Padding?

Son of Witz · 30 Nov 2010, 17:31 · from 2010-November.txt.gz

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From: Sonofwitz at butcherbaker.org (Son of Witz)
Date: Tue, 30 Nov 2010 09:31:54 -0800
Subject: (urth) Padding?
In-Reply-To: <451456.67501.qm at smtp817.mail.ird.yahoo.com>
References: <451456.67501.qm at smtp817.mail.ird.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <148D85D1-7B55-4770-A93F-ECC4C6A05EAF at butcherbaker.org>

Wait, Isn't the storytelling contest in the fourth book, in the Lazaret?
I feel that stuff is obliquely relevant, but mostly padding. I can barely stand that contest in the Lazaret.

~Mike

On Nov 30, 2010, at 3:16 AM, Mo Holkar <lists at ukg.co.uk> wrote:

> Hi all,
> 
> One of Wolfe's comments in the Cooney interview, linked here recently, caught my eye. Re BotNS:
> 
> "If you look in the third book, you will find a storytelling contest that?s strictly padding. That contest got me a really good review in Playboy Magazine ? and I?ve always been grateful to it for that reason."
> 
> I have always seen the storytelling contest as narratively and thematically important. We step back from the main action, and get a succession of insights into the metaphysics of the characters' world. We then read on with somewhat renewed eyes.
> 
> I guess we can continue to believe that Wolfe is being a little disingenuous when he says it's "strictly" padding. But it is slightly sobering to reflect that if BotNS had remained a trilogy, it wouldn't have been included.
> 
> Although perhaps you may feel that this is post hoc reasoning, and really it is indeed padding that we could have done happily without?
> 
> best wishes,
> 
> Mo
> 
> 
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