Digest whorl.v011.n011
The Whorl list — 2 messages, 2 voices, 08 Aug 2000
https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/whorl/909

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Ian Smith — 08 Aug 2000, 16:29

Adam said:

But, as I've said before, the problem isn't just that he denies being
Silk.  It's that he never mentions being in Silk's body, and does things
which suggest that he doesn't know where Silk's body is.

And I say.....

Exactly.  And whilst I've only read IGJ the once (on 2nd time now) and don't
remember all of OBW, as far as I remember the only people who knew Silk who
recognise the narrator as Silk in the two books are Auk and Colonel Abanja,
and both these encounters occur during the dream shift to Green, where, as
old newt notes:

Hide notes that [Silk] looks much more like Horn during at least one of the
trips.  I think that this is simply logical (well, spirit-logical anyway).
His body is 100% Silk. But his spirit is 50% Horn - hence looks more like
Horn. Cf. the changed appearance of Oreb's spirit (and, for that matter,
those of the inhumi).

ie the narrator looks more like his spirit self (or SELVES) during the
trips.  Remember how Sev used to be mistaken for Thecla at times?  Other
people (the Gaonese, Inclito) who didn't know Silk on the whorl may well
assume that a wise man with
a) a talking bird,
b) a stick
c) who talked like Silk
d) was a fantastic leader, and
e) wore an Augur's robe

would be that bloke from 'the book of Silk'.  Yup, I'm proposing that both
Horn AND Silk are occupying a third (unknown) body at the 'present of OBW
and IGJ, which would explain both the narrator's lack of recognition of
being in Silk's body and also his circling a physical description of Silk
out of Gaon in order to 'locate' him.  As I said I'm reading through again
to check, and anyone with evidence against please step forward.....

Ian




*This is WHORL, for discussion of Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun.

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Josh Levitan — 08 Aug 2000, 17:03
  follows, by subject match Ian Smith

Adam Stephanides wrote:>

> David Wells wrote:

> > I concur with others that Horn knows that he's in Silk's body, but 
> > denies
> > "being Silk" because
> >         - basic honesty. He isn't 100% Pure Silk(TM)
> >         - neither he nor the fragment of Silk's spirit within him 
> > actually
> > want to try to live up to the legendary status which Silk has attained
> > (The latter is, arguably, rather a selfish motive, although maybe I am
> > unfair in ascribing it to him).

> But, as I've said before, the problem isn't just that he denies being
> Silk.  It's that he never mentions being in Silk's body, and does things
> which suggest that he doesn't know where Silk's body is.

This seems to be another example of Wolfe's (and Horn's) disingenuousness, 
like when Horn says that Hide/Cuoio "looks familiar."  Yeah, he looks a lot 
like a son he used to have.

Narwhal

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