IROSF

James Wynn · 03 Apr 2009, 13:41 · from 2009-April.txt.gz

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From: crushtv at gmail.com (James Wynn)
Date: Fri, 3 Apr 2009 08:41:45 -0500
Subject: (urth) IROSF
In-Reply-To: <63FB9AC7E0AEC7459DBCC99DC44247CA031FA0B4 at BOSIDEXDB.Bankofscotland.ie>
References: <63FB9AC7E0AEC7459DBCC99DC44247CA031FA0B4 at BOSIDEXDB.Bankofscotland.ie>
Message-ID: <39BE1392169B489591115578C1FB69E2@eMachinePC>

IROSFMichael also says something here that drives me bonkers:

"With the mysteries laid bare, it becomes apparent that enough clues were provided for such major mysteries to be solved in the original tetrology. That Severian would travel through time to become both the Conciliator and Apu Punchau, rather than being a reincarnation, avatar, or descendant. And that the world would drown with the coming of the New Sun."

Well, yes, there are enough clues to have jumped to those conclusions. All the reader had to do was to accurately identify the jumping off points as such --while excluding the the non-jumping off points--- AND jump to the *correct* conclusion to the exclusion of the other potential conclusions.

When Wolfe says all the answers are "in the text" it is like saying that "Osama Bin Laden is 'right there' in Central Asia so why don't you go out and get him?"

Still, something that Wolfe's argument with Hartwell does make clear is that Wolfe had a very clear understanding of what was going on in his story, even the elements kept quite obscure. That's comforting, at least.

I agree with Michael that The Urth of the New Sun *was* necessary. I also think a Simarillion of the New Sun would greatly increase the general enjoyment and popularity of the books. But I don't think that will happen. Wolfe has said "the answers never last, but the mysteries never die".

J.
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