Send in the Clones

James Wynn · 24 Jun 2005, 06:11 · from 2005-June.txt.gz

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From: thewynns at earthlink.net (James Wynn)
Date: Fri Jun 24 06:11:17 2005
Subject: (urth) Send in the Clones
Message-ID: <12930047.1119618577620.JavaMail.root at wamui-karabash.atl.sa.earthlink.net>

Chris says:
>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 ....
>[Chris gives a decent sketch of The Long Sun as an allegory for Gnosticsm]
>
>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.

I don't think Wolfe is writing an allegory. He's playing with many different ideas
in many ways often at the same time. He's cooking a multiple course meal
tossing in different flavors that kick in at different times amd ways. This story,
like all his novels, overlays certain symbols and concepts that were adopted as 
central to Gnosticism but were also seen as CONFIRMATIONS of the deity of
Jesus of Nazareth by Christian mythopoetics like C.S. Lewis. So there's bound
be some potential confusion here.

Even if the Whorl is a miniture Gnostic universe, Silk, Horn, and Horn! become
the Rajan mostly OUTSIDE it. If Wolfe were *merely* trying to create a Gnostic
set-piece then the Rajan Trinity confuses or devastates it. Horn, a clone of Typhon,
is *ironically* the FATHER the Trinity. But he is neither Typhon himself nor Pas. He
was reared in a vastly different environment than Typhon. Horn! the Neighbor is the
Spirit. They become 3-1 on the Whorl when they join with the Son (Silk). Fine for our
Gnostic story, although Silk has already been enlighten and so this event is out of
order. But THEN the Rajan preaches the will of Pas to the Whorl!!! That's hardly the
Gnostic story. 

If Wolfe were determined to avoid the chance of people thinking he was endorsing the
Gnosticsm then he should have avoided making Silk so appealing or naming his hero
in The New Sun after a Gnostic sect.

~ Crush

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