a lurker asks a question

Gwern Branwen · 03 Oct 2008, 19:50 · from 2008-October.txt.gz

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From: gwern0 at gmail.com (Gwern Branwen)
Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2008 15:50:43 -0400
Subject: (urth) a lurker asks a question
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Message-ID: <20081003195043.GC15891@craft>

On 2008.09.29 20:41:15 -0400, Matthew Keeley <matthew.keeley.1 at gmail.com> scribbled 3.6K characters:
>    Great post. Perhaps Borges was the "real" reason for the scene - I can't think of anywhere
>    else in The Book of the New Sun where such a scene with a Borges analogue would fit quite so
>    well, though of course there are plenty of other Borges references in New Sun (i.e.
>    Baldanders).

We may never know, unless someone asks him 'Did you write that scene really because you just like Borges a lot and it's a nice scene?'

Although I've always found Baldanders a bit odd - I looked him up in my copy of the Borges bestiary and I don't see much of a connection. If anything, the alzabo is much closer to Borges's Baldanders than Wolfe's Baldanders.

>    I wonder if there are any similar scenes in other works that influenced Wolfe? I, Claudius
>    maybe? Or could it be something leftover from an earlier version of the story? Perhaps it was
>    important to the novella "The Feast of St. Catherine?" I gather that story focused a lot on
>    writing? Or maybe I'm wrong - I don't have my "references" (i.e. Castle of Days) with me at
>    school.
>    -Matt, idly speculating

I dunno. I don't remember the descriptions I've seen of the novella focusing a lot on writing, but I didn't pay much attention to it. Has anyone here read it or know much about it?

--
gwern
Armani rounds World 7NL Medco Bunny Consul TECS ssor SBI
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