The Politics Of Gene Wolfe

James Wynn · 02 Jul 2010, 16:35 · from 2010-July.txt.gz

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From: crushtv at gmail.com (James Wynn)
Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2010 11:35:32 -0500
Subject: (urth) The Politics Of Gene Wolfe
In-Reply-To: <4C2DF567.8010809 at gmail.com>
References: <mailman.59022.1278079311.5093.urth-urth.net at lists.urth.net>
	<4C2DF567.8010809 at gmail.com>
Message-ID: <4C2E1554.1000705 at gmail.com>

 >>I've read through most of _Starwater Strains_ now, and my 
initialbelief has hardened:
 >>Gene's writings are definitely getting more
 >>political. In his older works like _Peace_ or _Book of the New Sun_
 >>(pre-90s), I didn't notice anything political, or at least,
 >>contemporary. But in stuff from the last 2 decades? My suspicion has
 >>become certainty.

 >Have you read _Operation Ares_?  Perhaps an outlier, but definitely 
political.

Not an outlier, I think. "The Devil in a Forest" is fine unflattering 
deconstruction of Robin Hood as a hero who "robs the rich to give to the 
poor".

For the most part, however, the examples given from "Starwater Strains" 
are seeing what one expects to see. You don't have to be a 
conservative/libertarian to imagine a dystopian government (ex. George 
Orwell). You don't need to be a Tea Partyer to wish well a revolution 
that will bring down the "big important gangs with suits and guns". That 
sounds like the communist/anarchist G-20 protesters in Toronto.

u+16b9

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