Atlantis and Gondwanaland

DAVID STOCKHOFF · 03 Jan 2011, 15:35 · from 2011-January.txt.gz

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From: dstockhoff at verizon.net (DAVID STOCKHOFF)
Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2011 07:35:02 -0800 (PST)
Subject: (urth) Atlantis and Gondwanaland
In-Reply-To: <SNT123-W392EF788F2067C7E15C6C6CF070 at phx.gbl>
Message-ID: <754278.63404.qm at web84106.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

Of course I meant them in a limited sense (i.e., limited to Fifth Head), but they do seem to recur in Wolfe. I'd relate them to his general idea about myths, how ancient myths reflect attempts by intelligent people to understand the world and approach divinity, etc. Stories we tell ourselves about who-came-before are all grist for Wolfe's mill, or meat for his fangs, or ....
In other words, I wouldn't go so far as to say Wolfe thinks giants (or shadows) did once roam the earth, or that they did on Urth, or that they did on Blue, etc. Just that we humans always talk about such ideas and they hold---and generate---meaning for us. (Incidentally, have you ever noticed how sickeningly popular prophecies are in Hollywood and cheap fiction? Wolfe shows comparatively little interest in them---he prefers myths about the past.)
I just read Margaret Atwood's latest novel, Year of the Flood. She says (probably quoting?Plato?by way of?someone else) "All religion is a shadow of God, and shadows of God are not God." I think Wolfe agrees, and this lets him play with myths while suggesting that they hold truth along with lies (both "true" lies and false ones).
--- On Mon, 1/3/11, Lee Berman <severiansola at hotmail.com> wrote:

From: Lee Berman <severiansola at hotmail.com>
Subject: (urth) Atlantis and Gondwanaland
To: urth at lists.urth.net
Date: Monday, January 3, 2011, 9:31 AM


>David Stockhoff:? 
>(1) The Shadow Children preceded us on Earth, having left Earth before 
>we evolved. We may be their descendants.
>(2) #1, but as an in-joke.
>(3) The possibility of #1 is meant to make us imagine sharing a planet 
>with a closely-related species, or fairies, or whatever, i.e., induce a 
>sort of disorienting paranoia about our own identity as humans. (As you 
>suggest for David et al.)
>(4) He doesn't know what he's talking about. He's just repeating 
>myths---literary ones that are becoming "real" ones. Perhaps he got them 
>from reading human minds or something.
>(5) All these are meant to make us question what we think we know.
 
Damn David! I ask for a light and you give me the sun. This may be all we need
to know, not only about 5HoC but perhaps about Inhumi, the malevolent presences
on Urth, maybe an Evil Guest? Maybe everything?
 
#5 (heh) goes without saying. But #1 and #3 are really insightful and seem to 
have global impact on the lupine universe(s). Jeff doesn't like global impact
ideas, but I do.
 
No time now but these ideas are worth exploring in depth, (to the point of tossing
out some of my previous ideas).
? ??? ???????? ?????? ??? ? 
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