Amanda Morgan (Dorsai)
Encyclopedia
Amanda Morgan is the name of several fictional character
s appearing in Gordon R. Dickson
's Childe Cycle
series of novels and stories. This includes the protagonist of the novella "Amanda Morgan" in the The Spirit of Dorsai
and The Dorsai Companion
.
Within the Childe Cycle
there are several characters that have a triple nature which manifests itself in different ways (see: Welsh Triads
) Amanda Morgan is one of them, and as a unique character she is a single character written as three entirely separate people. The three characters are referred to as The First Amanda, The Second Amanda, and The Third Amanda. The Third Amanda is also sometimes referred to as Hal's Amanda. "Amanda" as a name is appropriate, as its definition is "One fit to be loved."
Unlike the Donal Graeme
- Paul Formain - Hal Mayne trinity (all of whom are actually one person), the three Amanda Morgans do not comprise one entity or can be considered reincarnation
s. Each of the characters has a subtly different personality and motivation, while sharing a common name, appearance, and family. In addition, each of their personal stories can be considered important to the overall narrative while at the same time being background or color. Only the Third Amanda is a main character in the Childe Cycle
proper.
Each of the Three Amandas can also be looked at as an evolution of the previous character. This evolution can be equated with that of The Dorsai culture. The first Amanda's responsibility is directly related to her family and immediate community. The Second Amanda's responsibility is for The Dorsai as a whole. The Third Amanda's responsibility transcends the other two and encompasses the whole of humanity. Paralleling this, The Dorsai as a people begin as simple mercenary soldiers interested in making a living. By the Second Amanda's life they have developed a moral code and reputation as a society that protects them as a whole. Finally, as embodied by the Third Amanda, The Dorsai become the protectors of all humanity and its potentiality.
All three Amandas are at some time in their lives members of the Grey Captains. (The First Amanda belonged to a proto-group that does not share this name, but is clearly the predecessor of the Grey Captains.) This informal group of important individuals are what amounts to government on The Dorsai. The fact that the Third Amanda and to a certain extent the Second Amanda are significantly younger than most of the Grey Captains is some insight into the importance of the Morgan family on The Dorsai as a whole. As a final evolution of the character The Third Amanda becomes what amounts to the single leader of a very individualistic culture. Something that Donal Graeme never wanted or managed to do.
proper. It was written specifically for The First Amanda by her son James. All of her descendants were musically talented.
The First Amanda was born in Caernarfon
, Wales
on Earth, around the same time as the novel Necromancer
. Apparently married young, she had one child while on Earth before her husband died. After his death, her in-laws used legal means and influence to remove the child from her custody. The First Amanda here shows the signs of her indomitable character by physically stealing the child back from them, and then emigrating immediately from the Earth to the new colony of Newton. Unfortunately the process caused much psychological damage to the child, who was thereafter prone to uncontrollable fits of rage. Much of the rest of The First Amanda's life is devoted to caring for this child and founding the Morgan Family, though a second husband on Newton and her final husband on The Dorsai. In spite of these two husbands, the ap Morgan family is descended entirely from The First Amanda through her first child, James.
Later in her life The First Amanda played the role of Matriarch for both her family and the community as a whole. This role culminated in her key position in the defense of The Dorsai against Dow deCastries and the combined Earth expeditionary forces, at the age of 93. This accomplishment could be considered secondary to her influence on the culture and morals of The Dorsai as a whole, were it not that this single incident was instrumental in the evolution of that people. These events are chronicled in the novella, "Amanda Morgan", and the novel, Tactics of Mistake
.
(See also: Elaine of Astolat
.) Due to the importance and strong character of the First Amanda, none of her decedents dared to name a girl child after her. However, by the time The Second Amanda was six years old people were already referring to her as "The Second Amanda" due to her uncanny resemblance to her ancestor. That name stuck, and Elaine was thereafter only a footnote in family histories.
The Second Amanda is known chiefly as an expert in contracts and legality for The Dorsai. While this makes her important to The Dorsai of her time, her real influence is in her relationship with the Graeme family. The Second Amanda is the one that both of the twins, Ian and Kensie Graeme were in love with, yet she was in love with only one. This unlikely love triangle led by stages to several important consequences. Ian, knowing his brother was passionately interested in Amanda, refused to pursue her and married another woman. The Second Amanda, however, was not interested in Kensie at all. Her interest was entirely for Ian, who was then unavailable.
This untenable position caused all three individuals to be unhappy, and in the end led indirectly to the death of Kensie. This would not normally be an event of note, except that it released Ian to be of use to his nephew Donal Graeme
in uniting the known worlds. The Second Amanda never married, but much later in her life managed a relationship with Ian Graeme after his first wife had died. As heads of their respective families they maintained continuity of tradition and responsibility amongst The Dorsai. These events are chronicled in the stories Lost Dorsai, Brothers, and Soldier Ask Not (novel). Further background is provided in The Final Encyclopedia (novel) and the interludes of The Spirit of Dorsai
.
The Third Amanda's support for Hal Mayne is part of another trilogy of characters that combine the three parts of humanity as Gordon R. Dickson
envisions. She is the strength, the courage, and the competence that compliments the other two muses in his life. Rukh Tamani, who embodies Faith, and Ajela who embodies Understanding being these other two components based on the Childe Cycle
splinter cultures. The interesting thing is that each of these three characters embodies all three of the important philosophies: Courage, Faith, Understanding. The only difference is their emphasis of one over the other two. The Third Amanda certainly possesses both Faith and Understanding, but it is her Courage and Personal Responsibility that are paramount to her character.
As part of this collection of three interconnected characters the Third Amanda represents The Dorsai, which in many ways each of the Amandas represents for their era. All of the novels are filled with these triple representations of the three splinter cultures in different forms. The Amanda character is probably the most well defined and rounded of these, with the possible exception of the Donal Graeme
- Paul Formain - Hal Mayne trinity. She is also one of a select few characters to appear in several stories, and like Ian Graeme to have an illumination story directly focused on her. In this she has become one of the classic characters in Science Fiction
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
s appearing in Gordon R. Dickson
Gordon R. Dickson
Gordon Rupert Dickson was an American science fiction author.- Biography :Dickson was born in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1923. After the death of his father, he moved with his mother to Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1937...
's Childe Cycle
Childe Cycle
The Childe Cycle is an unfinished series of science fiction novels by Gordon R. Dickson. The name Childe Cycle is an allusion to Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came, a poem by Robert Browning, which provided considerable inspiration for elements in Dickson's magnum opus.The series is sometimes...
series of novels and stories. This includes the protagonist of the novella "Amanda Morgan" in the The Spirit of Dorsai
The Spirit of Dorsai
The Spirit of Dorsai is a collection of two science fiction stories by Gordon R. Dickson. It was first published by Ace Books in 1979. The collection includes linking material and the stories are part of Dickson's Childe Cycle. The first story, "Amanda Morgan", is original to this collection...
and The Dorsai Companion
The Dorsai Companion
The Dorsai Companion is a collection of science fiction stories by Gordon R. Dickson from his Childe Cycle series. It was first published by Ace Books in 1986...
.
Within the Childe Cycle
Childe Cycle
The Childe Cycle is an unfinished series of science fiction novels by Gordon R. Dickson. The name Childe Cycle is an allusion to Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came, a poem by Robert Browning, which provided considerable inspiration for elements in Dickson's magnum opus.The series is sometimes...
there are several characters that have a triple nature which manifests itself in different ways (see: Welsh Triads
Welsh Triads
The Welsh Triads are a group of related texts in medieval manuscripts which preserve fragments of Welsh folklore, mythology and traditional history in groups of three. The triad is a rhetorical form whereby objects are grouped together in threes, with a heading indicating the point of likeness...
) Amanda Morgan is one of them, and as a unique character she is a single character written as three entirely separate people. The three characters are referred to as The First Amanda, The Second Amanda, and The Third Amanda. The Third Amanda is also sometimes referred to as Hal's Amanda. "Amanda" as a name is appropriate, as its definition is "One fit to be loved."
Unlike the Donal Graeme
Donal Graeme
Donal Graeme is a fictional character in the Childe Cycle of science fiction novels by Gordon R. Dickson.Although he only appears as a major character in one of the novels, Dorsai!, he is transformed into the character Hal Mayne who is important in the later parts of the series."The boy is odd...
- Paul Formain - Hal Mayne trinity (all of whom are actually one person), the three Amanda Morgans do not comprise one entity or can be considered reincarnation
Reincarnation
Reincarnation best describes the concept where the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, is believed to return to live in a new human body, or, in some traditions, either as a human being, animal or plant...
s. Each of the characters has a subtly different personality and motivation, while sharing a common name, appearance, and family. In addition, each of their personal stories can be considered important to the overall narrative while at the same time being background or color. Only the Third Amanda is a main character in the Childe Cycle
Childe Cycle
The Childe Cycle is an unfinished series of science fiction novels by Gordon R. Dickson. The name Childe Cycle is an allusion to Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came, a poem by Robert Browning, which provided considerable inspiration for elements in Dickson's magnum opus.The series is sometimes...
proper.
Each of the Three Amandas can also be looked at as an evolution of the previous character. This evolution can be equated with that of The Dorsai culture. The first Amanda's responsibility is directly related to her family and immediate community. The Second Amanda's responsibility is for The Dorsai as a whole. The Third Amanda's responsibility transcends the other two and encompasses the whole of humanity. Paralleling this, The Dorsai as a people begin as simple mercenary soldiers interested in making a living. By the Second Amanda's life they have developed a moral code and reputation as a society that protects them as a whole. Finally, as embodied by the Third Amanda, The Dorsai become the protectors of all humanity and its potentiality.
All three Amandas are at some time in their lives members of the Grey Captains. (The First Amanda belonged to a proto-group that does not share this name, but is clearly the predecessor of the Grey Captains.) This informal group of important individuals are what amounts to government on The Dorsai. The fact that the Third Amanda and to a certain extent the Second Amanda are significantly younger than most of the Grey Captains is some insight into the importance of the Morgan family on The Dorsai as a whole. As a final evolution of the character The Third Amanda becomes what amounts to the single leader of a very individualistic culture. Something that Donal Graeme never wanted or managed to do.
The First Amanda
This poem begins "Amanda Morgan" (novella), one of a series of stories referred to as "illuminations" that are not part of the Childe CycleChilde Cycle
The Childe Cycle is an unfinished series of science fiction novels by Gordon R. Dickson. The name Childe Cycle is an allusion to Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came, a poem by Robert Browning, which provided considerable inspiration for elements in Dickson's magnum opus.The series is sometimes...
proper. It was written specifically for The First Amanda by her son James. All of her descendants were musically talented.
Stone are my walls, and my roof is of timber;
But the hands of my builder are stronger by far.
The roof may be burned and my stones may be scattered
Never her light be defeated in war...
- (Song of the house called "Fal Morgan")
The First Amanda was born in Caernarfon
Caernarfon
Caernarfon is a Royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a population of 9,611. It lies along the A487 road, on the east banks of the Menai Straits, opposite the Isle of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is to the northeast, while Snowdonia fringes Caernarfon to the east and southeast...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
on Earth, around the same time as the novel Necromancer
Necromancer (novel)
Necromancer is a science fiction novel written by Gordon R. Dickson in 1962. It was alternatively titled No Room for Man between 1963 and 1974 before reverting to its original title...
. Apparently married young, she had one child while on Earth before her husband died. After his death, her in-laws used legal means and influence to remove the child from her custody. The First Amanda here shows the signs of her indomitable character by physically stealing the child back from them, and then emigrating immediately from the Earth to the new colony of Newton. Unfortunately the process caused much psychological damage to the child, who was thereafter prone to uncontrollable fits of rage. Much of the rest of The First Amanda's life is devoted to caring for this child and founding the Morgan Family, though a second husband on Newton and her final husband on The Dorsai. In spite of these two husbands, the ap Morgan family is descended entirely from The First Amanda through her first child, James.
Later in her life The First Amanda played the role of Matriarch for both her family and the community as a whole. This role culminated in her key position in the defense of The Dorsai against Dow deCastries and the combined Earth expeditionary forces, at the age of 93. This accomplishment could be considered secondary to her influence on the culture and morals of The Dorsai as a whole, were it not that this single incident was instrumental in the evolution of that people. These events are chronicled in the novella, "Amanda Morgan", and the novel, Tactics of Mistake
Tactics of Mistake
Tactics of Mistake is a science fiction novel written by Gordon R. Dickson which was first published as a serial in Analog in 1970-1971. It is part of Dickson's Childe Cycle series, in which mankind has reached the stars and divided into specialized splinter groups...
.
The Second Amanda
Born a generation after the death of the First Amanda, The Second Amanda was named Elaine (legend)Elaine (legend)
Elaine is a name shared by several different female characters in Arthurian legend.-Elaine of Astolat:Elaine of Astolat, also known in some texts as Elaine the Fair or the Fair Maid of Astolat and as The Lady of Shalott in Lord Alfred Tennyson's same-titled poem, is a maiden who falls in unrequited...
(See also: Elaine of Astolat
Elaine of Astolat
Elaine of Astolat or Ascolat is a figure in Arthurian legend who dies of her unrequited love for Lancelot. Also referred to as Elaine the White and Elaine the Fair, she is the daughter of Bernard of Astolat. Versions of her story appear in Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur and Alfred Tennyson's...
.) Due to the importance and strong character of the First Amanda, none of her decedents dared to name a girl child after her. However, by the time The Second Amanda was six years old people were already referring to her as "The Second Amanda" due to her uncanny resemblance to her ancestor. That name stuck, and Elaine was thereafter only a footnote in family histories.
The Second Amanda is known chiefly as an expert in contracts and legality for The Dorsai. While this makes her important to The Dorsai of her time, her real influence is in her relationship with the Graeme family. The Second Amanda is the one that both of the twins, Ian and Kensie Graeme were in love with, yet she was in love with only one. This unlikely love triangle led by stages to several important consequences. Ian, knowing his brother was passionately interested in Amanda, refused to pursue her and married another woman. The Second Amanda, however, was not interested in Kensie at all. Her interest was entirely for Ian, who was then unavailable.
This untenable position caused all three individuals to be unhappy, and in the end led indirectly to the death of Kensie. This would not normally be an event of note, except that it released Ian to be of use to his nephew Donal Graeme
Donal Graeme
Donal Graeme is a fictional character in the Childe Cycle of science fiction novels by Gordon R. Dickson.Although he only appears as a major character in one of the novels, Dorsai!, he is transformed into the character Hal Mayne who is important in the later parts of the series."The boy is odd...
in uniting the known worlds. The Second Amanda never married, but much later in her life managed a relationship with Ian Graeme after his first wife had died. As heads of their respective families they maintained continuity of tradition and responsibility amongst The Dorsai. These events are chronicled in the stories Lost Dorsai, Brothers, and Soldier Ask Not (novel). Further background is provided in The Final Encyclopedia (novel) and the interludes of The Spirit of Dorsai
The Spirit of Dorsai
The Spirit of Dorsai is a collection of two science fiction stories by Gordon R. Dickson. It was first published by Ace Books in 1979. The collection includes linking material and the stories are part of Dickson's Childe Cycle. The first story, "Amanda Morgan", is original to this collection...
.
The Third Amanda
The Second Amanda, knowing the family's tradition against naming girl children Amanda, made sure that when a suitable girl was born the name was passed on. The Third Amanda grew up under the tutelage of her namesake, and grew in her own time to be an expert in contracts and also a head of her family. Perhaps the most important moment in her life is when she meets Hal Mayne. This leads her eventually to be one of his chief advisors, part of The Dorsai forces defending Earth, and eventually his lover and de facto wife.The Third Amanda's support for Hal Mayne is part of another trilogy of characters that combine the three parts of humanity as Gordon R. Dickson
Gordon R. Dickson
Gordon Rupert Dickson was an American science fiction author.- Biography :Dickson was born in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1923. After the death of his father, he moved with his mother to Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1937...
envisions. She is the strength, the courage, and the competence that compliments the other two muses in his life. Rukh Tamani, who embodies Faith, and Ajela who embodies Understanding being these other two components based on the Childe Cycle
Childe Cycle
The Childe Cycle is an unfinished series of science fiction novels by Gordon R. Dickson. The name Childe Cycle is an allusion to Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came, a poem by Robert Browning, which provided considerable inspiration for elements in Dickson's magnum opus.The series is sometimes...
splinter cultures. The interesting thing is that each of these three characters embodies all three of the important philosophies: Courage, Faith, Understanding. The only difference is their emphasis of one over the other two. The Third Amanda certainly possesses both Faith and Understanding, but it is her Courage and Personal Responsibility that are paramount to her character.
As part of this collection of three interconnected characters the Third Amanda represents The Dorsai, which in many ways each of the Amandas represents for their era. All of the novels are filled with these triple representations of the three splinter cultures in different forms. The Amanda character is probably the most well defined and rounded of these, with the possible exception of the Donal Graeme
Donal Graeme
Donal Graeme is a fictional character in the Childe Cycle of science fiction novels by Gordon R. Dickson.Although he only appears as a major character in one of the novels, Dorsai!, he is transformed into the character Hal Mayne who is important in the later parts of the series."The boy is odd...
- Paul Formain - Hal Mayne trinity. She is also one of a select few characters to appear in several stories, and like Ian Graeme to have an illumination story directly focused on her. In this she has become one of the classic characters in Science Fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
.