Horn's ability

Gerry Quinn · 27 Oct 2011, 18:08 · from 2011-October.txt.gz

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From: gerry at bindweed.com (Gerry Quinn)
Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2011 19:08:29 +0100
Subject: (urth) Horn's ability
In-Reply-To: <SNT123-W38CBAA2ECF405583BFFCA2CFD20 at phx.gbl>
References: <SNT123-W38CBAA2ECF405583BFFCA2CFD20 at phx.gbl>
Message-ID: <A1CEA6F098AA4C57B95CB95D4C0700F1@Rover>



From: Lee Berman 

> From 5HoC to Short Sun, from Number 5 to Shadow Children to Tzadkiel to Neighbors, Wolfe 
> has addressed the Identity Problem by using characters in his fiction who are not singular 
> in nature as we are. I'm not sure why multiple Father Inire identities is so troublesome
> and rises such resistance in some. Still the idea seems to nag and bother even those 
> vehemently against it and that itself raises some questions in regard to why.

How neat.  That people argue against your theories itself constitutes evidence for them in your mind.

I told you why I argue against it already: Father Inire as boatman, as well as making no sense in itself,  wrecks the character and storyline of a major character, Dorcas.

 
> I think one problem is that the story is told in first-person, but Father Inire is 
> presented in null-person. He never shows up. In my current view, the guy is either 
> nowhere or all over the place. I just can't see the literary value in placing him in 
> disguise as a few non-important characters. Why would Wolfe do that? Why, in the course 
> of seven intense years of writing and editing and creating such difficult puzzles of which 
> only some have been solved to this day, why would he make Father Inire such a throw-away? 

He?s not a throwaway.  He?s the cacogen who came to Urth as advisor to the Autarchs.  He is capable of the odd spying mission in the jungle, too.  But he?s not all over the place.  He?s in the places he?s supposed to be.

- Gerry Quinn



 
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