# strange dream in A Borrowed Man *The Urth list — 4 messages, 2 voices, 29 Mar 2018* > 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. --- ### Marc Aramini *29 Mar 2018, 13:37* I also believe that Wolfe's works are self-contained and separate for the most part, but as I was trying to work through the significance of a dream in "A Borrowed Man" I think perhaps just one time Wolfe might have broken his usual modus operandi. (This dream still might apply to events in A Borrowed Man, but I think it does something more) - "Only to dream about wrestling a monster with a man's head at one end and an ape's at the other end, and one hell of a lot of arms. This desperate struggle was in a grave thinly disguised as a wormhole through Mars. A wormhole that was already starting to flood. I guess they have a lot of water on Mars, when you are dreaming." (50) I am still going to try to apply this dream to the text, but it strikes me as far more metacommentary than usual, given my thesis for the book of the short sun, in which I argue that Blue is in fact a flooded Mars. Apes, wormholes, and multi-limbed beings all feature in the solar cycle. Perhaps just once Wofle felt his puzzle was a little bit too hard. However, we will see if I can do something with this in the context of A Borrowed Man. --- ### Norwood, Frederick Hudson *29 Mar 2018, 13:40 · in reply to Marc Aramini* I agree that this is a reference to Blue, but I think it is also a reference to ERB?s Barsoom, with the apes and the multi-limbed beings. Rick Norwood From: Urth [mailto:urth-bounces at lists.urth.net] On Behalf Of Marc Aramini Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2018 9:38 AM To: The Urth Mailing List Subject: (urth) strange dream in A Borrowed Man I also believe that Wolfe's works are self-contained and separate for the most part, but as I was trying to work through the significance of a dream in "A Borrowed Man" I think perhaps just one time Wolfe might have broken his usual modus operandi. (This dream still might apply to events in A Borrowed Man, but I think it does something more) - "Only to dream about wrestling a monster with a man's head at one end and an ape's at the other end, and one hell of a lot of arms. This desperate struggle was in a grave thinly disguised as a wormhole through Mars. A wormhole that was already starting to flood. I guess they have a lot of water on Mars, when you are dreaming." (50) I am still going to try to apply this dream to the text, but it strikes me as far more metacommentary than usual, given my thesis for the book of the short sun, in which I argue that Blue is in fact a flooded Mars. Apes, wormholes, and multi-limbed beings all feature in the solar cycle. Perhaps just once Wofle felt his puzzle was a little bit too hard. However, we will see if I can do something with this in the context of A Borrowed Man. --- ### Marc Aramini *29 Mar 2018, 13:44 · in reply to Norwood, Frederick Hudson* Of course - blue was always referencing barsoom anyway ;) > On Thursday, March 29, 2018, Norwood, Frederick Hudson < > NORWOODR at mail.etsu.edu> wrote: > I agree that this is a reference to Blue, but I think it is also a > reference to ERB?s Barsoom, with the apes and the multi-limbed beings. > > > > Rick Norwood > > > > *From:* Urth [mailto:urth-bounces at lists.urth.net] *On Behalf Of *Marc > Aramini > *Sent:* Thursday, March 29, 2018 9:38 AM > *To:* The Urth Mailing List > *Subject:* (urth) strange dream in A Borrowed Man > > > > I also believe that Wolfe's works are self-contained and separate for the > most part, but as I was trying to work through the significance of a dream > in "A Borrowed Man" I think perhaps just one time Wolfe might have broken > his usual modus operandi. > > > > (This dream still might apply to events in A Borrowed Man, but I think it > does something more) - > > > > "Only to dream about wrestling a monster with a man's head at one end and > an ape's at the other end, and one hell of a lot of arms. This desperate > struggle was in a grave thinly disguised as a wormhole through Mars. A > wormhole that was already starting to flood. I guess they have a lot of > water on Mars, when you are dreaming." (50) > > > > I am still going to try to apply this dream to the text, but it strikes me > as far more metacommentary than usual, given my thesis for the book of the > short sun, in which I argue that Blue is in fact a flooded Mars. Apes, > wormholes, and multi-limbed beings all feature in the solar cycle. Perhaps > just once Wofle felt his puzzle was a little bit too hard. However, we will > see if I can do something with this in the context of A Borrowed Man. --- ### Marc Aramini *29 Mar 2018, 13:46 · in reply to Marc Aramini* Normally I would try to apply this dream strictly to understanding something about the plot of borrowed man. That gestalt beast through the door, for example. ---