Subject: (urth) TWK: Tower of Glas

From: Matthew Keeley <matthew.keeley.1 at gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 05 Sep 2006 21:11:29 +0000

Hi,

I'm new here, and likely won't be participating in that many discussions as
yet, as there are still many of Wolfe's books that I haven't read and which
I should like to complete before taking a more active part in this list.
Nonetheless, I wanted to join this list and I did. I've looked at the "back
issues" of this group, but couldn't find anything dealing specifically with
what I'm about to bring up...

(I should perhaps warn that there are major spoilers for TWK here.)

In The Wizard Knight, Wolfe seems to want us to identify the Tower of Glas
with the Tower of Babel, but it seems to me that the tower in question also
resembles Dante's Purgatory in many ways. I found this rather perplexing, as
while the Tower of Babel is clearly a symbol of evil (rebellion against God,
hubris, etc.), Purgatory is something manifestly good and holy. I figure I
should be a bit more specific, so I've composed a lists comparing the ToG
with Babel and with Purgatory.

BABEL / ToG
-The Tower of Glas is built by Aelf who wish to reach Mythgarthr, while
Babel is built by men who wish to reach heaven. I think it may be noteworthy
that though Babel is never completed, the Tower of Glas does in fact reach
into Mythgarthr.

PURGATORY / ToG
-To ascend Purgatory, one must walk a path which circles the mountain
itself; to ascend the ToG, one must take circling stairs.
-The climb of Purgatory leads one to be purified of sins; Uri and Baki are
ostensibly cleared of their allegiance to Setr at the top of the ToG.
-At the top of Purgatory is the Earthly Paradise / Eden; the top of the ToG
is the beautiful Isle of Glas.
-The voyager in Purgatory sees representations of Satan in the form of a
serpent; Able sees Setr as a serpent / dragon in the Eden-like jungle on the
Isle of Glas.
-Able's mother lives (at one point) on the Isle of  Glas; I'm reminded of
Eve, the "first mother," who lived in Eden / the Earthly Paradise.
-Angels are present in Purgatory; Able meets Michael for the first time on
the Isle of Glas.

Any thoughts on what Wolfe is trying to do here? It seems rather odd to so
mix Purgatory and Babel; the Tower of Glas seems a rather ambiguous symbol
(Though, looking at my list, there seem to be more parallels to Purgatory
than to Babel). I wonder if Able undergoes any purification in climbing the
ToG? That would seem to fit the interpretation of the ToG as a sort of
Purgatory...

Thanks for any thoughts or comments. I think I'm going to enjoy this list...

-Matt Keeley
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From: David Duffy <david.duffy at qimr.edu.au>
Date: Wed, 06 Sep 2006 01:56:03 +0000

On Tue, 5 Sep 2006, Matthew Keeley wrote:

> hubris, etc.), Purgatory is something manifestly good and holy.
> ...

Hi, welcome to the list! (though I should add I am more a regular reader
than participant).  I like the comparison you make (list snipped).

I would have thought "as above, so below", but with the proviso that the
deeper you go, the less perfect the resemblance, and the more likely
things are to go wrong -- the Island of Glas is less than paradisical,
even though it may be glamorous.  Movement upwards in the worlds must be
lawful I think -- that is arranged by a higherup for one who is worthy or
made worthy by the love of those above.  In that sense the Tower is
hubristic.  Wolfe is big on the conflation of Faery with the land of the
dead, so a connection forcing its way up like that doesn't sound
propitious to me.

The Tower of Glas also appears in _Castleview_, by the way.

David Duffy.