{ "export": { "source": "https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/urth/6134", "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": 6134, "subject": "Looking for a particular New Sun essay", "messages": 6, "voices": 4, "first": "2011-12-06T19:01:56+00:00", "last": "2011-12-06T22:12:37+00:00" }, "messages": [ { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Daniel Petersen", "address": "danielottojackpetersen at gmail.com" }, "date": "2011-12-06T19:01:56+00:00", "subject": "(urth) Looking for a particular New Sun essay", "in_reply_to": "<51405.1323200495@hubertrogers.com>", "reply_link": "header", "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "'If Ever a Wiz There Was' by Patrick O'Leary, in the book *Other Voices,\nOther Doors* and online here:\n\nhttp://web.mac.com/paddybon/Site/a_tribute_to_Gene_Wolfe.html\n\n-DOJP" }, { "kind": "quote", "depth": 1, "text": "On Tue, Dec 6, 2011 at 7:41 PM, wrote:\nHello all,\nI'm wondering if someone else out there can help me with this. I'm trying\nto find an essay on The Book of the New Sun that I read online many years\nago. I was under the impression that it was written by Neil Gaiman, but my\ngoogle searches have been unsuccessful so I might have been wrong. It's not\nthat short one called \"How to read Gene Wolfe\".\n\nIt was a wonderful essay, and what I remember most is how the author very\neloquently and convicingly described a few of scenes from the book, but\nalso gradually explained, one layer of symbolism at a time, how there was\nfar more going on than the literal happenings. The only specific example I\n(nearly) remember is the scene with Severian on Mount Typhon - which had\nsomething to do with him hanging out of the eye like a tear drop.\n\nSorry I can't be more specific - my memory of the essay is very hazy....\nalmost as bad as my memory of the books themselves! I'd be very grateful if\nsomeone can point me towards that essay again. And for those that haven't\ncome across it, you might get a lot from it too!\n\nThanks,\nHarry\n\n_______________________________________________" } ] }, { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Dan'l Danehy-Oakes", "address": "danldo at gmail.com" }, "date": "2011-12-06T19:17:08+00:00", "subject": "(urth) Looking for a particular New Sun essay", "in_reply_to": null, "reply_link": null, "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "Thank you for the pointer. An excellent essay." }, { "kind": "quote", "depth": 1, "text": "On Tue, Dec 6, 2011 at 11:01 AM, Daniel Petersen\n wrote:\n'If Ever a Wiz There Was' by Patrick O'Leary, in the book Other Voices,\nOther Doors and online here:\n\nhttp://web.mac.com/paddybon/Site/a_tribute_to_Gene_Wolfe.html\n\n-DOJP\n\nOn Tue, Dec 6, 2011 at 7:41 PM, wrote:" }, { "kind": "quote", "depth": 2, "text": "Hello all,\nI'm wondering if someone else out there can help me with this. I'm trying\nto find an essay on The Book of the New Sun that I read online many years\nago. I was under the impression that it was written by Neil Gaiman, but my\ngoogle searches have been unsuccessful so I might have been wrong. It's not\nthat short one called \"How to read Gene Wolfe\".\n\nIt was a wonderful essay, and what I remember most is how the author very\neloquently and convicingly described a few of scenes from the book, but also\ngradually explained, one layer of symbolism at a time, how there was far\nmore going on than the literal happenings. The only specific example I\n(nearly) remember is the scene with Severian on Mount Typhon - which had\nsomething to do with him hanging out of the eye like a tear drop.\n\nSorry I can't be more specific - my memory of the essay is very hazy....\nalmost as bad as my memory of the books themselves! I'd be very grateful if\nsomeone can point me towards that essay again. And for those that haven't\ncome across it, you might get a lot from it too!\n\nThanks,\nHarry\n\n_______________________________________________" } ] }, { "message_id": "<51405.1323200495@hubertrogers.com>", "from": { "name": "harry at hubertrogers.com", "address": "harry at hubertrogers.com" }, "date": "2011-12-06T19:41:35+00:00", "subject": "(urth) Looking for a particular New Sun essay", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "subject", "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": " BODY { font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12pHello\nHello all, \n I'm wondering if someone else out there can help me with this. I'm\ntrying to find an essay on The Book of the New Sun that I read online\nmany years ago. I was under the impression that it was written by Neil\nGaiman, but my google searches have been unsuccessful so I might have\nbeen wrong. It's not that short one called \"How to read Gene Wolfe\".\n It was a wonderful essay, and what I remember most is how the author\nvery eloquently and convicingly described a few of scenes from the\nbook, but also gradually explained, one layer of symbolism at a time,\nhow there was far more going on than the literal happenings. The only\nspecific example I (nearly) remember is the scene with Severian on\nMount Typhon - which had something to do with him hanging out of the\neye like a tear drop.\n Sorry I can't be more specific - my memory of the essay is very\nhazy.... almost as bad as my memory of the books themselves! I'd be\nvery grateful if someone can point me towards that essay again. And\nfor those that haven't come across it, you might get a lot from it\ntoo!\n Thanks,\n Harry\n " } ] }, { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Daniel Petersen", "address": "danielottojackpetersen at gmail.com" }, "date": "2011-12-06T20:00:09+00:00", "subject": "(urth) Looking for a particular New Sun essay", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "header", "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "Yeah, I think it's great too and still mean to get round to engaging with\nit on my Gene Wolfe blog some day.\n\n-DOJP" } ] }, { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Lee Berman", "address": "severiansola at hotmail.com" }, "date": "2011-12-06T21:27:10+00:00", "subject": "(urth) Looking for a particular New Sun essay", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "subject", "blocks": [ { "kind": "quote", "depth": 1, "text": "Daniel Peterson: 'If Ever a Wiz There Was' by Patrick O'Leary, in the book *Other Voices,\nOther Doors* and online here:\nhttp://web.mac.com/paddybon/Site/a_tribute_to_Gene_Wolfe.html" }, { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": " \nThanks Daniel and Harry. That was a great article. \n \nThe Wizard of Oz is an appropriate basis of comparison for Gene Wolfe. It is a complex \nmovie with a depth that is belied by its child appeal. Through its exploration of the \nmental landscape of a young girl's dreams, modern (1939) themes relevant to Hollywood \nwriters and actors, including drugs and the price of fame, are subtley embedded.\n \nSurely with Gene Wolfe we have our \"man behind the curtain\". But we have no Toto to \nreveal him fully; he is much too cagey for that. \n \nI kinda think Wizard of Oz was a direct inspiration for Wolfe in regard to disguised characters. \nIn addition to the three farm hands, most people do notice that the Wizard is Professor Marvel \nfrom the beginning of the movie. But many miss that he is also the door keeper to Oz, the horse and \ncarriage driver and the armed guard to the Wizard's chambers. The varied voices and appearances of \nhis six characters make him a bit tricky to spot.\n \t\t \t \t\t " } ] }, { "message_id": "<51765.1323209557@hubertrogers.com>", "from": { "name": "harry at hubertrogers.com", "address": "harry at hubertrogers.com" }, "date": "2011-12-06T22:12:37+00:00", "subject": "(urth) Looking for a particular New Sun essay", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "subject", "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": " BODY { font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-sizeYes\nthThat's it! Thanks Daniel.\n Having just read it again, it's almost completely different to what I\nwas expecting. Isn't memory a slippery thing?\n An interesting and moving essay nonetheless.\n On Tue 06/12/11 19:01 , \"Daniel Petersen\"\ndanielottojackpetersen at gmail.com sent:\n 'If Ever a Wiz There Was' by Patrick O'Leary, in the book Other\nVoices, Other Doors and online here: \nhttp://web.mac.com/paddybon/Site/a_tribute_to_Gene_Wolfe.html [1] \n-DOJP\n On Tue, Dec 6, 2011 at 7:41 PM, wrote:\n Hello all, \n I'm wondering if someone else out there can help me with this. I'm\ntrying to find an essay on The Book of the New Sun that I read online\nmany years ago. I was under the impression that it was written by Neil\nGaiman, but my google searches have been unsuccessful so I might have\nbeen wrong. It's not that short one called \"How to read Gene Wolfe\".\n It was a wonderful essay, and what I remember most is how the author\nvery eloquently and convicingly described a few of scenes from the\nbook, but also gradually explained, one layer of symbolism at a time,\nhow there was far more going on than the literal happenings. The only\nspecific example I (nearly) remember is the scene with Severian on\nMount Typhon - which had something to do with him hanging out of the\neye like a tear drop.\n Sorry I can't be more specific - my memory of the essay is very\nhazy.... almost as bad as my memory of the books themselves! I'd be\nvery grateful if someone can point me towards that essay again. And\nfor those that haven't come across it, you might get a lot from it\ntoo!\n Thanks,\n Harry\n _______________________________________________" } ] } ] }