Patera Incus

Gerry Quinn · 16 Aug 2010, 14:28 · from 2010-August.txt.gz

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From: gerryq at indigo.ie (Gerry Quinn)
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2010 15:28:37 +0100
Subject: (urth) Patera Incus
References: <SNT123-W537E347BAF46EE639CED1CF980 at phx.gbl>	<A1EA69F072294007B1115BEBC592DCEA@jill><4C66931D.9050001 at io.com>	<4C66EFCC.3000903 at gmail.com><003001cb3cc1$55090400$99d14a0c@rclackey>
	<4C688C17.9050202 at gmail.com>
Message-ID: <FFD71631AE1D4419A7E27533F4F0BC14@jill>

From: "James Wynn" <crushtv at gmail.com>

> But now there is no way for Fulmar to know who is writing the letter now. 
> That was what was so important before, no?

Incus may have expected him to figure it out.

>> I don't suppose it matters that masculine pronouns are used to describe
>> Incus in the list of  characters at the front of the book.
>
> No. That would be an utterly trivial argument. Maytera Marble is described 
> as "she" in the list of characters in front of the book-- the prononun is 
> strictly formal. She is not physically a woman.

Chems come male and female just like bios; this is not a meaningful argument 
IMO.

However, I don't think the use of the male pronoun is significant.  Wolfe 
would have changed it if he had clearly revealed Incus to be a woman, but he 
does not reveal all in the lists of characters.  The description of Pas 
changes from list to list as more is revealed.

- Gerry Quinn

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