_Urth of the New Sun_ query
The SF-Lovers list — 5 messages, 5 voices, 25 Jul 1995
https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/sflovers/127

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Emmet O'Brien — 25 Jul 1995, 10:36

I was recently rereading Wolfe's _Urth of the New Sun_, and for some
reason the names he uses for the higher and lower universes in the story,
Yesod and Briah, seem familiar. My first thought was that they sounded
vaguely Cabbalistic, but I don't have research material to hand. Can
anyone enlighten me ?

Emmet

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Mark Andersen — 26 Jul 1995, 10:20
  follows, by subject match Emmet O'Brien

eaobrien at ebi.ac.uk (Emmet O'Brien) writes:

> I was recently rereading Wolfe's _Urth of the New Sun_, and for some
> reason the names he uses for the higher and lower universes in the story,
> Yesod and Briah, seem familiar. My first thought was that they sounded
> vaguely Cabbalistic.

So I've been told. He also apparently has the names inverted for some
reason of his own. (i.e., higher universe: lower name and vice versa). 

Dr. Mark Andersen
Department of Fishery and Wildlife Sciences
New Mexico State University

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Jon Evans — 26 Jul 1995, 19:43
  follows, by subject match Mark Andersen

eaobrien at ebi.ac.uk (Emmet O'Brien) writes:

> I was recently rereading Wolfe's _Urth of the New Sun_, and for some
> reason the names he uses for the higher and lower universes in the story,
> Yesod and Briah, seem familiar. My first thought was that they sounded
> vaguely Cabbalistic, but I don't have research material to hand. Can
> anyone enlighten me ?

Yesod at least is indeed, uh, (ducking a surefire spelling error) what you
said.  My limited knowledge of the sefirah is from Umberto Eco's FOUCAULT'S
PENDULUM, which explains all ten of them; I suggest you read it a) because
it answers your question and b) because it is a work of magnificence
comparable to THE BOOK OF THE NEW SUN.

Mind you, it's not SF.

Jon

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Charles Dye — 03 Aug 1995, 01:27
  follows, by subject match Jon Evans

Changing the topic somewhat (well, okay, completely):

Reading "Castle of the Otter" for the first time, a few weeks back, I
discovered Mr. Wolfe's unfortunate taste for name puns.  ("Carrol of
another kind", crimony....)  I got to wondering if he buried any name puns
in "New Sun", and then it hit me:

Chapter One of "Shadow of the Torturer" revolves around GRAVE ROBBERS.

Is my sick mind inventing a joke that Wolfe really didn't intend to put in
there?  It's been bothering me for some reason.  And I haven't been helped
by the fact that "Long Sun" features a "Dr. Crane" ....

What do you think?

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CANTY DANIEL — 06 Aug 1995, 00:41
  follows, by subject match Charles Dye

> Charles Dye (raster at terra.com) wrote:
> Chapter One of "Shadow of the Torturer" revolves around GRAVE ROBBERS.

The opening of _Shadow of the Torturer_, and the narrative stance which the
appendices suggest refer, I think, to ROBERT GRAVES'S _I, Claudius_.  Was
that what you were referring to in suggesting the existence of a pun?

Daniel

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