Dionysus

Lee Berman · 09 Dec 2010, 22:11 · from 2010-December.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2010 17:11:48 -0500
Subject: (urth) Dionysus
Message-ID: <SNT123-W65D3EA4F11C803A59948C7CF2E0 at phx.gbl>

>Gerry Quinn- I thought the claim was that Dionysius is sometimes called 'god of vines', 
>and Wolfe, being American, might have interpreted this to mean lianas rather >
than grape vines?  As I said, it seems unlikely to me.

No, you have interpreted incorrectly but I don't think it is your fault. I will try my best
to explain. 

1. Liana is not a word most Americans are familiar with. When we want to talk about lianas we 
would normally say "vines". Uneducated Americans may not ever have heard of the word liana.
Forgive me for speaking for others when I say NOBODY here thinks Gene Wolfe is uneducated 
or is unfamiliar with the word liana. But it is our secondary word for that object. Vine
is primary.

2. The suggestion is that Gene Wolfe, in associating Dionysus with parasitic lianas, is not
misinterpreting but engaging in word play as he often does. Nobody here thinks Gene Wolfe
is confused as to the meanings of "Theseus" and "thesis" but some think he is engaging in
word play there. Nor do we think Gene Wolfe is a dunce who thinks the mother of Romulus and 
Remus, Rhea Silvia, was named for a Bird Of The Woods. Word play again.

3. If you are not American it is understandable that you might not understand this particular 
example of word play involving Dionysus, vines and lianas. But I get it. Other Americans get it.
If you don't, you have the choice of being open to learning something new or assuming that your
view must be correct and others are likely wrong. I am interested in which path you will choose.

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