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She has to survive incredibly harsh conditions by prostituting herself to one man after another, and she's supposed to come away, what - sweet and innocent?
See, that's where I would slightly disagree with you. I admit, I felt a lot of sympathy for her at the beginning of DG. She was an innocent girl thrown into a bad situation. But I lost all respect for her because of her reaction to that situation. She didn't have to prostitute herself to survive. She chose to prostitute herself to survive. Had she refused to prostitute herself, she would still have survived. Baudin would have made sure of it. Ok, she didn't know that, but part of making heroic decisions lies in not knowing...
Sure, there were a lot of dangers out there that she minimized or avoided by her actions. She and Baudin and Heboric didn't have to worry about having their feet rot off from being chained in the bilges, because she slept with the guard. But that wasn't an avoidance of a certain fate, it was an avoidance of a possible fate. Not everyone chained down there had problems. Felisin slept with the guards not because it was necessary, but because it was easier.
And that's my major problem with her character. I like heroic characters, whether they are tragic heroes or happy ones. Felisin's not heroic. She doesn't strive against her troubles, she surrenders to them on the condition that they let her live. At any given point, she always takes the easy way out. I never get to read a part where I say to myself, "Wow, that was tough. I don't know if I would have been able to do that." I'm never impressed or inspired by her actions. Frankly, the only thing I can think of where she did something I thought was worthwhile was getting Heboric transferred to an easier job. And even that wasn't completely selfless.
I'm not saying I wish she were different; I think she was a brilliant character. Not everyone can be Karsa Orlong, struggling against every facet of existence. If she had been a standard fantasy heroine, struggling stubbornly against her fate, it would have been a less interesting book. Her bitter surrender to every hardship that comes her way is fascinating, and makes DG a better book. It's just not particularly likeable, IMO.
I am extremely glad SE wrote her the way he did. Brilliant writing. But at the same time, I'm glad she's gone. If I met Baudin in a bar, I'd buy him a drink. If I met Heboric in a bar, I'd be honored to talk politics, philosophy, or religion with him, and I'd buy him a drink. If I met Felisin in a bar, I'd excuse myself after the initial introductions, (after about the second bitter, cutting remark on her part) wander away, buy myself a drink, and thank every god in the Malazan pantheon that I didn't have to hang out with her anymore.
As an aside, I agree with you, Longhorn. The fact that Tavore kills her sister and doesn't realize it is brilliant. Great denial of expectations, and it makes Felisin's death more powerful. And somehow, SE manages to pull it all together at the end into a great tragedy. I'm still not sure how. If you'd asked me in DG if I thought Felisin was a tragic character, I'd have said no. Mainly because she brings so much of her tragedy on herself. Sure, her initial circumstance is tragic. Young girl gets sent to the slave mines. Bummer. But every other thing that happens is just a result of her gnawing away at her own soul. So I would have never picked her as a valid tragic character.
But somehow, she is.
Great writing.
you posted that while I was still typing.
Word has it in this-here Forum that the Surly old b*tch actually IS a mage. The corpse thing with Kalam, the fact that the Claw (which she created) is steeped in sorcery, the fact that the Imperial Warren opens up into her throneroom...dunno how wise that one is though. Mage or not, is it wise to have a warren used by more than just Malazans open up in your 'office'.
....right.
