Send in the Clones

Chris · 23 Jun 2005, 16:56 · from 2005-June.txt.gz

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From: rasputin_ at hotmail.com (Chris)
Date: Thu Jun 23 16:56:54 2005
Subject: (urth) Send in the Clones
In-Reply-To: <1f76173705062315311f5456be at mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <BAY102-F39786A21ED799C7F8957586EA0 at phx.gbl>

I agree with both you and Crush that there is a Gnostic element *there* 
regardless - that's the reason I find the possible relation to the Trinity 
to be problematic. A "parody" of the Trinity suggests a cosmological 
framework that's something like this (this is a rough, quick sketch so 
please don't kill me):

You have the Outsider standing "outside" from on high, and the Demiurge in 
control. The Trinity then springs from the Demiurge, but the Trinity is 
subverted from the Demiurge's purpose by the Outsider, thus becoming a 
genuine instrument for good. If you take this *seriously* you're drawn to 
the inference that the Gnostic elements in this book are an intended 
parallel to real cosmological principles, including a strongly heretical (to 
Catholic orthodoxy) suggestion of the Demiurge somehow standing necessarily 
in between the relation of man and God.

The difference thematically is in what role the Gnostic elements are 
supposed to play in the story. On a "standard" or "naive" reading you can 
place them as Typhon's attempt to have his way - but the Gnostic structure 
is overturned by the Creator and, in effect, cancelled out. Going the extra 
step and putting forward a Trinity which springs from the demiurge creates a 
stronger (and different) symbolic connection with theology and the story 
begins to *mean* something different, in a way that legitimizes at least 
some important aspects of that Gnostic structure.

re: the "rationalizing" Crush was talking about, as a simple device of 
showing how a 3-in-1 nature can work it may actually be somewhat 
inoffensive, but the minute you make that device central you call up these 
symbolic connections - which I can't help but think Wolfe would have wanted 
to avoid, even if he is not exactly the Voice of Orthodoxy.

Dan'l said:
>Ummm.
>
>I think that the Trinity theme is there, with or without the cloning
>aspect: but I think it isn't about "rationalizing" at all. I think that
>the Whorl, as a Gnostic parody of the true Creation, has its own
>parody of the Trinity....
>
>--Dan'l
>
>--
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