Subject: (urth) An Evil Guest

From: Antonin Scriabin <kierkegaurdian at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 23 May 2011 17:08:21 +0000

I just joined the list, so I don't know if this topic has been talked about
in a ton of depth already.  I really enjoyed An Evil Guest!  It was the
first non-Solar Cycle books by Gene Wolfe that I had read, and I "tricked"
myself into not thinking it could be as clever and dense as those.  I have
been looking over it more and reading about different theories online, and
was wondering what you all thought of the idea that Margaret is Cassie from
the future (after the harpy-creatures leave her on the island to become
bedraggled and unrecognizable).  The way I understand it, future-Cassie goes
back in time by traveling in a hopper at immense speeds, and intends somehow
to manipulate the events experienced by present-Cassie in order to save
Reis.
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From: Dan'l Danehy-Oakes <danldo at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 23 May 2011 17:26:21 +0000

Antonin Scriabin wrote:
> in a ton of depth already. I really enjoyed An Evil Guest!? It was the

Antonin,

Welcome to the list.

Yes, this topic _has_ been talked about, and you might find some
interesting debate on it in the archives. But the fact that someone
else came up with it independently seems to offer some weight to the
idea.

-- 
Dan'l Danehy-Oakes

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From: Antonin Scriabin <kierkegaurdian at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 23 May 2011 17:28:54 +0000

Actually I just found a ton of stuff on Wolfe Wiki, that originated on this
list!  Sorry to bring up an old topic.  I think I am going to re-read An
Evil Guest ... hopefully I will pick up on more clues as to the identity of
Margaret.

On Mon, May 23, 2011 at 1:26 PM, Dan'l Danehy-Oakes <danldo at gmail.com>wrote:

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From: Daniel Petersen <danielottojackpetersen at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 23 May 2011 18:20:13 +0000

So glad to hear you liked it, Antonin!  I just finished it and found it VERY
interesting and exciting on certain levels (though baffling and frustrating
too - which is only to be expected, surely!).  I feel like most of the
reviews and comments I've run into so far seem more dubious and negative
than not.  I was utterly surprised to find that it more or less ACTUALLY
lived up to all the blurbs trying to succinctly describe it on the book
cover.

I actually think it may end up being a helpful key or guide in certain ways
to reading the Solar Cycle - I feel like Wolfe more overtly showcased some
of his unique forms and methods of narrative in this book, and some of his
Solar Cycle themes also.

Your theory about Margaret kind of blows my mind, but I'll have to see how
people are arriving at that hypothesis.  It would at least partly make sense
of why I found Margaret such an interesting minor character.  (I felt there
was some fairly self-conscious reference to her being - or at least being
like - a little 'gray' elf or sprite or fairy or some such creature.)  Is
there any direct reference to time travel in the novel?

-DOJP
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From: James Wynn <crushtv at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 23 May 2011 18:30:16 +0000

Additionally, check out the story "The Tree is My Hat". It takes place 
on Cassie's island. (that's what Wolfe called it).

On 5/23/2011 12:28 PM, Antonin Scriabin wrote:
> Actually I just found a ton of stuff on Wolfe Wiki, that originated on 
> this list!  Sorry to bring up an old topic.  I think I am going to 
> re-read An Evil Guest ... hopefully I will pick up on more clues as to 
> the identity of Margaret.

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From: Antonin Scriabin <kierkegaurdian at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 23 May 2011 18:38:09 +0000

Yes, there are references to time travel, though they are kind of subtle.
Specifically, it is mentioned several times that when sending interplanetary
electronic mail at fast enough speeds, a response to a letter can arrive
before the original letter had been sent.  Thus, the reply to a latter went
back in time to a point before the first letter was actually sent.  This
causes problems, so there are restrictions on that sort of thing in the
universe.

Also, the Margaret as future-Cassie theory is not mine, I found out about it
here:

http://www.wolfewiki.com/pmwiki/pmwiki.php?n=AnEvilGuest.MysteriousMargaret

I believe there is also a reference to a "robin fighting its own reflection"
or something to that effect, which reminds me of the double Hildegrins in
The Book of the New Sun.  Time travel resulting in multiple versions of a
character bouncing around different timelines are definitely nothing new for
Wolfe!

On Mon, May 23, 2011 at 2:20 PM, Daniel Petersen <
danielottojackpetersen at gmail.com> wrote:

> So glad to hear you liked it, Antonin!  I just finished it and found it
> VERY interesting and exciting on certain levels (though baffling and
> frustrating too - which is only to be expected, surely!).  I feel like most
> of the reviews and comments I've run into so far seem more dubious and
> negative than not.  I was utterly surprised to find that it more or less
> ACTUALLY lived up to all the blurbs trying to succinctly describe it on the
> book cover.
>
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From: Antonin Scriabin <kierkegaurdian at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 23 May 2011 18:39:25 +0000

Sorry about the typos ... I am definitely typing too fast!

On Mon, May 23, 2011 at 2:38 PM, Antonin Scriabin
<kierkegaurdian at gmail.com>wrote:

> Also, the Margaret as future-Cassie theory is not mine, I found out about
> it here:
>
> I believe there is also a reference to a "robin fighting its own
> reflection" or something to that effect, which reminds me of the double
> Hildegrins in The Book of the New Sun.  Time travel resulting in multiple
> versions of a character bouncing around different timelines are definitely
> nothing new for Wolfe!
>
>> I actually think it may end up being a helpful key or guide in certain
>> ways to reading the Solar Cycle - I feel like Wolfe more overtly showcased
>> some of his unique forms and methods of narrative in this book, and some of
>> his Solar Cycle themes also.
>>
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From: Daniel Petersen <danielottojackpetersen at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 23 May 2011 18:43:20 +0000

On Mon, May 23, 2011 at 7:30 PM, James Wynn <crushtv at gmail.com> wrote:

> Additionally, check out the story "The Tree is My Hat". It takes place on
> Cassie's island. (that's what Wolfe called it).

Oh yeah!  I'd heard he said that before I read AEG and forgot!  Amazing!
 That makes even more sense of the strong impression I was getting that the
South Sea island portion of this novel felt so much like 'The Tree Is My
Hat' (and also reminded me of the shark-dwarves in his story 'Black Shoes').
 Cool, thanks.

Wolfe is so good at consistently re-visiting a setting in a totally
different context.  He does this in his story 'The Night Chough' - the
little tale itself feels like it has little or nothing to do with the story
of TBotNS, but the SETTING feels exactly as if you're on the Blue of New
Sun.  Once Wolfe builds a place, it really stays put!  It seems he can go
back any time he wants.  I am seriously, seriously in awe of that.

-DOJP
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From: Daniel Petersen <danielottojackpetersen at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 23 May 2011 18:50:35 +0000

On Mon, May 23, 2011 at 7:38 PM, Antonin Scriabin <kierkegaurdian at gmail.com>

> causes problems, so there are restrictions on that sort of thing in the

I love that part.  I guess I hadn't thought of it as time travel per se -
seemed like more of a spatial bending sort of thing going on there that only
*looked* like time disruption/rearrangement/delay/whatever - but ok, I think
I can see that.

So maybe this will affect or relate to the theory that perhaps even Gideon
Chase and Bill Reis are two manifestations of the same person (thought,
unlike Margaret and Cassie - Gid and Bill are never in the same place at the
same time).  Almost definitely *some* form of literary 'doubling' going on
in this novel, surely!

A lovely, playful novel, even with its (potential) problems!

-DOJP

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