#139 In the days of their strength: Pavane (1968) by Keith Roberts

Exploring a unique alternate history and a classic of British SF.

It is the late 20th century - but not as we know it. There is no electricity, let alone nuclear energy. Steam-powered road trains are the fastest means of transport. And England is run not from London, but from Rome. This is the world of Pavane, a unique alternate history by Keith Roberts, published in 1968.

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Transcript

Superstitious hauliers move commodities using steam-powered road trains. The fiercely independent Signallers send messages using mechanical semaphore towers. Brotherhoods of monks, sworn to silence, operate both printing presses and the Inquisition. There are no telephones, nuclear power stations, or television. Britain has a King, but the real power lies in Rome, with the Pope. It is 1968 and this is a very different world.

Pavane is one of the most celebrated British science fiction books of the 1960s. It is frequently cited as a particularly strong example of alternate history. But Keith Roberts’ best known book does not fit entirely smoothly into either of those categories. It isn't even really a novel, but rather a set of stories linked by a unique and vividly rendered setting, and by Roberts' beautiful prose. This is the kind of book that mainstream literary authors wish they could write - and the kind that SF fans ought to read.

About Keith Roberts

Keith Roberts (1935 - 2000) was a prominent figure in British SF. He wrote relatively few true novels - many of his books were collections of linked stories. In addition to Pavane, these include The Inner Wheel (1970) and The Chalk Giants (1974). He also worked as an illustrator, and as the SFE put it “did much to change the appearance of UK SF magazines”. These included New Worlds and Science Fantasy, later retitled SF Impulse, which Roberts briefly edited before it was discontinued in 1967.

Roberts was also known for his conservative political outlook and his abrasive personality. As Stephen E. Andrews and Nick Rennison put it in 100 Must Read Science Fiction Novels (2006), his “difficult, cantankerous personality combined to create circumstances in which his work failed to find the audience it deserved.” Although born in Northamptonshire, he had a long affinity with the South West of England, especially Dorset where Pavane is largely set.

The publication history of Pavane

All of the stories in the original edition of Pavane were first published separately in Impulse, one per issue during the spring and summer of 1966:

• “The Lady Margaret” was originally published as “The Lady Ann” in the April issue
• “The Signaller” was published in March
• “Brother John” was published in May
• “Lords and Ladies” was published in June
• “Corfe Gate” was published in July

One further story, “The White Boat”, was published in New Worlds in December 1966. This was not included in the UK first edition of Pavane, but was in the US first edition, and is present in recent editions.

A slower, crueler world

The point of divergence in Pavane is in 1588. Queen Elizabeth I is assassinated, shot dead just as the Spanish Armada departs on its way to England. The fleet arrives essentially unopposed, due to political and religious reprisals tearing English society apart. The Spanish Empire later withers, but not before Protestantism is effectively destroyed across Europe. 400 years later, the Catholic Church reigns supreme over much of the world, with local monarchs and aristocracies holding power only while the Pope allows it.

By the 1960s, Papal edicts such as Petroleum Veto - which has essentially banned the internal combustion engine - have greatly slowed technological development. The age of steam persists, crossbows and cannon are the dominant weapons of war, and communication is possible only via mechanical semaphore stations.

Roberts' speculations extend into the social sphere. Britain is run along feudal lines, and the lives of women are greatly restricted. Superstition abounds, especially in the rural areas of Dorset. Most troublingly, the Inquisition is a powerful force, exacting brutal tortures on those suspected of demonic possession, or of rebellion - if there is a distinction.

A recurring element of the stories is Roberts’ facility in describing the practicalities of various activities and trades - including sailing, lithographic printing, and the operation of a steam engine. His loving depictions of these tactile processes add a nostalgic quality to Pavane. At the time Roberts was writing, many SF authors had practical experiences of these kinds of trades, which are largely lost to us today.

The slow turning of the wheel

Several of the stories in Pavane deal with the value of independence and the inevitability of change - be it personal or social. Under Rome’s rule, change has been slowed dramatically but it has not been trampled altogether. It has taken generations, but the hauliers in “The Lady Margaret” have been able to carve out an independent trade for themselves. They must be wary of the perils of cold weather - this is a world that skipped the Industrial Revolution - and of violent raiders in the lawless countryside.

In “The White Boat”, a young woman glimpses the possibility of an escape from her stifling existence. Even when she realises that new life is not for her, she risks everything to save a group of smugglers who represent something independent and free. Sometimes the Church’s efforts to prevent change inadvertently catalyse it. In “Brother John”, a monk sees the horrors of the Inquisition with his own eyes, and becomes a rallying point for dissent.

The mechanics of change in Pavane arguably reflect to some extent Roberts’ conservative worldview. The most explicit acts of rebellion occur in “Corfe Gate”, where a rogue but compassionate Dorset aristocrat inadvertently triggers a political crisis. Roberts primarily depicts change from above, not from below. His change is also slow and incremental, which fits the grounded and melancholic tone of the stories. On the one hand, Pavane is an antidote to the heroic wish-fulfilment fantasies of much SF. On the other, it suggests that ordinary people are near-powerless - there is little mass action nor sense of solidarity in the book.

At times, Roberts seems to suggest that a struggle for change is not worthwhile. This sense is increased by the book’s divisive coda, which some critics have advised readers to skip.

A unique vision

Pavane has its flaws. Besides the questionable coda, there is also “Lords and Ladies”, arguably the weakest story due to its rather confusing narrative. At all times, though, the stories are wonderfully written. The vividness of Roberts’ alternate timeline and Dorset settings are matched only by the beauty of his prose. His words are chosen so carefully, for maximum emotive effect. Any one of the stories in Pavane would have a considerable impact, but grouped together they amount to a uniquely powerful and thought-provoking vision of a different world. This, after all, is what SF is all about.