{
  "export": {
    "source": "https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/usenet/62",
    "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": "usenet",
  "thread": {
    "id": 62,
    "subject": "_The Knight_ by Gene Wolfe and his wonderful narrative technique",
    "messages": 3,
    "voices": 2,
    "first": "2005-10-30T09:59:24+00:00",
    "last": "2005-10-30T22:02:04+00:00"
  },
  "messages": [
    {
      "message_id": "<1130666364.020773.189690@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com>",
      "from": {
        "name": "JavaJosh",
        "address": "javajosh at gmail.com"
      },
      "date": "2005-10-30T09:59:24+00:00",
      "subject": "_The Knight_ by Gene Wolfe and his wonderful narrative technique",
      "in_reply_to": null,
      "reply_link": null,
      "blocks": [
        {
          "kind": "text",
          "depth": 0,
          "text": "A marvelous book. In tone, style and character this was very similiar\nto _The Book of the Long Sun_. It is a story about a boy transported to\na magical world, where he himself is transformed into a physically\npowerful man. As is Wolfe's wont, the story is told as if it were\npenned much later by the protagonist himself. That technique is what\nI'd like to talk about.\n\nI very much like this style for it's dispassion. This narrative effect\ncontrasts nicely with the action itself, which is often passionate. It\nencourages a distance which maximizes the reader's observational\ninstincts, rather than immersive instincts.\n\nIn a sense, Wolfe's books are more intriguing for their voice than for\ntheir subject matter. In a first-person narrative the reader is much\nmore entwined with the protagonist than with other schemes. After all,\nevery word you read is of the protagonist. Therefore even when you read\n'there was a chair' you know not only that there was a chair, but that\nthe protagonist did not find anything much to say about it, and that\nfor some reason it was worth noting that the chair was there. These\nsmall effects add up into a very complete character.\n\nThe downside to this technique is that the reader becomes very\nsensitive to mistakes. When inconsistent language is used, or the\ndescription becomes a bit too...authorly, it's hard not to see Gene\nWolfe himself bleed through his protagonist. Luckily these mistakes are\nfew and far between, perhaps more so in \"The Knight\" than in the\nprevious Wolfe books that I've read.\n\nA second and equally important characteristic of Wolfe's narrative is\nthe implicit importance of language, and intentional speaking. Wolfe's\nnarrators are often correcting themselves, carefully qualifying their\nstatements, and generally being very deliberate with their speech. I\nstrive to speak intentionally as well, and insofar as Wolfe shows how\nit could be done, he is writing a positive role-model. I very much\nappreciate that.\n\nThere is more I'd like to write about the story of _The Knight_ but\nthat will have to wait for another post. In the meantime, I hope that\nanyone reading this goes out and reads _The Knight_ because it is as\nenjoyable as it is thought-provoking, has a good role model for a\nprotagonist, and most importantly it's a lot of fun!"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "message_id": "<3v6am1l8ufdgl6s2nksis841782uegb152@4ax.com>",
      "from": {
        "name": "Howard Brazee",
        "address": "howard at brazee.net"
      },
      "date": "2005-10-30T19:16:52+00:00",
      "subject": "Re: _The Knight_ by Gene Wolfe and his wonderful narrative technique",
      "in_reply_to": "<1130666364.020773.189690@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com>",
      "reply_link": "header",
      "blocks": [
        {
          "kind": "text",
          "depth": 0,
          "text": "How did you think _The Wizard_ followed up?\n\nI liked the way the universe was fleshed out, but didn't care so much\nfor the people as much."
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "message_id": "<1130708391.331152.279780@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>",
      "from": {
        "name": "JavaJosh",
        "address": "javajosh at gmail.com"
      },
      "date": "2005-10-30T22:02:04+00:00",
      "subject": "Re: _The Knight_ by Gene Wolfe and his wonderful narrative technique",
      "in_reply_to": "<3v6am1l8ufdgl6s2nksis841782uegb152@4ax.com>",
      "reply_link": "header",
      "blocks": [
        {
          "kind": "quote",
          "depth": 1,
          "text": "Howard Brazee wrote:\nHow did you think _The Wizard_ followed up?"
        },
        {
          "kind": "text",
          "depth": 0,
          "text": "I just started that, Howard. There is a 20 year subjective gap between\nthe books, Abe is all growed up, and it shows in the tone. So far Abe\nsounds even more like Patera Silk of _The Book of the Long Sun_ fame."
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}