I think this is a fascinating point. For me, Xanthe's story is mostly a fantasy world. Everybody seems to be happy about these fairly rigid social structure they live in. Everybody seems to be happy about this separation between dom and sub, everybody seems to have a place being either one or the other. (Even though we do get a hint that some are not quite as happy when we see that Zelenka actually has his battle about being different; though frowned upon he is free to live as he pleases but an outsider nonetheless.)
Helen's story on the other hand is how a society like this would work in reality. Where people very often have problems defining themselves as only one or the other. Where rigid social structures lead to many people wanting to break out of it rather than decide to regulate themselves that way. Where you can't have (or at least I don't think we ever could achieve) a society that is that structured and yet allows for everyone to live their live as they please.
Because the more freedom you have to live your life the more diverse its going to get...and Xanthe presents us with a world that is free but not really diverse.
Either I can look at these two stories and see different eras within the same universe (like maybe the difference between a seemingly perfect 1950's era and the more diverse and seemingly unhappy 60's) or one as a created utopia and the other as the mirror image set in reality.
So yeah, both stories have their merit bringing us the look at reality and fantasy and its fascinating to see each of them play out.
Also, as a big old romance fan, as much as I loved the romance part of Coming Home, Helen's idea of looking at this relationship as something where they both have to make compromises to live together totally got to me. Maybe because this tentative connection they do make rings more true to me. They get together not because they were made to fit together but because they care enough to work very hard on making things fit when they normally wouldn't.
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Helen's story on the other hand is how a society like this would work in reality. Where people very often have problems defining themselves as only one or the other. Where rigid social structures lead to many people wanting to break out of it rather than decide to regulate themselves that way. Where you can't have (or at least I don't think we ever could achieve) a society that is that structured and yet allows for everyone to live their live as they please.
Because the more freedom you have to live your life the more diverse its going to get...and Xanthe presents us with a world that is free but not really diverse.
Either I can look at these two stories and see different eras within the same universe (like maybe the difference between a seemingly perfect 1950's era and the more diverse and seemingly unhappy 60's) or one as a created utopia and the other as the mirror image set in reality.
So yeah, both stories have their merit bringing us the look at reality and fantasy and its fascinating to see each of them play out.
Also, as a big old romance fan, as much as I loved the romance part of Coming Home, Helen's idea of looking at this relationship as something where they both have to make compromises to live together totally got to me. Maybe because this tentative connection they do make rings more true to me. They get together not because they were made to fit together but because they care enough to work very hard on making things fit when they normally wouldn't.