{
  "export": {
    "source": "https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/whorl/1208",
    "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": "whorl",
  "thread": {
    "id": 1208,
    "subject": "Whorl post re:Heresy and Wolfe's Audience CORRECTION",
    "messages": 1,
    "voices": 1,
    "first": "2001-02-20T15:52:25+00:00",
    "last": "2001-02-20T15:52:25+00:00"
  },
  "messages": [
    {
      "message_id": "<whorl-v0012-0314@digest.urth.net>",
      "from": {
        "name": "Endymion9",
        "address": "endymion9 at mindspring.com"
      },
      "date": "2001-02-20T15:52:25+00:00",
      "subject": "(whorl) Fw: Whorl post re:Heresy and Wolfe's Audience CORRECTION",
      "in_reply_to": null,
      "reply_link": null,
      "blocks": [
        {
          "kind": "quote",
          "depth": 1,
          "text": "At 11:34 AM -0500 2/19/01, BMeyer7 at aol.com wrote:\nHas Wolfe crossed the line from not giving all the answers\nto creating texts that must be pored over by talmudic scholars rather\nthan actual readers of novels? Is Wolfe writing for a smaller, and\nsmaller audience of expert Wolfe-interpreters? Discuss."
        },
        {
          "kind": "text",
          "depth": 0,
          "text": " I would argue that Wolfe has not changed his writing style or his audience\nat all.  There are people in this group that might claim to understand all\nor most the nuiances in\nTBotNS\nTBotLS\nTBotSS\nCastleview\nSoldier in the Mist\nSoldier in Arete\nAnd many Wolfe short stories.\n\nThey might even have access to the author who might tell them what he\nmeant.  I am of the opinion (and I can't remember which famous artist from\nthe past has previously stated this [Dylan Thomas? Bob Dylan? others?],\nthat even an author's opinons about his/her work are not absolute.  What\nthe writing means to the author, may be something else entirely than what\nit means to his readers.  And obviously from reading this group, what it\nmeans to one group of readers, it might not mean to another group.\n\n Who is right?  Both in my opinion.  If a book passage means something\ndifferent to 1,000 readers than it does to 1 (the author) who's opinion\nhas more authority?  If it means something different to one group of 10\nreaders vs. another group of 10 readers, who is right?  I guess to sum\nthis thought up, I believe ideas can be bigger than their author.\n\n Secondly, I have been of the opinion and have expressed to others since I\nfirst began reading Wolfe, only read this author to enjoy the journey.  If\na book is all about the destination for you, you probably won't enjoy\nWolfe and will become frustrated reading him.  Other authors I put in the\nsame category though not as difficult as Wolfe, and that I enjoy greatly the\njourney/scenery are\n\nJonathan Carroll\nMichael Swanwick\nWilliam Browning Spencer\n\n I don't read their books or Wolfe's to find out what happened.  I read\nthem to enjoy the company of the book and it's characters for as long as\nit lasts.  Whenever I reread TBotNS I think of it as spending more time\nwith my good friend Severian.  I was dissapointed when I started reading\nTBotSS and didn't find my friend Silk there.  But I quickly began to enjoy\nthe company of my new friend Horn.\n\nSo the question I would have to people analyzing TBotSS is, did you enjoy\n the journey, the sights Wolfe showed you?  I did.\n\n Another analogy I think of is from pastor's I have heard.  In a sermon they\nhave instructed the church members to listen with discerning ears and to\ntake the meat and pick out the bones.  Meaning some of this word may be for\nyou, or the same word may mean something different to you than to you\nneighbor.\nSome of it may mean nothing to you.  Don't choke on the bones but pick out\nthe meaning it has to you and savor that.\n\nJust my two cents. :)\n\nDennis/Endy\nhttp://home.mindspring.com/~endymion9/index.htm\n\n\n\n*This is WHORL, for discussion of Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun."
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}