{ "export": { "source": "https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/urth/5584", "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": 5584, "subject": "Cutthroat \"identity\" from \"TRACKING SONG\"", "messages": 4, "voices": 4, "first": "2010-04-20T16:53:22+00:00", "last": "2010-04-21T07:13:09+00:00" }, "messages": [ { "message_id": "<548455.62735.qm@web56602.mail.re3.yahoo.com>", "from": { "name": "sean ako", "address": "geoffreyfourmylepyre at yahoo.com" }, "date": "2010-04-20T16:53:22+00:00", "subject": "(urth) Cutthroat \"identity\" from \"TRACKING SONG\"", "in_reply_to": null, "reply_link": null, "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "Urthers;\n\nI believe the identity of Cutthroat is tied to his actions among the various \"tribes\" of beast/humans.\nFor example, he compulsively records his daily adventures along with his ethnological observations.\nHe maintains a log organized by day/number; and he consistently joins and talks with other groups/tribes\nto find out information, much of it of little practical use (but interesting from an anthropological view.)? I\nbelieve Cutthroat is an anthropologist; a scientist studying the biologically engineered beast/humans of the\nplanet. Is it more than coincidental that he happens to fall off the Great Sleigh with a tape recorder, shaver,\npocketknife and firestarter? Sounds more like he's ready to do fieldwork. As to his amnesia, who can say \nthat it isn't their protocol for any fieldwork that they do (to encourage objective and honest observations/actions.)\nOf course, the Great Sleigh didn't \"lose\" him as many readers (and even characters in the story) assert. It is just\ntheir way; consider the way they listen in on his recordings (a handy way of keeping a handle on his situation.)\nAnother thing to consider is that GW has an affiinity with these \"scientist\" types; consider the two anthopologists\nin \"THE SHADOW OF THE TORTURER\" in the Jungle Garden (with Isangoma) or the astronaut/scientists in\n\"ALIEN STONES.\"? They \"immerse\" then \"observe,\" \"absorb,\" and \"report.\"? All three of these examples above\ndo this in one way or another (or literally.)\n\nSean Ako\n\n\n " } ] }, { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Tony Ellis", "address": "tonyellis69 at btopenworld.com" }, "date": "2010-04-20T19:58:34+00:00", "subject": "(urth) Cutthroat \"identity\" from \"TRACKING SONG\"", "in_reply_to": "<548455.62735.qm@web56602.mail.re3.yahoo.com>", "reply_link": "subject", "blocks": [ { "kind": "quote", "depth": 1, "text": "Sean Ako wrote:\nI believe Cutthroat is an anthropologist; a scientist studying the biologically engineered beast/humans of the\nplanet. Is it more than coincidental that he happens to fall off the Great Sleigh with a tape recorder, shaver,\npocketknife and firestarter? Sounds more like he's ready to do fieldwork. As to his amnesia, who can say\nthat it isn't their protocol for any fieldwork that they do (to encourage objective and honest observations/actions.)" }, { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "Yes, I suggested much the same thing a while back:\nhttp://lists.urth.net/pipermail/urth-urth.net/2007-June/007862.html\n\nIt's occurred to me since then that The Lost Pilgrim, collected in\nInnocents Aboard, has a similar premise: an amnesiac scholar, thrust\ninto an alien and barbarous world. It certainly wouldn't be the first\ntime Wolfe revisited an old idea." } ] }, { "message_id": "<4BCE14CA.10008@verizon.net>", "from": { "name": "David Stockhoff", "address": "dstockhoff at verizon.net" }, "date": "2010-04-20T20:55:38+00:00", "subject": "(urth) Cutthroat \"identity\" from \"TRACKING SONG\"", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "subject", "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "Sean\n\nYou raise an interesting possibility: that \"amnesia\" is merely an advanced anthropological method, easily \"learned,\" that relieves the observer of (at least the more conscious) prejudices.\n\nThat would provide one explanation for Cutthroat, if nothing else. And we all know how Wolfe likes to play with memory/amnesia---he probably has a list of all possible variations on the theme, and induced, voluntary, temporary amnesia is bound to be on it.\n\nPerhaps the technique includes something like temporary decapitation---why not?---and that would explain about the only other thing we know about Cutthroat. That, or some surgically implanted translating/speaking device." }, { "kind": "quote", "depth": 1, "text": "------------------------------\n\nMessage: 3\nDate: Tue, 20 Apr 2010 09:53:22 -0700 (PDT)\nFrom: sean ako \nTo: urth at lists.urth.net\nSubject: (urth) Cutthroat \"identity\" from \"TRACKING SONG\"\nMessage-ID: <548455.62735.qm at web56602.mail.re3.yahoo.com>\nContent-Type: text/plain; charset=\"iso-8859-1\"\n\n\n\nUrthers;\n\nI believe the identity of Cutthroat is tied to his actions among the various \"tribes\" of beast/humans.\nFor example, he compulsively records his daily adventures along with his ethnological observations.\nHe maintains a log organized by day/number; and he consistently joins and talks with other groups/tribes\nto find out information, much of it of little practical use (but interesting from an anthropological view.)? I\nbelieve Cutthroat is an anthropologist; a scientist studying the biologically engineered beast/humans of the\nplanet. Is it more than coincidental that he happens to fall off the Great Sleigh with a tape recorder, shaver,\npocketknife and firestarter? Sounds more like he's ready to do fieldwork. As to his amnesia, who can say \nthat it isn't their protocol for any fieldwork that they do (to encourage objective and honest observations/actions.)\nOf course, the Great Sleigh didn't \"lose\" him as many readers (and even characters in the story) assert. It is just\ntheir way; consider the way they listen in on his recordings (a handy way of keeping a handle on his situation.)\nAnother thing to consider is that GW has an affiinity with these \"scientist\" types; consider the two anthopologists\nin \"THE SHADOW OF THE TORTURER\" in the Jungle Garden (with Isangoma) or the astronaut/scientists in\n\"ALIEN STONES.\"? They \"immerse\" then \"observe,\" \"absorb,\" and \"report.\"? All three of these examples above\ndo this in one way or another (or literally.)\n\nSean Ako" } ] }, { "message_id": "<4BCEA585.1090706@io.com>", "from": { "name": "Jeff Wilson", "address": "jwilson at io.com" }, "date": "2010-04-21T07:13:09+00:00", "subject": "(urth) Cutthroat \"identity\" from \"TRACKING SONG\"", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "header", "blocks": [ { "kind": "quote", "depth": 1, "text": "On 4/20/2010 2:58 PM, Tony Ellis wrote:\nSean Ako wrote:" }, { "kind": "quote", "depth": 2, "text": "I believe Cutthroat is an anthropologist; a scientist studying the biologically engineered beast/humans of the\nplanet. Is it more than coincidental that he happens to fall off the Great Sleigh with a tape recorder, shaver,\npocketknife and firestarter? Sounds more like he's ready to do fieldwork. As to his amnesia, who can say\nthat it isn't their protocol for any fieldwork that they do (to encourage objective and honest observations/actions.)" }, { "kind": "quote", "depth": 1, "text": "Yes, I suggested much the same thing a while back:\nhttp://lists.urth.net/pipermail/urth-urth.net/2007-June/007862.html\n\nIt's occurred to me since then that The Lost Pilgrim, collected in\nInnocents Aboard, has a similar premise: an amnesiac scholar, thrust\ninto an alien and barbarous world. It certainly wouldn't be the first\ntime Wolfe revisited an old idea." }, { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "I suppose this could lead back to John V. Marsch, though he presumably \nbecame a scholar only after losing his memory." }, { "kind": "sig", "depth": 0, "text": "Jeff Wilson - jwilson at io.com\nIEEE Student Chapter Blog at\n< http://ieeetamut.org >" } ] } ] }