The significance of Apu Punchau

Jeff Wilson · 29 Dec 2008, 00:00 · from 2008-December.txt.gz

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From: jwilson at io.com (Jeff Wilson)
Date: Sun, 28 Dec 2008 18:00:01 -0600
Subject: (urth) The significance of Apu Punchau
In-Reply-To: <W879663088285471230488452@webmail1>
References: <W879663088285471230488452@webmail1>
Message-ID: <49581301.7050205 at io.com>

Son of Witz wrote:
> Interesting point Jeff, it seems perhaps a bit disingenuous of
> Wolfe's part, given the translator's notes in BotNS, which is signed
> by Wolfe. 

He does hedge a bit and sign it "G.W." rather than own it outright with 
a full name or implicitly by leaving it unsigned.

 > It says the manuscript is from the future. Which means
> it's the manuscript he tossed into the winds of time in Urth, no? 

The Appendix mentions numerous other artifacts from the future times, 
and it also mention buildings that exist in both times, so I expect that 
it originally was intended to come via the Atrium or other 
transcendental architecture, rather than any of the plot devices in the 
then-unwritten and probably unimagined sequel.

> Interviews and author's exegesis are great, but I will always
> priviledge the words written in the volume under consideration,
> especially where there are contradictions.  I think you're probably
> right about the retroactive continuity with the OT.  Wolfe had a
> vertiginous "Whoops, what did I do there?" moment.  Either way it
> works, I'm fine with the idea that Urth was Earth, or that Earth was
> Urth a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

I am positive it was originally intended and written as a future of the 
very earth we're sitting on, yes. I feel there's objective evidence of 
this, but I'm also emotionally attached to the very subjective 
confirmation I have from having attended Texas A&M (albeit 35 years 
later than Wolfe) and having eerie deja vu from some of the scenery 
while reading the BOTNS the first time a few years later. The students 
were nearly all military cadets in Wolfe's day (with some exceptions, 
like the daughters of faculty members) with a motley accumulation of 
repurposed and mis-shapen buildings like a miniature Citadel, 
vivisection rooms in the veterinary building, steam tunnels connecting 
everything, salutes fired from ancient cannons....

-- 
Jeff Wilson - jwilson at io.com
< http://www.io.com/~jwilson >

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