Subject: (whorl) Re: Hy-napping

From: Kieran Cleary <kierannwn at tinet.ie>
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 13:47:38 +0000

[Posted from WHORL, the mailing list for Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun]

Gene Wolfe responded to Q. 22 as follows:

22.  "Why did Auk . . . kidnap Hyacinth, and why . . . did he let her
go?"  Because Tartaros had told him to bring a woman.  He released
her as he recovered from his brain injury, was able to think more
clearly, and realized that Hyacinth was not the woman he should
bring.  (Putting it another way, he released her because Tartaros
told him to.  These answers are not as disparate as they may appear.)

Now, as I recall, Tartaros' command included something like "..a woman is
crucial, this is not". Just musing aloud, but is this because Tartaros is
already gathering the potential colonists and is mindful of the fact that a
viable colony needs women to bear children? Is the apparent reference to
[brain injury=Tartaros] equivalent to Dr. Crane's [Outsider
enlightenment=Silk's anuerism] ?

Also, I can't admit to being too happy that the explanation of the
motivation of one of the central characters, Quetzal, remains beyond the
scope of the Long Sun books. Tune in next year, when the foul plans of the
malignant inhumi become..........less opaque.

lasrach.
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From: Alice K. Turner <al at interport.net>
Date: Thu, 31 Jul 1997 19:32:27 +0000

> enlightenment=Silk's anuerism] ?

lasrach, the simple answer to your question, I think, is "yes." But this
was my question originally, and I think Wolfe's answer is somewhat
disingenuous. Consider: Tartaros has been at Auk's side for quite a
while, stays with him while Hy is imprisoned for the better part of a
week (mantis can supply time-line), while food is brought for her
etc.---it sure as hell wouldn't take that long to realize that she's the
wrong woman. No, I fear the real answer is that the novelist needed her
off-stage to give Silk some freedom of movement, and that he didn't
construct an alibi for himself as neatly as he usually does. Though it
would have been fairly easy--a sighting of or even an adroit reference
to Chenille could have done it.

> malignant inhumi become..........less opaque.

Agreed. If -Long Sun- is taken as an self-contained entity, it truly
isn't fair to the reader. But I guess we, this group in particular,
can't take it that way.

-alga-