Calde of the Long Sun and Learning to Read Wolfe

Ken Rutsky · 13 Jan 2009, 13:10 · from 2009-January.txt.gz

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From: rkenneth at nycap.rr.com (Ken Rutsky)
Date: Tue, 13 Jan 2009 08:10:39 -0500
Subject: (urth) Calde of the Long Sun and Learning to Read Wolfe
Message-ID: <05B97267F894403594AE3659BAEA566B@defaultyb2su9s>

Just finished book 3 of the Long Sun.  I am dazzled by this work, more than
I was with the New Sun books.

I suppose some of it has to do with learning how to "read" Wolfe, which I
believe I'm just starting to do.  Now, I'm not a dullard; my degree is in
English and my favorite writers include Borges, late-period Samuel Delany,
Nabokov.a lot of "lit snob" stuff.  However, I've little background in
studying the Bible, which I'm realizing is key to Wolfe's work, and is
something I'm rectifying on my own.  In addition, I am getting better at
spotting massive revelations about the book's characters and the Whorl
itself in casual, almost throwaway asides and oblique references; in
particular, I was blown away by learning who Blood's father is in the last
pages of this volume.  Having had these insights into his style, I'll have
to go back and re-read New Sun in the future.

On to volume four!  I can't wait to comb through the list archives to read
past discussions on this series.  I've been very impressed with what I've
read here so far.

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