the prime calcula/ his citadel and other quotes

Lee Berman · 16 Jan 2011, 16:44 · from 2011-January.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2011 11:44:14 -0500
Subject: (urth) the prime calcula/ his citadel and other quotes
Message-ID: <SNT123-W5341C0573BA7C74D74A264CFF50 at phx.gbl>

>Marc Aramini: Mamelta says her name is mamelta, and when silk asks if that's 
>really her name, she says ... "I think so. I can't ..."Its indicative of supreme 
>confusion

I noticed when this was being debated six years ago it was observed that there 
is some confusion over whether St. Mamelta was male or female. Confusion does 
seem to reign here.

I think maybe the name Mamelta qualifies as a misnomer along the lines of Seawrack.
It is a false name which is an auctorial clue to the reader as to the function of the 
character via onomatopoeia.

To really understand, you have to stop thinking like a yourself as a reader and start 
thinking like the author. Wolfe writes stories guided by the principles of labyrinth and Dr. 
Talos play: around every corner are familiar places and people, disguised. Wolfe explicitly 
says he is always guided by the principle of what would make a better story. So...what would 
make this a better story, Mamelta as connected to already encountered characters or just
a disposable, throw-away nobody; a way to give Silk a crotch shot then let a fish eat her.

>Entonio: Posing as Pas was a way to ensure  allegiance of the new colony while not being there
> - but he did intend  to make use of such allegiance some chiliads down the road, and that's  
>where a lookalike ruling the colony might come in handy.

I think this makes sense.

>Entonio: Never knew how to read this. Quetzal must have known the colonists  
>would mistrut his choice after seeing him for what he was. What was he  
>trying to accomplish by selecting Green? Also, what did he really die of?

Can we be 100% sure he is dead? Inhumi get buried for years and come back to life. Is it possible 
they can really survive outer space? I question the death of all supposedly dead inhumi. If they 
are anything like Shadow Children they may just take new form. Vines, worms, shadows, whatever.

>Marc Aramini- And I DO think Pas wanted an heir to rule on Urth after him, with Silk to rule 
>Green/Urth, and some of his family in the cargo shot into the future.  Thus Quetzal aiming for Green.

Wolfe has said Typhon/Pas did not know about the inhumi when he sent off The Whorl. And I think there 
is evidence of a continuing struggle between Inhumi and other species. They infiltrate and imitate and, 
like an intelligent plague, manage to get themselves sent everywhere. So both Pas and Quetzal could want 
the Whorl inhabitants to go to Green, but for very different reasons.

So who wins? The inhumi. They always win, as a nigh immortal, highly intelligent, shape shifting race of 
beings must always win. As Shadow Children have won on St. Croix and as fallen angels won on earth. Until 
a higher power steps in (with Flood).

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