{
  "export": {
    "source": "https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/urth/2221",
    "note": "Exported from an unofficial mirror of a public mailing list. Copyright in each message remains with the person who wrote it.  Email addresses are obscured as `user at host`, the form the original archive published. This file was rebuilt from parsed fields rather than retained headers, so it is faithful in content but not byte-exact.",
    "addresses": "obscured as 'user at host'"
  },
  "archive": "urth",
  "thread": {
    "id": 2221,
    "subject": "Great Work of Time",
    "messages": 1,
    "voices": 1,
    "first": "2000-05-01T22:27:47+00:00",
    "last": "2000-05-01T22:27:47+00:00"
  },
  "messages": [
    {
      "message_id": "<urth-v0028-0952@digest.urth.net>",
      "from": {
        "name": "Adam Stephanides",
        "address": "adamsteph at earthlink.net"
      },
      "date": "2000-05-01T22:27:47+00:00",
      "subject": "(urth) Great Work of Time",
      "in_reply_to": null,
      "reply_link": null,
      "blocks": [
        {
          "kind": "quote",
          "depth": 1,
          "text": "mantis wrote:\nYes, I'm here.  Ask your questions: I'll answer them if I can."
        },
        {
          "kind": "text",
          "depth": 0,
          "text": "1. What is the function of the opening section, about Caspar Last?  I\ncan actually think of several possible functions: it provides a glimpse\nof our world; it's a prelude to the \"original sin\" of the Otherhood; it\nshows the difficulty of changing the past in a purposeful way; it lures\nthe reader into thinking GWoT will be a typical changing-the-past\nstory.  But none of these justify, for me, the size and prominent\nposition of this section.\n\n2. When the old Denys is telling the young Denys (of our world) his\nstory, after describing how he failed to kill Rhodes, he says \"'I am\nsatisfied in my own mind...that it cannot be possible to meet oneself on\na trip into the past or future; that is a lie, invented by the Otherhood\nto forestall its own extinction, which was however inevitable.\"\n(131-32).  Why does Denys think propagating the \"lie\" that one can meet\noneself would forestall the Otherhood's extinction?  Why does he think\nthe Otherhood's extinction inevitable?  And why does the old Denys not\nbelieve his older self dissuaded him from killing Rhodes, when he has\nthe evidence that that is what happened?  Does he just not want to admit\nthat his current plight is the result of a considered decision on his\npart, rather than an impulsive act?\n\nHoping this doesn't make you too crazy,\n\nAdam"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}