{
  "export": {
    "source": "https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/urth/2413",
    "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": 2413,
    "subject": "PEACE: the China Pillow",
    "messages": 1,
    "voices": 1,
    "first": "2000-10-22T16:47:56+00:00",
    "last": "2000-10-22T16:47:56+00:00"
  },
  "messages": [
    {
      "message_id": "<urth-v0030-0042@digest.urth.net>",
      "from": {
        "name": "Michael Andre-Driussi",
        "address": "mantis at sirius.com"
      },
      "date": "2000-10-22T16:47:56+00:00",
      "subject": "(urth) PEACE: the China Pillow",
      "in_reply_to": null,
      "reply_link": null,
      "blocks": [
        {
          "kind": "quote",
          "depth": 1,
          "text": "vizcacha wrote:\nHas the gang of three looked into the relationship of the Chinese tale to\nthe overall story? It seems to me that that story (sorry, I'm at work,\ndetails will be sketchy) provides a possible explanation for Olivia's voice\nover the intercom.  That is, just as in the fable, Weer lives or dreams his\nentire life, seeing the consequences of the choices he makes, and then at\nthe end Olivia wakes him to live it all over again as a wiser man.  I don't\nsee the point of including that story unless it speaks to something else in\nthe novel, as all the other included tales do.  What is its relevance to the\nnovel, unless it is that?"
        },
        {
          "kind": "text",
          "depth": 0,
          "text": "Right, that is probably the strongest indicator of what I call the circular\nreading of PEACE: this flavor is \"it was all a dream.\"  Whether \"it\" in\nthis instance is Den's life from age 9 to 60, or Den's afterlife version of\nhis life, or whatever else \"it\" might be, remains open.\n\nOTOH, it is also important to note the context of Olivia's story: it seems\nto be a strong message to Macafee for his \"ungentlemanly\" winning of the\nChinese Egg (which is itself funny, since Olivia wanted to fight and win,\netc.; she would have had contempt for any man who would have treated her\nlike \"a lady,\" or so her outward persona would seem to indicate).\n\nIn the Princess story, the merchant lad gives her a magical bird (note\nconnection to \"egg\") \"though to hear its most beautiful song its owner had\nto set it free\" (note connection to how Olivia had to give the hard-won Egg\naway to Macafee); \"this the princess did, and then charmed it back into its\ncage again by singing herself\" (no comment; well, then again, the fact that\nOlivia commits her adulterous trysts with Macafee in the sight of the Egg .\n. . )\n\nIn the China Pillow story, told by Olivia to all, but especially Macafee,\nthe giver of the gift says, \"Fool! Do you not recognize me? I have granted\nyour heart's desire, and for it I receive your ingratitude!\"  And thereby\nends the dream of a happy life by withdrawing the real gift.\n\n(Does Olivia have similar scathing responses for Peacock and/or Blaine?)\n\nAfter the China Pillow story is Smart's story of Mr. Tilly, but I still\nrefuse to talk about this one yet.\n\nOn to the next story!\n\n=mantis="
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}