Babbiehorn?: Was: a sincere question mostly for roy

James Wynn · 17 Nov 2011, 18:30 · from 2011-November.txt.gz

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From: crushtv at gmail.com (James Wynn)
Date: Thu, 17 Nov 2011 12:30:28 -0600
Subject: (urth) Babbiehorn?: Was: a sincere question mostly for roy
In-Reply-To: <SNT123-W3383215848D6891960AC99CFC70 at phx.gbl>
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Message-ID: <4EC552C4.7020408 at gmail.com>

On 11/17/2011 12:14 PM, Lee Berman wrote:
> But multi-limbed Neighbors and parasitic inhumi tracking with trees and liana/vines is
> a connection any Wolfe reader ought to be able to get. Anyone who claims they can't
> is pretending (as David suggests) or playing kabuki theater (as James suggests). Nobody
> who has been here contributing here for a significant length of time could really be that
> dense. Sorry, but anyone continuing to claim they are is lying. We ain't buying the act
> anymore ;- ).

I'm not sure I'd go so far. For example, I think it is obvious that the 
Narrator is a Neighbor. But people have read the SS *with my suggetions 
in mind* and come away saying "I don't really see that it is necessarily 
so". The references to the trees seem obvious to me. The association 
fits with the Neighbors as Faeries (which is established by the 
designation "Neighbor"). However, people come at these books with 
different backgrounds, and different expectations. Ambiguity is a 
central feature of Wolfe's works.

Are there people who's analysis and argument methods sometimes don't 
seem fair? That they indulge in practices that they scorn in others? 
Occasionally. But I don't think even THEY know they are doing it. Some 
people are so devoted to seeing themselves a paramountly objective that 
they become the least objective of all when considering their own point 
of view.

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