Urth-Earth links

David Stockhoff · 19 Oct 2011, 16:00 · from 2011-October.txt.gz

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From: dstockhoff at verizon.net (David Stockhoff)
Date: Wed, 19 Oct 2011 12:00:34 -0400
Subject: (urth) Urth-Earth links
In-Reply-To: <SNT123-W39A06A381B1477469DF382CFEA0 at phx.gbl>
References: <SNT123-W39A06A381B1477469DF382CFEA0 at phx.gbl>
Message-ID: <4E9EF422.2040007 at verizon.net>

On 10/19/2011 10:56 AM, Lee Berman wrote:
>> That also seems in accord with the other works of Wolfe, who does not, I think, consider
>> any form of technology intrinsically evil, but only the uses of it.
> Given a purely literary reading of the text this might be so. But I am not only interested
> in the text but also the mental processes in the individual who created the text. I suppose
> Biology is an inherently "ickier" science than physics but I am just saying I detect an
> extra "ewww" factor in Wolfe's thinking about biology which goes back to 5HoC. (just had a
> thoughtflash of Jonas being disgusted with his meat parts; Sidero also. Perhaps WOlfe does
> sympathize with them a bit).

Life is corruption, literally and figuratively. To live is to rot and 
die (and rot again).

>
>>> Yes, but I think the question is whether these aliens are entirely a product
>>> of evolution on other planets or whether they are humans who left Urth in
>>> earlier waves, mutated, evolved and are now returned.
>
>> You suggested earlier that Wolfe indicated this somewhere in _Urth_.  Have you a link to this?
>
> I find it inherent in the story. We are first introduced to cacogens as weird, ugly aliens. Later
> the text reveals that some of them (hierodules) are of human origin. Why not all of them?

I wouldn't take it to the extreme, but I see a certain human 
echo-chamber aspect to Briah. It's like a petri dish for Man. If it 
isn't OF us, it reflects us.

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