Seven American Nights

Marty Light · 26 Aug 1997, 12:03 · from urth-v0004.mbox · original

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From: "Marty Light"<Marty_Light at siecor.com>
Subject: (urth) Seven American Nights
Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 12:03:12
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[Posted from URTH, a mailing list about Gene Wolfe's New Sun and other work=
s]

Thanks to all for the great discussion!  I've been lurking in the
background, re-reading Wolfe (and Crowley and Pynchon) as quickly as I am
able, and saving the group's comments for future re-readings.  At the risk
of appearing not up to the high standards already exhibited by the current
contributors...here are a couple of points on which I'd like your
collective thoughts:

1) Call me dumb, but I think I just "got it" in reference to the title
"Seven American Nights" with a Middle-Eastern protagonist compared with
"1001 Arabian Nights" (and they are both prime numbers ;-)...

2) One of the earlier stories in IODDAOSAOS is called "The Hero as
Werewolf" (typing from memory since book is at home).  While I can't
pretend to understand this particular story, it references people who have
been genetically altered -- perhaps by chemicals in the environment -- and
have lupine characteristics.  One of the characters is named Garou, which
means Wolf(e) or werewolf in some language (loup garou -- mantis?).  There
is some talk about these mutants going to the park to put on theater
productions.  To me, it seems like this story is set in the same
"universe", country and time-frame as "Seven American Nights".  The beast
tie-in might NOT then be a hallucination on Nadan's part, but a real event.
(I thought I'd egg you on about this hallucination vs reality thread.)  I
never made the connection between these stories, which I initially read
when the first paperback printing came out 16 or so years back, until the
most recent reading.

3) I very much would like to subscribe to both a Wolfe-only mail list and
an other-author list.  Wolfe's works certainly have attracted enough of us
to keep up a lively discussion.  As we tackle other authors and books (e.g.
Crowley, Pynchon) we could certainly spin them off if they begin to
dominate the discussion.  I just think it's great to get others'
perspectives and insights on things in these challenging literary works
that enrich my personal experience while reading them.

I don't know if this characterizes me as a "chem" or a Hierodule, but since
my real surname is Light, sign me off as...

...Photon.

PS - alga, please send me a copy of the review you mentioned last week,
faulty though it may be.  Thanks!

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