# question about Soldier of Arete *The Urth list — 7 messages, 6 voices, 10 Jul 2006* > 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. --- ### stilskin *10 Jul 2006, 10:31* I've just received a review copy of Sidon, and in preparation for it gone back over Mist and Arete. I remain baffled by what exactly transpires at the end of Arete to throw Latro into his depression. I feel sure this has been hashed out on the list in the past but was hoping someone could give me an idea of what happens at that crucial juncture. It's clearly a betrayal of some kind, one that touches Latro at a level deeper than mere memory; or touches a deeper kind of memory. http://www.sff.net/people/stilskin --- ### Dave Lebling *10 Jul 2006, 12:28 · in reply to stilskin* Stilskin asked: > I remain baffled by what exactly transpires at the end > of Arete to throw Latro into his depression. http://mysite.verizon.net/~vze2tmhh/gwjbj3.html Jim Jordan's interview with Wolfe (at the above link) answers your question. Search for "Sparta." -- Dave Lebling, aka Vizcacha --- ### stilskin *10 Jul 2006, 12:42 · in reply to Dave Lebling* > --- Dave Lebling wrote: > http://mysite.verizon.net/~vze2tmhh/gwjbj3.html > > Jim Jordan's interview with Wolfe (at the above > link) answers your question. > Search for "Sparta." Very helpful, Dave -- many thanks! That's what I thought happened, actually, but I couldn't square it with the depth of Latro's subsequent depression based on his reaction to similar and indeed even worse, in a more personal sense, tragedies and crimes that he witnesses and is involved in prior to that event. That disparity of affect made me suspect that I was missing a deeper and more personal betrayal, perhaps something related to the circumstances under which Latro lost his memory in the first place. It also seemed to be accompanied by, or succeeded by, a definite shift in his feelings for Io, one, again, that made me suspect there was more going on than just her having finally finagled her way into his bed. Paul > _______________________________________________ --- ### Adrian Robert *10 Jul 2006, 12:51 · in reply to Dave Lebling* > On Jul 10, 2006, at 8:28 AM, Dave Lebling wrote: > > Stilskin asked: >> I remain baffled by what exactly transpires at the end >> of Arete to throw Latro into his depression. > http://mysite.verizon.net/~vze2tmhh/gwjbj3.html > > Jim Jordan's interview with Wolfe (at the above link) answers your > question. > Search for "Sparta." Well regardless of what Wolfe himself says there about the Spartan ceremony being the main antecedent, in real life there is rarely a single cause of depression, and the text certainly doesn't require Latro to be different. There are a number of events that despite his weakened memory cannot have failed to have a cumulative effect. The loss of Phareta, parting from various friends, the futile purposelessness with which he is tossed about by the winds of fate, ... It is a tribute to his strength of spirit (and of the human spirit) that he carried on as long as he did. --- ### Bob Miller *11 Jul 2006, 07:12 · in reply to Dave Lebling* dead link From: "Dave Lebling" Reply-To: The Urth Mailing List To: ,"'The Urth Mailing List'" Subject: (urth) Soldier of Arete Answer Date: Mon, 10 Jul 2006 08:28:17 -0400 Stilskin asked: > I remain baffled by what exactly transpires at the end > of Arete to throw Latro into his depression. http://mysite.verizon.net/~vze2tmhh/gwjbj3.html Jim Jordan's interview with Wolfe (at the above link) answers your question. Search for "Sparta." -- Dave Lebling, aka Vizcacha --- ### Jeff Wilson *11 Jul 2006, 07:29 · in reply to Bob Miller* > From: "Dave Lebling" > http://mysite.verizon.net/~vze2tmhh/gwjbj3.html > Bob Miller wrote: > dead link Works fine from here. Maybe if you gave up the evils of top-posting, the hierogrammates would allow you access. ``` Jeff Wilson - jwilson at io.com < http://www.io.com/~jwilson > ``` --- ### brunians at brunians.org *11 Jul 2006, 18:37 · in reply to stilskin* The Spartans, under pretense of manumitting helots who had aided the recent military victory, massacred them. Latro was a witness. . ___ > I've just received a review copy of Sidon, and in > preparation for it gone back over Mist and Arete. I > remain baffled by what exactly transpires at the end > of Arete to throw Latro into his depression. I feel > sure this has been hashed out on the list in the past > but was hoping someone could give me an idea of what > happens at that crucial juncture. It's clearly a > betrayal of some kind, one that touches Latro at a > level deeper than mere memory; or touches a deeper > kind of memory. > > > > http://www.sff.net/people/stilskin > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com > _______________________________________________ ---