Opals & The Moonstone

[exodusts]

No: HPFGUIDX 149855

> Catlady (Rita Prince Winston) wrote:
>
> " 6) Is there any particular symbolism or meaning to the opal
> necklace (or to opals or necklaces), or is it simply a convenient
> McGuffin? "
> 
> Listies have mentioned the old tradition that opals are bad luck
> (except if they're your birthstone) which inspired books like Wilkie
> Collins's THE MOONSTONE (which I haven't read). Incidentally, opals
> ARE excessively breakable. I used to wear 13 rings spread over 10
> fingers and the opals set in some of them would get chipped and 
broken
> and lose their fire even faster than the malachite would get 
scratched
> and lose its shine, which IS a mild form of bad luck. Eventually I
> decided to limit opals and malachite to necklaces and use only 
sturdy
> stones like turquoise, lapis lazuli, amethyst, Sri Lankan moonstone,
> and tiger's-eye on my hands.


Exodusts:

This reminds me of an obscure theory I formed relating to the naming 
of Wilkie Twycross, the apparition instructor. It is quite an odd 
conjunction of first and surname.

During instruction, Wilkie has a mantra that he calls 
out: "Destination! Determination! Deliberation!" Now this struck me 
as either a homage to another book I had read, or an example of great 
minds thinking alike. That book is "The Stars My Destination" 
(or "Tiger! Tiger", the alternative title) by Alfred Bester.

TSMD is a classic piece of old-school sci-fi which takes a single 
idea or advance, and runs with it to speculate as to how it would 
affect the world. In TSMD that idea is teleportation-by-willpower 
(or "jaunting" as it is called). Early on, an instructress teaches 
remedial jaunting to the anti-hero and a class of others, partly by 
calling out the mnemonic: "Location! Elevation! Situation!"

So what, I hear you ask? Well, it could just be coincidence, based 
upon the fact that such mnemonics are commonly used when learning a 
practical skill for the first time. BUT there is the name.

Wilkie must, realistically, allude to the famous author, Wilkie 
Collins, whose famous works are "The Moonstone" and "The Woman in 
White". If you have read TSMD, you will instantly understand the 
relevance of a "woman in white" (just such a character plays a very 
important role). And Twycross is the name of a famous zoo in the 
U.K. - the sort of place you might find a "Tiger".

Could be total rubbish, or it could be a very subtle allusion. Anyone 
know if J.K. reads sci-fi?