The Politics Of Gene Wolfe

Adam Thornton · 21 Mar 2009, 02:17 · from 2009-March.txt.gz

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From: adam at io.com (Adam Thornton)
Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2009 21:17:32 -0500
Subject: (urth) The Politics Of Gene Wolfe
In-Reply-To: <49C43CBF.10003 at io.com>
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	<49C43CBF.10003 at io.com>
Message-ID: <C35CDB24-7149-4C9A-A9F9-3DCE9CE7B1D2 at io.com>


On Mar 20, 2009, at 8:02 PM, Jeff Wilson wrote:

> Matthew Groves wrote:
>> I've been puzzling over this passage in Claw, Jonas and Severian are
>> in the Antechamber and Jonas is wigging out.  I don't know the  
>> history
>> Jonas is talking about, and I wonder if it sheds any light on Wolfe's
>> views on monarchy and democracy.
>> "Hereditary rulers and hereditary subordinates, and all sorts of
>> strange officials. Lancers with long, white mustaches." For an  
>> instant
>> the ghost of his old humorous smile appeared. "The White Knight is
>> sliding down the poker. He balances very badly, as the King's  
>> notebook
>> told him."
>
> The last bit references Lewis Carroll's _Through the Looking Glass_,  
> which could be taken as a criticism of class society.

Or of, you know, strange magic to do with traveling through mirrors.

Adam
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