{
  "export": {
    "source": "https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/urth/5029",
    "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": 5029,
    "subject": "Severian the Alzabo?",
    "messages": 2,
    "voices": 2,
    "first": "2008-05-16T05:21:58+00:00",
    "last": "2008-05-16T22:55:17+00:00"
  },
  "messages": [
    {
      "message_id": "<482d19f6.ab.11c4.24171@mail.rochester.edu>",
      "from": {
        "name": "dcooperv",
        "address": "dcooperv at mail.rochester.edu"
      },
      "date": "2008-05-16T05:21:58+00:00",
      "subject": "(urth) Severian the Alzabo?",
      "in_reply_to": null,
      "reply_link": null,
      "blocks": [
        {
          "kind": "text",
          "depth": 0,
          "text": "Howdy, I'm a fairly new subscriber, though I've read a bit of the archives.\nAnyway, I don't have any deep insights to share, but here's an interesting bit I\nfound.\nIn his interview with Larry McCaffery\n(http://www.depauw.edu/sfs/interviews/wolfe46interview.htm), Wolfe says:\n\"The Alzabo is a monster, sure; but it's something many people fear a great deal\nwhen they work for a major corporation: we fear we'll be swallowed by Procter\nand Gamble, become just a cog in its innards or so much a company man that we'll\nbe just a voice coming out of its mouth.\" \nThis I think sums up the psychological appeal (for lack of a better term) of the\nAlzabo and similar monsters (body-snatchers, Star Trek's Borg, et cetera).\nCompare this with the idea in Helioscope (IIRC), that the fear engendered by the\nfigure of the torturer isn't just the fear of being tortured, but also \"the fear\nof being made to be a torturer.\"\nLikewise, we have Dorcas's warning in Claw (don't have my copy at hand, but it's\nwhile they're camped out at the House Absolute), \"People don't want to let other\npeople be people,\" or words to that effect.\nThis was just a neat little motif I found running through the work. Can any of\nyou add to this? Hopefully I can spark some discussion.\n\nAll the best,\nDan Vince"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "message_id": "<ecbb2eb0805161555j21d0b06bp8303bbf04dfec973@mail.gmail.com>",
      "from": {
        "name": "aaron",
        "address": "aaronsingleton at gmail.com"
      },
      "date": "2008-05-16T22:55:17+00:00",
      "subject": "(urth) Severian the Alzabo?",
      "in_reply_to": "<482d19f6.ab.11c4.24171@mail.rochester.edu>",
      "reply_link": "header",
      "blocks": [
        {
          "kind": "text",
          "depth": 0,
          "text": "Very interesting.  I had not read that Wolfe quote until now.  I learn\nsomething new about The Book every day it seems."
        },
        {
          "kind": "quote",
          "depth": 1,
          "text": "On Fri, May 16, 2008 at 1:21 AM, dcooperv <dcooperv at mail.rochester.edu>\nwrote:\nHowdy, I'm a fairly new subscriber, though I've read a bit of the archives.\nAnyway, I don't have any deep insights to share, but here's an interesting\nbit I\nfound.\nIn his interview with Larry McCaffery\n(http://www.depauw.edu/sfs/interviews/wolfe46interview.htm), Wolfe says:\n\"The Alzabo is a monster, sure; but it's something many people fear a great\ndeal\nwhen they work for a major corporation: we fear we'll be swallowed by\nProcter\nand Gamble, become just a cog in its innards or so much a company man that\nwe'll\nbe just a voice coming out of its mouth.\"\nThis I think sums up the psychological appeal (for lack of a better term)\nof the\nAlzabo and similar monsters (body-snatchers, Star Trek's Borg, et cetera).\nCompare this with the idea in Helioscope (IIRC), that the fear engendered\nby the\nfigure of the torturer isn't just the fear of being tortured, but also \"the\nfear\nof being made to be a torturer.\"\nLikewise, we have Dorcas's warning in Claw (don't have my copy at hand, but\nit's\nwhile they're camped out at the House Absolute), \"People don't want to let\nother\npeople be people,\" or words to that effect.\nThis was just a neat little motif I found running through the work. Can any\nof\nyou add to this? Hopefully I can spark some discussion.\n\nAll the best,\nDan Vince\n_______________________________________________"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}