Quotable Wolfe

b sharp · 20 May 2006, 03:55 · from 2006-May.txt.gz

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From: bsharporflat at hotmail.com (b sharp)
Date: Fri, 19 May 2006 23:55:17 -0400
Subject: (urth) Quotable Wolfe
Message-ID: <BAY103-F642A3D70A702D00B2B188D7A40 at phx.gbl>

I think examples of Wolfian humor are especially effective because they are 
so rare and widely spaced and inevitably droll.  5th Head is so damned dark 
and foreboding I think there may be no examples.  BotNS has a few such as:

>Jolenta: "there's fruit if you want it. The doctor had me save some last 
>night so we'd have >something for breakfast"
>Severian: "Yes, I'd like some fruit. That's very kind of you"
>Jolenta: "I won't get it for you, you'll have to fetch it yourself. It's 
>there behind that stand of >armor" "I'd like something too.  Those grapes I 
>think"

>Autarch: "A little adultery never hurt any man.  Unless of course it was 
>his wife's"

>Nod: "What news is there?"
>Second Demon: "All you want sieur." "We've searched the garden so often 
>that if only we'd been carrying dung instead of spears, the daisies'd be as 
>big as umbrellas.  Ducks' clothes is down and hopes is up- so's the 
>turnips.  Tomorrow should be fair, warm and bright.....(new sun)"

The Butcher: "I have seen dead wolves"
She-Wolf: "Yes, and eaten their flesh, though it were too foul for the 
flies, I dare say.  It may be you shall eat mine, if a falling tree kill 
me."

>Dr. Talos: " You remember to be on your good behavior now.  They don't like 
>to be called >cacogens, you know.  Address them as whatever it is they say 
>their names are this time, and >don't refer to slime."

>Baldanders: "These things only live a score of years, like dogs"

My favorite is toward the end after four books of continual explaining that 
"fuligin is the color which is..."

>Severian:  " Soon I must don robes of argent, the color that is more pure 
>than white.  Never mind"

-bsharp

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