Subject: (urth) re Evan S Barnable

From: Allan Lloyd <lloyd at nexus.kc3.co.uk>
Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2000 20:18:03 +0000

I've just been re-reading Little Big (prompted by the discussion on this
group) and by some wierd coincidence, just reached the page in Letters
to Santa where Smoky reveals his real name.
  Some-one asked what the S stands for. Does no-one get the joke?

  Evan S. = evanesce = disappearing from sight, fading, or maybe
ghost-like or even Smoky

          Allan

*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: Mon, 26 Jun 2000 14:45:11 +0000

>  Evan S. = evanesce = disappearing from sight, fading, or maybe

Yowie!  Looks right to me . . . and since "Evan S." = "Smoky" (and it was
probably the too-clever relatives who cooked up "Smoky" directly from "Evan
S.") then it would be redundant for S itself to equal "Smoky."  Meaning
that the S remains another hidden name, another one of those tough little
easter eggs without any real answer, core, yoke, or candy picture inside:
John Crowley often hides these in his fictions.

=mantis=

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From: William Ansley <wansley at warwick.net>
Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2000 22:05:53 +0000

>   Evan S. = evanesce = disappearing from sight, fading, or maybe

Kudos, Allen!

I re-read _Little, Big_ recently and quite carefully too, I might 
add, but I missed this completely. An excellent catch.

And it nicely explains why Crowley reveals Smoky's real first name 
(however briefly) while keeping mum about what his middle initial 
stands for. I was wondering about that! Thank you.

William Ansley

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From: Alex David Groce <alex_groce at gs246.sp.cs.cmu.edu>
Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2000 08:18:04 +0000

>stands for. I was wondering about that! Thank you. 

In fact, it seems more than just plausible that Smoky's middle initial
doesn't stand for anything--remember that he wears "A Suit of
Truman's" to be married in and that the 'S' in Harry S. Truman is
without further signification.  I think that's the solution to
the middle initial mystery.

--
"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32
--
Alex David Groce (agroce+ at cs.cmu.edu)
Ph.D. Student, Carnegie Mellon University - Computer Science Department
8112 Wean Hall (412)-268-3066
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~agroce