the prime calcula/his citadel and other quotes

Gerry Quinn · 19 Jan 2011, 18:46 · from 2011-January.txt.gz

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From: gerryq at indigo.ie (Gerry Quinn)
Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2011 18:46:44 -0000
Subject: (urth) the prime calcula/his citadel and other quotes
References: <SNT123-W22A1C8BEC139996AEE7C58CFF60 at phx.gbl><AE57A63D945E41419F2ED50836CB6060@jill>	<4D3703CA.2000204 at gmail.com><4DCEC654C050496C9AE26EC65906119A@jill>
	<4D3714DD.60500 at gmail.com>
Message-ID: <2FFDA071957648EEA2167823C583327C@jill>


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


> On 1/19/2011 10:23 AM, Gerry Quinn wrote:
>> Anyway, that's beside the point.  Some of these people - and others, such 
>> as Mint - can have their not mentioning the resemblance explained away. 
>> But ALL of them?  Why?  It's like Murder on the Orient Express, but with 
>> no detective!  When has Wolfe ever worked like that?
>
> Interesting. I've often used this very analogy to describe Wolfe's novel. 
> I tell people, "If Wolfe had written MotOE, there would be no detective. 
> That would be the reader's job. All the story would be told by the 
> suspects and and maybe a clever but distracted Red Cap. The murder itself 
> would be an incidental event. "

Well, perhaps that says something about the differences in our interpretive 
methods!  Me, I think people get too suspicious of Wolfe's potential 
trickery and end up tying themselves in knots.

You do agree, though, that even if there were no detective, there would be 
clues to the cover-up?

- Gerry Quinn

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