Subject: (urth) explain yourself

From: Michael Andre-Driussi <mantis at siriusfiction.com>
Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2002 01:01:26 +0000

Hartshorn wrote:
>But it is obvious.
>
>The fact that the Ascians can speak *only* in the phrases known as Correct
>Thought matches the fact that Orwell's inhabitants of Oceana will one day
>speak **only** in Newspeak.
>
>But there is no real-life correspondence to this: the Koreans may have
>chanted Maoist slogans, but they were not **forbidden** to use other words
>or phrases.
>
>Only in Orwell's 1984 (and arguably in some SF books written since then)
>does this concept of total linguistic replacement arise.
>
>I agree, however, that the style of the quotes is very close to Maoism

Hartshorn and I seem to be on the same wavelength, fwiw.

I, too, agree that the style is close to Maoism.  I don't know if I've been
published saying that (I almost certainly talked about it online -- maybe
Jeff Wilson remembers better than I do), but in studying the very question
regarding Ascia I've had an authentic little red book for about ten years
now.

I looked at it fairly closely.  If I'd have found something like "x:the
Just Man as Theseus:Tale of the Boy Named Frog," believe me, I would have
been delighted, my efforts would have borne fruit, and I would have
published the finding.

I never said that the little red book had nothing to do with Ascian
Approved Texts.  I can further elaborate and say that, imho, based upon my
own labor comparing the texts, there is actually less there than appears on
first or third blush, but even so I would never eliminate it from the
palette.

=mantis=

Sirius Fiction
booklets on Gene Wolfe, John Crowley
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http://www.siriusfiction.com/

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From: Michael Andre-Driussi <mantis at siriusfiction.com>
Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2002 19:38:58 +0000

Whoops. Corrections to follow.

>If I'd have found something like "x:the

That should be:

"x" is to "the Just Man" as "Theseus" is to "The Tale of the Student and
His Son" and/or as "Romulus and Remus" is to "The Tale of the Boy Called
Frog"

Because Theseus doesn't really apply to "The Tale of the Boy Called Frog"
(and it is "Called," not "Named").

Sorry for the confusion.

=mantis=

SIRIUS FICTION
booklets on Gene Wolfe, John Crowley
Lexicon Urthus out of print!
http://www.siriusfiction.com/

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