# Looking for a particular New Sun essay *The Urth list — 6 messages, 4 voices, 06 Dec 2011* > 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. --- ### Daniel Petersen *06 Dec 2011, 19:01 · in reply to harry at hubertrogers.com* 'If Ever a Wiz There Was' by Patrick O'Leary, in the book *Other Voices, Other Doors* and online here: http://web.mac.com/paddybon/Site/a_tribute_to_Gene_Wolfe.html -DOJP > On Tue, Dec 6, 2011 at 7:41 PM, wrote: > Hello all, > I'm wondering if someone else out there can help me with this. I'm trying > to find an essay on The Book of the New Sun that I read online many years > ago. I was under the impression that it was written by Neil Gaiman, but my > google searches have been unsuccessful so I might have been wrong. It's not > that short one called "How to read Gene Wolfe". > > It was a wonderful essay, and what I remember most is how the author very > eloquently and convicingly described a few of scenes from the book, but > also gradually explained, one layer of symbolism at a time, how there was > far more going on than the literal happenings. The only specific example I > (nearly) remember is the scene with Severian on Mount Typhon - which had > something to do with him hanging out of the eye like a tear drop. > > Sorry I can't be more specific - my memory of the essay is very hazy.... > almost as bad as my memory of the books themselves! I'd be very grateful if > someone can point me towards that essay again. And for those that haven't > come across it, you might get a lot from it too! > > Thanks, > Harry > > _______________________________________________ --- ### Dan'l Danehy-Oakes *06 Dec 2011, 19:17* Thank you for the pointer. An excellent essay. > On Tue, Dec 6, 2011 at 11:01 AM, Daniel Petersen > wrote: > 'If Ever a Wiz There Was' by Patrick O'Leary, in the book Other Voices, > Other Doors and online here: > > http://web.mac.com/paddybon/Site/a_tribute_to_Gene_Wolfe.html > > -DOJP > > On Tue, Dec 6, 2011 at 7:41 PM, wrote: >> Hello all, >> I'm wondering if someone else out there can help me with this. I'm trying >> to find an essay on The Book of the New Sun that I read online many years >> ago. I was under the impression that it was written by Neil Gaiman, but my >> google searches have been unsuccessful so I might have been wrong. It's not >> that short one called "How to read Gene Wolfe". >> >> It was a wonderful essay, and what I remember most is how the author very >> eloquently and convicingly described a few of scenes from the book, but also >> gradually explained, one layer of symbolism at a time, how there was far >> more going on than the literal happenings. The only specific example I >> (nearly) remember is the scene with Severian on Mount Typhon - which had >> something to do with him hanging out of the eye like a tear drop. >> >> Sorry I can't be more specific - my memory of the essay is very hazy.... >> almost as bad as my memory of the books themselves! I'd be very grateful if >> someone can point me towards that essay again. And for those that haven't >> come across it, you might get a lot from it too! >> >> Thanks, >> Harry >> >> _______________________________________________ --- ### harry at hubertrogers.com *06 Dec 2011, 19:41 · follows Dan'l Danehy-Oakes* BODY { font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12pHello Hello all, I'm wondering if someone else out there can help me with this. I'm trying to find an essay on The Book of the New Sun that I read online many years ago. I was under the impression that it was written by Neil Gaiman, but my google searches have been unsuccessful so I might have been wrong. It's not that short one called "How to read Gene Wolfe". It was a wonderful essay, and what I remember most is how the author very eloquently and convicingly described a few of scenes from the book, but also gradually explained, one layer of symbolism at a time, how there was far more going on than the literal happenings. The only specific example I (nearly) remember is the scene with Severian on Mount Typhon - which had something to do with him hanging out of the eye like a tear drop. Sorry I can't be more specific - my memory of the essay is very hazy.... almost as bad as my memory of the books themselves! I'd be very grateful if someone can point me towards that essay again. And for those that haven't come across it, you might get a lot from it too! Thanks, Harry --- ### Daniel Petersen *06 Dec 2011, 20:00 · in reply to Dan'l Danehy-Oakes* Yeah, I think it's great too and still mean to get round to engaging with it on my Gene Wolfe blog some day. -DOJP --- ### Lee Berman *06 Dec 2011, 21:27 · follows Daniel Petersen* > Daniel Peterson: 'If Ever a Wiz There Was' by Patrick O'Leary, in the book *Other Voices, > Other Doors* and online here: > http://web.mac.com/paddybon/Site/a_tribute_to_Gene_Wolfe.html Thanks Daniel and Harry. That was a great article. The Wizard of Oz is an appropriate basis of comparison for Gene Wolfe. It is a complex movie with a depth that is belied by its child appeal. Through its exploration of the mental landscape of a young girl's dreams, modern (1939) themes relevant to Hollywood writers and actors, including drugs and the price of fame, are subtley embedded. Surely with Gene Wolfe we have our "man behind the curtain". But we have no Toto to reveal him fully; he is much too cagey for that. I kinda think Wizard of Oz was a direct inspiration for Wolfe in regard to disguised characters. In addition to the three farm hands, most people do notice that the Wizard is Professor Marvel from the beginning of the movie. But many miss that he is also the door keeper to Oz, the horse and carriage driver and the armed guard to the Wizard's chambers. The varied voices and appearances of his six characters make him a bit tricky to spot. --- ### harry at hubertrogers.com *06 Dec 2011, 22:12 · follows Lee Berman* BODY { font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-sizeYes thThat's it! Thanks Daniel. Having just read it again, it's almost completely different to what I was expecting. Isn't memory a slippery thing? An interesting and moving essay nonetheless. On Tue 06/12/11 19:01 , "Daniel Petersen" danielottojackpetersen at gmail.com sent: 'If Ever a Wiz There Was' by Patrick O'Leary, in the book Other Voices, Other Doors and online here: http://web.mac.com/paddybon/Site/a_tribute_to_Gene_Wolfe.html [1] -DOJP On Tue, Dec 6, 2011 at 7:41 PM, wrote: Hello all, I'm wondering if someone else out there can help me with this. I'm trying to find an essay on The Book of the New Sun that I read online many years ago. I was under the impression that it was written by Neil Gaiman, but my google searches have been unsuccessful so I might have been wrong. It's not that short one called "How to read Gene Wolfe". It was a wonderful essay, and what I remember most is how the author very eloquently and convicingly described a few of scenes from the book, but also gradually explained, one layer of symbolism at a time, how there was far more going on than the literal happenings. The only specific example I (nearly) remember is the scene with Severian on Mount Typhon - which had something to do with him hanging out of the eye like a tear drop. Sorry I can't be more specific - my memory of the essay is very hazy.... almost as bad as my memory of the books themselves! I'd be very grateful if someone can point me towards that essay again. And for those that haven't come across it, you might get a lot from it too! Thanks, Harry _______________________________________________ ---