Fiction, halves, twins

David Stockhoff · 28 Apr 2010, 21:44 · from 2010-April.txt.gz

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From: dstockhoff at verizon.net (David Stockhoff)
Date: Wed, 28 Apr 2010 17:44:40 -0400
Subject: (urth) Fiction, halves, twins
In-Reply-To: <mailman.1867.1272488954.20511.urth-urth.net at lists.urth.net>
References: <mailman.1867.1272488954.20511.urth-urth.net at lists.urth.net>
Message-ID: <4BD8AC48.7090109 at verizon.net>

Great!

One thing that a correspondence scheme can do here is confirm the primary "meaning" or point of each chapter---to tell us what to look out for, what is important. Since the Tarot is a system for organizing and transmitting esoteric knowledge, I never doubted that Wolfe was very familiar with it indeed. And the version he presents in TCITGT is helpful. 

For example: I wondered about how to connect the Star and werewolves. 

But Wolfe says Star = "Magna Mater of the Old Cult." As readers of the Soldier novels know, this means lycanthropy. So Dave's elucidation of lycanthropy as the major plot point or introduction of that chapter pair is confirmed.

I didn't know Temperance could be Time. Watch out for that ...

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Message: 2
Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2010 22:20:31 -0400
From: Gwern Branwen <gwern0 at gmail.com>
To: The Urth Mailing List <urth at lists.urth.net>
Subject: Re: (urth) Fiction, halves, twins
Message-ID:
	<t2lcbf55b101004271920x351ad5f1ia589d1f149048f02 at mail.gmail.com>
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While thinking about these connections, I thought to myself, what
evidence do we have that Wolfe is even familiar with the Tarot? None
of these connections seem especially insightful or interesting, and as
you point out there are many free variables.

Then I remembered Wolfe's poem, 'The Computer Iterates The Greater
Trumps'. It's become surprisingly difficult to find, but is in Google
Books:
http://books.google.com/books?id=vy9L08MQKkIC&pg=PA24&lpg=PA24&dq=computer+iterates+the+greater+trumps&source=bl&ots=gicT5e7-jF&sig=52kOAz3qvf29tUPMhZaKJvjkQOg&hl=en&ei=cZrXS-PEI4P88AbhzsTmBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=12&ved=0CDAQ6AEwCw#v=onepage&q&f=false

Anyhoo, in that poem, Wolf enumerates the Trumps backwards from 21
(Universe) to 0 (Fool).

-- gwern ------------------------------

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