Subject: (urth) The Commotion at the Piteous Gate is a Mystery?!

From: Mitchell A. Bailey <mab at lindau.net>
Date: Tue, 01 Jun 1999 13:53:41 +0000

Being a literal-minded, rather than a literary-minded sort, I never
considered the Piteous Gate business, as partially explained in the
opening chap of "Sword", as any great mystery.

I always figured that, as Palaemon had warned, the uhlans took their
duty literally and fanatically. The road begins right there, at the gate
of the Wall, and it's CLOSED, see? If you know what's good for you,
you'll turn off it just as you leave the Gate, which is what everybody
appeared to be doing. The burning coach in Sev's dream/memory had
apparently not done so.

"Hey buddy, what part of CLOSED don't you understand?! WHOOMP!"

Let me add my gratitude and kudos to Ranjit for the new archives and
site! It loads so much faster, too! Now maybe I can finish reading all
the archives before my eyes gutter in their sockets and avoid gaffes
like rehashing something Tony had already argued before I ever found the
archives.

*More Wolfe info & archive of this list at http://www.urth.net/urth/

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From: Michael Andre-Driussi <mantis at sirius.com>
Date: Tue, 01 Jun 1999 09:24:51 +0000

Mitchell A. Bailey wrote,

>appeared to be doing. The burning coach in Sev's dream/memory had

I was using the incident at the gate as a categorical example (a situation
with few clues, in contrast to a locked room murder mystery with a dozen
red herrings masquerading as many clues) rather than an attempt to revive
the mystery or the controversy.  But yes, the personal reading you've
described was covered in the discussion--I think at one point I referred to
it as the "Sanguinary Turnstile" theory.  (Although "Daily Shooting of Fish
in a Barrel" might be closer to the mark. <g>)

=mantis=

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From: Tony Ellis <tony.ellis at futurenet.co.uk>
Date: Wed, 02 Jun 1999 08:13:47 +0000

> in a Barrel" might be closer to the mark. <g>)

And I think at a point just after that I explained why Mantis was wrong. <g>

Urth Vol. 10, a short post entitled "Meanwhile, back at the gate", for anyone who still thinks what
happened at the Piteous Gate is a mystery. (Or like shooting fish in a barrel, come to that.)