Subject: Re: (urth) Urthian Society Repost

From: Sam Keyes <skeyes at richmond.edu>
Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 16:52:11 +0000

I'm afraid this isn't the sort of thing that one could summarize briefly. 
My first recommendation (and I'm sure many others would share in it), is
that you just keep reading.  Various pieces from Wolfe's posthistory will
come together as you move on to the Long Sun books.  Part of the mystery
of reading Wolfe is that one doesn't know much about the world; it's
frustrating, perhaps, especially if one is used to a certain style of
science fiction expository description, but that's one of the things that
makes reading Wolfe so interesting.  He's not operating with some sort of
positivistic epistemology in which one even has the possibility of having
complete knowledge.

But, it can be helpful and amusing to learn as much as you can.  I think
in response to your earlier query about order someone also listed other
books that would be helpful--particularly Wolfe's Castle of Days (or
Castle of the Otter), which is all about The Book of the New Sun.

And:  read the archives of this list.

Then, if you were miraculously able to find a copy of Michael
Andre-Driussi's 'Lexicon Urthus,' it might answer some of your questions. 
Though regarding the history of Urth, there's nothing there that's not in
the Books somewhere (however well hidden it may be).

Finally, to actually attempt a very small answer to your question:  the
society in Urth is basically what Wolfe (and others who have written in
similar settings) imagines if our current world just sort of sits back and
does nothing.  It's the scenario of let's sit around and wait until our
resources run out.  Granted, that's perhaps not the 'history' you want,
but that is the general scheme of things.

snk

> OK,
>
> Here is the full question, i forgot to finish because I was instant
> messaging.
>
> Does anyone have information about the history of Urthian society (and
> how it got where it was before New Sun)?
>
> Thanks,
> Tyreal

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