Forlesen

Craig Christensen · 25 Jun 1998, 10:44 · from urth-v0015.mbox · original

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From: Craig Christensen <2644 at mn3.lawson.lawson.com>
Subject: (urth) Re: Forlesen
Date: Thu, 25 Jun 1998 10:44:00
Message-ID: <urth-v0015-0018 at digest.urth.net>
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Michael wrote:
>Ack.  People keep referring to this novella and I've got a note  =20
somewhere
>about how much I liked it, but I can't remember what it's about.  Could
>someone please e-mail me a brief something to jog my memory?

Forlesen is one of my favorite Wolfe stories.  The main character's, in  =20
fact most or the characters' lives, seem to be condensed into one long,  =20
drab, pointless day.  Forlesen wakes one morning a blank slate.  Some  =20
memories slowly return.  He recalls that people cover themselves with  =20
clothing.  He remembers language.  Before he can remember more his wife  =20
begins to rush him off to work.  She points out a stack of manuals which  =20
explain his responsibilities.  He only has time to scan them.

His wife can barely contain her terror.  She woke before him and had time  =20
to read through her manuals, one of which told her that if her husband  =20
doesn't go to work, she and the children will starve.  After she finally  =20
pressures him to leave, he hears the door lock firmly behind him.

I believe that 'Forlesen' is a name invented by Wolfe to invoke the idea  =20
of someone forlorn or lost.  I had the feeling that Forlesen was  =20
dislocated from a real past elsewhere.  He seems to know that life isn't  =20
supposed to be like this.  I thought that if he had more time to reflect  =20
he might remember more of his real past, but he is hurried from one  =20
station in his life to the next by his wife and coworkers.  These people,  =20
themselves, seem to be as lost and befuddled as he is.  They are  =20
obviously bluffing their way along and after Forlesen begins to imitate  =20
them his 'progress' at work becomes streamlined.

There is more to the story and there a couple of subplots.  On the  =20
surface, it seemed to be a sketch of life in the industrial workplace.  =20
 It reminded me of the movie 'Brazil'.  The part that confused me the  =20
most was during Forlesen's drive to work.  Can anyone tell me what he saw  =20
holding up the elevated road?  I particularly enjoyed the scene with the  =20
patrolman here.

*More Wolfe info & archive of this list at http://www.urth.net/urth/

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