Marcus v. Franzen = Unexpected Wolfe sighting

Chris · 22 Oct 2005, 03:10 · from 2005-October.txt.gz

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From: rasputin_ at hotmail.com (Chris)
Date: Sat, 22 Oct 2005 03:10:12 +0000
Subject: (urth) Marcus v. Franzen = Unexpected Wolfe sighting
In-Reply-To: <7083514.1129944940768.JavaMail.root at elwamui-ovcar.atl.sa.earthlink.net>
Message-ID: <BAY102-F28F5114D89E38C7F814E086750 at phx.gbl>

I can barely stand to read half of these posts. And the most cretinous ones 
(if that is a word, and if I am using it correctly) don't seem worth 
responding to, because they reflect opinions held by people so certain of 
their own infallible faculty of interpretation that they are impervious to 
correction.

As far as your own posts, Adam, I have my own problems with The Knight but 
the ones you immediately bring up are not among them. The fact that Able is 
so clearly portrayed as a punk or a creep is not a coincidence, and 
indicates that Wolfe intends to give us this impression. So I don't think 
Wolfe intends to portray Able as, or have us think of Able as "the 
bees-knees". Other characters in the novel clearly do, however, and part of 
the (overwrought) point is to lead one to examine just why that is.

I am not sure how to make the connection explicit, but I can't help thinking 
of my reaction when I first read Homer: something about the idolization of 
Achilles just didn't connect. Attempting to understand this leads to a kind 
of understanding of the ancient Greeks, and of people in general.

>On the personal blog of the person who wrote that post, there are two other 
>posts on Wolfe:
>
>http://acephalous.typepad.com/acephalous/2005/09/on_terrible_neo.html
>
>and
>
>http://acephalous.typepad.com/acephalous/2005/09/rich_on_wolfe.html
>
>Both are followed by contentious discussions (the latter of which I 
>participated in).
>
>--Adam
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Matt Sab <mbs808 at yahoo.com>
>Sent: Oct 17, 2005 9:18 AM
>To: The Urth Mailing List <urth at lists.urth.net>
>Subject: (urth) Marcus v. Franzen = Unexpected Wolfe sighting
>
>
>In this month's Harper's magazine, Ben Marcus rips
>into Jonathan Franzen in "Why Experimental Fiction
>Threatens to Destroy Publishing, Jonathan Franzen, and
>Life as We Know It."
>
>The Valve's discussion of the essay has an unexpected
>Gene Wolfe appearance:
>
>I read very little poetry by design and constitution.
>I lack the patience required to work through poetry if
>it lacks the puzzling qualities I value in writers
>like Joyce.  (I mean "puzzling" literally there, as in
>"like a puzzle" which I’m enjoined to put back
>together.  Hence my love/hate relationship with Gene
>Wolfe.)
>
>
>Full text here:
>
>http://www.thevalve.org/go/valve/article/aggresively_masturbatory_fiction_or_two_authors_enter_only_ben_marcus_may_l/
>
>
>
>
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