Jaynes and Wolfe

Michael Straight · 30 Oct 1998, 08:56 · from urth-v0021.mbox · original

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From: Michael Straight <straight at email.unc.edu>
Subject: Re:  (urth) Jaynes and Wolfe
Date: Fri, 30 Oct 1998 08:56:10
Message-ID: <urth-v0021-0016 at digest.urth.net>
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On Thu, 29 Oct 1998 CRCulver at aol.com wrote:

> Alga wrote:
> <Interesting, for instance, Silk's blind faith in his Outsider>
>=20
> But Wolfe has said that the Outsider is "a spiritual god," which to me me=
ans
> the Outsider is the Pancreator.

There's a big difference between Wolfe telling us that he personally
interprets the Outsider as a real "spiritual god" and the narrative
forcing that conclusion upon us.  One of the best things about many of
Wolfe's stories is that it's possible to read them with purely
materialistic presuppositions or with Wolfe's religious ones.  It's very
gentlemanly of him.

In contrast, try reading C.S. Lewis's Space Trilogy and explaining the
events materialistically.

-Rostrum

*More Wolfe info & archive of this list at http://www.urth.net/urth/

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