On the topic of space leathers

[rolanni]

NOTE:  This is not a call to seek out the review cited below and castigate the reviewer, who is, after all, entitled to her opinion.  Indeed, I'm grateful to her for presenting a viewpoint that would have never occurred to me, and for presenting me with an opportunity to explain the origin of an important part of the Liaden Universe®

This is a riff off of a reader review of Carousel Sun.  I do read reviews, and sometimes I riff off of them.  Consider yourselves warned.  This particular review took exception to the appearance of the word "leathers" in Carousel Sun, when, if I understand the argument correctly, "leathers" had already been co-opted by the Liaden Universe® and ought never appear in any other work written by me or by Steve.

Even, apparently, when it is the correct word (i.e. the protective clothing worn by motorcyclists are referred to as "motorcycle leathers," or "leathers."  Here's an example of cycling leathers.) used in the correct world, by the correct people.

Which is, IMHO, a. . .really interesting viewpoint.*

But!  It got me to thinking about the origin of "space leathers" in the Liaden Universe®.

Steve and I grew up in the 1960s, when the Great Public Mind was in the process of mythologizing World War II.  That meant that we saw a lot of war shows on television, including:  Combat!, McHale's Navy, Twelve O'Clock High, The Rat Patrol, Hogan's Heroes. . .among others, and a whole stack of movies:  The Longest Day, Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape, Bridge on the River Kwai, von Ryan's Express, &c, &c

My dad used to make it a point to take me to see war movies, as a father-daughter bonding thing.  Most, if not all, of these movies, featured pilots.  And the pilots were. . .heroic. They wore their leather jackets with pride and with attitude.  The other characters might have reservations, but even those who did honored the pilots for their courage, derring-do, and amazing ability to pull things out of hats.

When it came time to write the Liaden Universe®, and fill in Clan Korval's pilots-by-intention lineage, with a birthright of attitude, courage, and over-the-topness -- we dressed them as they deserved -- in space leather:  protective gear that was instantly recognizable, even by those who were not pilots (or Scouts), which not only protected them, but illuminated and increased their mystique.

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*Leather has, of course, been used throughout history as protective clothing; after all, it's tough.  Conquistadors wore leather; American Indians wore leather; Vikings wore leather.  I speak here only of the leathers that influenced us.

Comments

[gareth griffiths (from livejournal.com)]

The review in question is not hard to find if you really want to, but it is far from a bad review so don't anyone get too cross. I don't agree with some of it and I suspect what is odd word usage to some is natural to others, and odd phrasing to people from one dialect/culture/district of the English language is natural to others. The reviewer does question phrases that grate to the reviewer, which do not grate to me - claiming they seem more Liaden than American. I guess I've experienced a lot more dialects and don't find it odd. Incidentally I find a lot of similarity between rural coastal Maine and the East Anglia coastal rural accents in England. Wonder if there was some migration from the fishing communities there way back.

[6-penny.livejournal.com]

I believe there was - also in the East End if Long Island (N Y) the old fishing villages had a recognizable english provincial accent.
My father who was born in 1907 worked for a couple of fishermen in the summers when he was a lad -they were brothers, and descended an old time Long Island Dutch ancestry. They still used Dutch between them as their preferred language, probably two centuries after it had been in common usage!