaffrey's later novels of Pern tend to explore the growing rift between traditionalism and modernism. Societal change is both portrayed as wanted and despised. The ultimate goal of the destruction of Thread, a goal sought after by the Dragonriders and the peoples of Pern, forces a radical rethinking of the role of dragons in a post-Thread world.
Religious Considerations
Pern created an interesting example in that it is an agrarian society portrayed without a considerable organized religion. However, the latest short-story, Beyond Between, showed that the Pernese do in fact have a highly developed belief in the afterlife, generally firming up the science fiction aspects of Pern in establishing Pernese society as a fleshed-out and agrarian construct where religion has been shown through history to provide the central societal fabric. This also provides important support for the incredible exertions of the Pernese in supporting the Weyrs economically: one could speculate on the defense against the Thread being cast in a holy light by the Harpers, providing a greater cohesive bond for the society. Religious considerations may explain the disdain that Pernese women have for contraceptives; however, it is also possible that the colonists of Pern, as a growing population, would discourage them as they slow the spread of human life across the planet.
Economic Considerations
Dragons (Pern) are very large creatures; the largest on record, the gold queen dragon Ramoth, has been measured at forty-five feet (as large as the largest Tyrannosaurus rex ever found) in length. She would be the largest flying being and among the largest predators, ever known. The massive amount of food which must be consumed by several thousand such creatures is staggering, particularly at the height of a Pass, when they fly against thread at close interval. The area of grazing land required to support nearly 4000 dragons (and the human population of Pern) each consuming three to four cattle (or herdbeast) a week has been compared to the whole Mississippi basin, albeit with a sustainable herd.
The economic strain on an agrarian society by the Dragons is thus nearly unsustainable and can only grow worse when the requirements of the sedentary and usually luxuriously sustained Weyrfolk are included. However, Pern has been able to meet this strain during each Pass successfully, though the Ninth Pass saw considerable discontent, and a full record of all passes is not provided.
During the Long Interval before the Ninth Pass, however, unpopularity with the only remaining inhabited Weyr, Benden Weyr, had grown to such a point that the Holders were willing to risk combat on highly disadvantageous terms to end the tithe of materials which traditionally supported the Weyrs. This is a further suggestion of the general strain and potential unpopularity of the severe burden inflicted by the Weyrs--a burden that ultimately remains entirely necessary until the end of the Ninth Pass.
The Pernese economy, based upon the Mark, appears to be a command economy. The Mark is made of wood, a fiat currency, and has no inherent value; prices across Pern are fixed by a yearly meeting of Traders, Craftmasters, and Lords Holder, suggesting an attempt to either maximize economic gain with slim margins from the tithe, or direct price-fixing in support of the quasi-War Effort which the Pernese economy might generally be said to resemble during the Pass. Unsurprisingly many Pernese individuals resort to barter in the face of such economic tactics.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonriders_of_Pern
General
In the Pern series McCaffrey attempts to portray a society caught between its attempt to build a utopian dream and a grim and inescapable reality, which from the start forced exceptionally hard choices. The creation of the Dragons such that they were bound, without true free will, to aid humanity, was certainly morally questionable--but they were also created from non-sentient beings, to preserve the lives of the sentient, and we cannot presume another solution existed. Pragmatism can forgive many things, and this reality is one that we often learn on Pern, where proclaimed utopian traditions fall against the reality of simple day-to-day survival.
McCaffrey does allow a more utopian and progressive outlook to win out in the end, though at current the future of this society could be considered somewhat in doubt. Before this occurs, however, Pernese society was largely static and many of its functions and features are open to review as an interesting case of a utopia trying to survive in conditions where it cannot thrive.
Another repeated theme is the preservation of ideas and the generation of myths. Knowledge and cultural practices must persist for 150 year Intervals (see below) -- a length of time 2/3 as long as the United States has existed -- without an external impetus in that time. In that time, facts can become legends and societal practices can appear to be meaningless tradition. As McCaffery herself asks to open the first story 'Weyr Search' (see below): "When is a legend legend? Why is a myth a myth? How old and disused must a fact be for it to be relegated to the category: Fairy tale?"
Societal Considerations
Pernese society exhibits the usual organizational characteristics of feudalism, but shows a certain specific leaning towards utopianism which is worthy of some review to understand the series' context. The social structure on Pern is strictly divided between Hold, Hall and Weyr--broadly comparable to the medieval triune of Nobility, Guild and Church (in that order)--and is considered by the Pernese themselves to be an ideal organization specifically meant to avoid the violence and excess of their Terran ancestors. In this there is perhaps a similar Platonic foundation for both societal influences. One remarkable feature of Pernese society is its stability, having lasted approximately 2,500 years with little change.
The agrarian idealism of Pern, however, is marred by the constant reality of the Thread. Fighting the Thread requires a considerable concentration of societal resources. Suspending disbelief and focusing on the necessary supply of material to the Weyrs to sustain the dragons, and the populations (a Weyr, exceeding two thousand persons, compares to some medieval cities) leads one to conclude that a principle part of the available agricultural and industrial productions of the planet would be devoted to this quasi-War Effort during the Pass, and a considerable fraction during the Interval.
This has created interesting possibilities in the development of Pernese society, both in how it is developed in the series and how it is popularized in the online fandom. A constant repetition of Passes and Intervals leads to the tantalizing prospect that Pernese outlook in general may be cyclical rather than progressive; this similarity with Egypt under the Pharaohs would go some ways to explaining the extreme duration and rigidity of Pernese culture which is seen in the series. However, the end of the Thread and rapid technological progress at the end of the Ninth pass has thus been speculated by some fans to possibly result in severe social disruption. McCaffrey's later novels of Pern tend to explore the growing rift between traditionalism and modernism. Societal change is both portrayed as wanted and despised. The ultimate goal of the destruction of Thread, a goal sought after by the Dragonriders and the peoples of Pern, forces a radical rethinking of the role of dragons in a post-Thread world.
Religious Considerations
Pern created an interesting example in that it is an agrarian society portrayed without a considerable organized religion. However, the latest short-story, Beyond Between, showed that the Pernese do in fact have a highly developed belief in the afterlife, generally firming up the science fiction aspects of Pern in establishing Pernese society as a fleshed-out and agrarian construct where religion has been shown through history to provide the central societal fabric. This also provides important support for the incredible exertions of the Pernese in supporting the Weyrs economically: one could speculate on the defense against the Thread being cast in a holy light by the Harpers, providing a greater cohesive bond for the society. Religious considerations may explain the disdain that Pernese women have for contraceptives; however, it is also possible that the colonists of Pern, as a growing population, would discourage them as they slow the spread of human life across the planet.
Economic Considerations
Dragons (Pern) are very large creatures; the largest on record, the gold queen dragon Ramoth, has been measured at forty-five feet (as large as the largest Tyrannosaurus rex ever found) in length. She would be the largest flying being and among the largest predators, ever known. The massive amount of food which must be consumed by several thousand such creatures is staggering, particularly at the height of a Pass, when they fly against thread at close interval. The area of grazing land required to support nearly 4000 dragons (and the human population of Pern) each consuming three to four cattle (or herdbeast) a week has been compared to the whole Mississippi basin, albeit with a sustainable herd.
The economic strain on an agrarian society by the Dragons is thus nearly unsustainable and can only grow worse when the requirements of the sedentary and usually luxuriously sustained Weyrfolk are included. However, Pern has been able to meet this strain during each Pass successfully, though the Ninth Pass saw considerable discontent, and a full record of all passes is not provided.
During the Long Interval before the Ninth Pass, however, unpopularity with the only remaining inhabited Weyr, Benden Weyr, had grown to such a point that the Holders were willing to risk combat on highly disadvantageous terms to end the tithe of materials which traditionally supported the Weyrs. This is a further suggestion of the general strain and potential unpopularity of the severe burden inflicted by the Weyrs--a burden that ultimately remains entirely necessary until the end of the Ninth Pass.
The Pernese economy, based upon the Mark, appears to be a command economy. The Mark is made of wood, a fiat currency, and has no inherent value; prices across Pern are fixed by a yearly meeting of Traders, Craftmasters, and Lords Holder, suggesting an attempt to either maximize economic gain with slim margins from the tithe, or direct price-fixing in support of the quasi-War Effort which the Pernese economy might generally be said to resemble during the Pass. Unsurprisingly many Pernese individuals resort to barter in the face of such economic tactics.
