urth Digest, Vol 26, Issue 12

Daniel D Jones · 17 Oct 2006, 02:50 · from 2006-October.txt.gz

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From: ddjones at riddlemaster.org (Daniel D Jones)
Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2006 22:50:59 -0400
Subject: (urth) urth Digest, Vol 26, Issue 12
In-Reply-To: <3B2AB615-41AD-4B46-B31A-485515ED6B37 at ou.edu>
References: <mailman.78679.1161018924.570.urth-urth.net at lists.urth.net>
	<3B2AB615-41AD-4B46-B31A-485515ED6B37 at ou.edu>
Message-ID: <200610162250.59873.ddjones at riddlemaster.org>

On Monday 16 October 2006 15:25, Kieran Mullen wrote:
> >> I agree that The Death of Doctor Island is accessible in terms of
> >> understanding the plot, but I also find it to be one of Wolfe's most
> >> disturbing and offensive stories.  I can't imagine what a mass
> >> audience
> >> would make of it.
> >
> > Care to expound on why you find it offensive?
>
> I am not David, but I can write why I find the story disturbing:  an
> innocent young girl is brutally murdered in order to salvage one
> mentally disturbed adult male,  drive an innocent boy catatonic,  and
> manifest the more useful subdominant personality in the boy.   This
> is all based on some utilitarian calculus:  the low probability that
> the girl will be cured, the preference for the subdominant
> personality in the boy, the chance that the man will be cured.   It's
> the cold sacrifice of one life to improve another's life.    But I
> think that's the type of death offered by Doctor Island, and this is
> the point of the story.

No question that the story is disturbing.  If the story doesn't disturb you, 
then you have serious problems.  But there's a great deal of difference 
between calling a story disturbing and calling it offensive.  The story is 
meant to disturb.  That's it's whole point and purpose.  And it succeeds 
masterfully.  But I disagree that that makes the story offensive.  If a story 
doesn't move you in some way, is it worth investing the time to read?

I first read the story many years ago while in high school.  It was the first 
thing I'd ever read by Wolfe, although I didn't realize that until recently.  
I only recently picked up a copy of IoDD&OS&OS.  When I started reading DoDI, 
I literally jumped out of bed and shook the book in my wife's face.  "This is 
it!  This is it!"  I then had to explain that I'd read the story some 25 
years ago but had had no idea who'd written it.  I couldn't remember the 
details of the events but it was one of the most powerful, most disturbing 
stories I'd ever read and I couldn't wait to read it again.  It did not 
disappoint on the second reading.

It's not often that a book or story literally gives me cold chills but this 
story did.  Both times.  It's incredibly disturbing and incredibly powerful.  
But that doesn't make it offensive.  Quite the opposite.

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