cass ford & briar rose

"... [H]e does think of her, less now in erotic longing than in sympathetic curiosity.... And now, what if no one ever reaches her, what if she goes on dreaming in there forever, what sort of a life would that be, so strangely timeless and insubstantial? Yet, is it really any different from the life he himself has until now led, driven by his dream of vocation and heroic endeavor and bewitched by desire?" - page 25

"... [N]ow he thinks of her principally as a kind friend who might heal his lacerations and calm his anguished heart." - page 28

This pair of quotes is interesting in that they are the first truly introspective thoughts of the knight trying to save Briar Rose. As he suffers more and more to get to her, his thoughts shift from erotic desire to a longing for companionship. His endeavor leads him to an epiphany about his goals, and he seems to have realized the fleeting nature of desire. He realizes that rather than it being a part of him, it is an external force (created by society, I would argue) compelling him to find Briar Rose and conquer her. These introspective quotes are interesting, because instead of the traditional post-modern take on fairytales and gender, in which the male is the evil, oppressive 'other,' Coover gives dimension to both the Sleeping Beauty and her "hero."