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Meant to mention the dedication of 5HoC which thanks Damon Knight "who one night in 1966 grew me from a bean." Might have nothing to do the black beans which grown into megathe…
06 Jan 2012, 20:09
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Yep, a regular solar eclipse is fairly local as seen here: http://mail.colonial.net/~hkaiter/Aaa_web_images2012/SolarEclipse.jpg Are you thinking it is even more local because ot…
06 Jan 2012, 19:52
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This could be a could time to resurrect a discussion regarding Apu Punchau's miracle. I think the pertinent information we are given is: In my first reading I took the "thoughtf…
06 Jan 2012, 17:36
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I really think you are onto something with this. Tzadkiel is meant to depict a higher being than humanity and he/she demonstrates a full spectrum of expression from lower being to …
04 Jan 2012, 13:03
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Yep, I think this supports Jane's contention that Severian's power resides mostly within himself. So perhaps he can draw from various celestial bodies (Tzadkiel's ship being …
02 Jan 2012, 18:41
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I noticed also and it has been a part of my Father Inire theory. With recognition that it could also simply be a folksy way of talking. I like this part of your post the best. …
28 Dec 2011, 13:31
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I don't see that. It is still a human being who is calling the crater circular. People see a crater as resembling a round bowl. An alien intelligence might find nothing in comm…
24 Dec 2011, 13:25
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But isn't the question more on whether it was harder to do that 30 years ago or image an electron today? Anyway, I still think it is cool. But I temper the temptation to pride in t…
23 Dec 2011, 18:58
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Heh, yep. Not to detract from the coolness of Dave's link! It is on a par with that photo spelling of "IBM" with atoms. But I think it is an important part of retaining our esse…
23 Dec 2011, 15:32
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Well, Severian does see the White Fountain as he breaks out of Apu Punchau's tomb. Previous to that, Barbatus twice suggests to Severian that he will have access to the White Fount…
23 Dec 2011, 14:46
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So you say. An understandable sentiment of faith from a believer of the religion of science. Likewise believers in other modern religions often think their own current belief in Go…
23 Dec 2011, 14:10
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But IIRC, Decuman is humming and chanting the whole time. I think this might be the "hypnotism" Wolfe mentions in Jerry's quote. The "twin hemispheres" brain might be just Severia…
22 Dec 2011, 21:01
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Well of course you would think that. Your belief in science is akin to the ancient Greek's belief in Zeus or a Medieval villager's belief in witchcraft. If asked, they would predic…
22 Dec 2011, 20:20
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I really feel that Wolfe is trying to send a diffferent message. What the ancients called magic, we call science and we tend to denigrate magic to fakery. But 10,000 years hence wo…
22 Dec 2011, 18:57
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Yes! I think that's it. I almost chimed in earlier with a similar suggestion but I'm glad your pas de deux with Gerry got there on its own. Wolfe is Catholic and it is common for …
22 Dec 2011, 17:20
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Dorcas does suggest the Claw works by warping time. So, maybe because Severian's life is stretched from primitive times to the far future, his energy source is sort of like a te…
22 Dec 2011, 14:21
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Fair enough. I agree that fallen angels chose to reject God. And I can cautiously agree that human women knowingly engaged in intercourse with these demons, though I'm not sure it …
22 Dec 2011, 13:56
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Perhaps. If they managed to kill off Severian and prevent the New Sun from coming, I'm sure they wouldn't lament. But I think they know he can't die. There will always be reality…
21 Dec 2011, 20:18
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Is enslaving Urth a definition of evil? Isn't flooding the place and killing everybody a much worse evil? By human morality maybe. But Gene Wolfe has read the Bible and has had …
21 Dec 2011, 19:21
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I understand that. I think Jeff Wilson once said something similar, like "it's too big and all-encompassing". It is quite a horse pill to swallow when a piece of literature you lov…
21 Dec 2011, 19:00
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I respect your opinion Dan'l. As with David, I'll defend my position though not with the intent of changing yours. The grand finale of UotNS gives us a Flood. Are you thinking Wo…
21 Dec 2011, 17:05
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David Stockhoff: Could pedo/hebephilia not be a clue to a deeper evil rather than a sign of identity? In BotNS, I think it serves both purposes. Incest also. Remember how Dorca…
21 Dec 2011, 16:52
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I respect that opinion and will only comment further to explain my view, not to change yours (unless you are making a request for your resistance to be broken down, heh). Yes. And…
21 Dec 2011, 16:36
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I think those are sufficient for him. There are certain weirdnesses in all those encounters. My approach to Wolfe is different than Wright so I don't study him too intensely. As an…
21 Dec 2011, 15:35
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An excellent point. Along with all the other persistent faerie/magic elements from human mythology, cannibalism belongs in this book along with vampires, giants, shapeshifting, et…
21 Dec 2011, 14:33
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Yes, I don't know if Cyriaca is meant to be sister or clone to Catherine but I think there is a definite connection (as does Andre-Driussi) from the physical resemblance to the Pel…
21 Dec 2011, 14:01
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Yes, thanks for that Jerry. And the ivy-wreathed Dionysus can be traced in a direct line to the Green Man who is not so subtlely referenced in BotNS. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G…
20 Dec 2011, 20:50
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My timeline would be more like this: young Cyriaca is a Pelerine. She is expelled because she gets pregnant with twins whom she raises in Nessus, supporting herself with a used c…
20 Dec 2011, 20:32
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I think the alzabo stuff is explainable by time period. There was a very real and serious camp in the 1970's which thought memory might be carried by RNA. Wolfe wouldn't be the onl…
20 Dec 2011, 19:53
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IIRC, it was bequeathed to A & A by their mother. This tends to implies she is dead. But if Cyriaca is their mother and just living far away, there is a second meaning to "bequeath…
20 Dec 2011, 16:31
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I agree completely. From Wolfe interviews, I get the impression his personal philosophy is based on the following logic: "the ancients were as intelligent as we are. They were not…
20 Dec 2011, 13:26
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Heh, yep. Who knows! People are different online than in the real world but one way I am similar is that I tend to mirror the speech patterns of the person I am talking to. It …
20 Dec 2011, 03:23
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Heh! Clever segue from the fairy tale theme David. Amusingly, when I first started hearing the term "troll" on internet, in addition to the fairy tale reference, I thought of …
19 Dec 2011, 00:36
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Heh. Tired of arguing with David and hoping to draw me in? Sorry, not interested. A good admonition. Consider taking it. :- )…
18 Dec 2011, 16:32
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Heh, yep. The threat of an insult is about the same as an insult. But don't worry Jerry. No need to mince words with me. It should be clear by now that I invest no pride in my co…
17 Dec 2011, 21:03
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Gene Wolfe: Pas is certainly not Zeus. (No doubt he would like to be.) The classical gods are, in general, not as people today imagine them. Ares is the *soldier god*, not the …
17 Dec 2011, 15:46
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Is it the accusation or the actual fact of not reading the text which scandalizes you? I'm thinking it is the latter as Gerry's frequent accusations of others not reading the text …
16 Dec 2011, 19:48
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Excellent post and analogy, Gerry. I had actually thought it was a frog carrying the scorpion but an internet search shows both animals are used. I understand your choice. The fox …
16 Dec 2011, 19:21
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You seem like a gentle, considerate soul Daniel, which I think is great. But do you believe in the adage, "it takes one to know one"? Gerry and I understand each other very well. …
16 Dec 2011, 18:30
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I really think you are missing something Daniel, though you would not be alone in it. Isn't it possible to use the nuanced perception through which we understand Gene Wolfe's work …
16 Dec 2011, 13:50
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Ah, well, not really. I understood but I'll confess that I just wanted an excuse to further discuss Tolkien with someone who knows more than I do about the subject. :- ) Scener…
16 Dec 2011, 13:30
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Wow, Dan'l. Outstanding post, both for content and eloquence. Also, I agree with all you say about Tolkien and Lewis and Wolfe in your earlier post. I might only debate one is…
16 Dec 2011, 03:21
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Heh. Well, I give you points for consistency, Gerry. As always, you see the young beauty in the optical illusion and ignore and/or dismiss the old crone. http://www.illusionspoint.…
15 Dec 2011, 19:03
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I tend to agree. Especially on tFHoC. Of course my first few readings of that were the novella only. Mr. Million and cloning aside, it felt like 19th Century France had been tran…
15 Dec 2011, 13:48
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I agree. Judging from interviews, this may be one of the major points Wolfe hopes to convey with his work- that ancient peoples were just as intelligent and capable of understandin…
07 Dec 2011, 13:09
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Thanks Daniel and Harry. That was a great article. The Wizard of Oz is an appropriate basis of comparison for Gene Wolfe. It is a complex movie with a depth that is belied by…
06 Dec 2011, 21:27
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I agree. For me, 5HoC represents the roots and the Sun Series the trunk of the tree of Wolfe's writing. But the Soldier series and Wizard Knight are major branches. The good thi…
06 Dec 2011, 17:19
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I think so. I guess the idea was that if particle polarity is reversed (antimatter electrons are positively charged) then all physical properties might be. There is probably some …
06 Dec 2011, 13:32
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I remember wondering something like that. But I find the end of the Long Sun saga to be a slog to get through and haven't re-read it much. It will be more interesting when you move…
06 Dec 2011, 13:26
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Where is this quote from? I think I remember something like that. Anyway, that sentiment is quite misanthropic. It may be that Wolfe thinks that lowly of the human race in gener…
05 Dec 2011, 03:26
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