Like a good neighbor

Jerry Friedman · 23 Nov 2011, 05:10 · from 2011-November.txt.gz

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From: jerry_friedman at yahoo.com (Jerry Friedman)
Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2011 21:10:24 -0800 (PST)
Subject: (urth) Like a good neighbor
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Message-ID: <1322025024.63106.YahooMailNeo at web114712.mail.gq1.yahoo.com>

> From: Lee Berman <severiansola at hotmail.com>
>
>>Dan'l Danehe-Oakes: I don't know whether the inhumi _are_ the lianas or not, but I think
>>it's beyond clear that there is _some_ vital connection between them.
>
>Nicely put, Dan'l.? 


Indeed.

>I'll mention again the Wolfe video interview on Wizard Knight in which
>Gene feels no need to hem and haw and qualify and explain the relationship between 
>"vitally connected" characters. He says "the ValFather *is* Odin or Wodin". Michael
>is the archangel Michael.
>
>I guess as author, he can get away with that.

Yes.? We trust he doesn't say it unless the figures /are/ the same in his mind and not just connected.


> Nobody here is gonna call his ideas about
>his own work "puerile crapola" or whatever. Still, be it Father Inire or Typhon or 
>Dionysus a lot of time is devoted to explaining what the meaning of "is" is.


The solution might be to avoid unusual senses of "is".

>I don't mind saying "there is a vital connection" between Echidna and The Mother or 
>Thelxiepeia (mythic siren) and Seawrack the first time. But it would be nice if I could
>shorthand it to "is" on further elaboration.


I'd say there's a vital connection between Severian and Jesus.? But the difference is important to Wolfe and to many readers, including you, if I'm not mistaken.? I'm glad people don't shorthand "Severian echoes Jesus in some ways" to "Severian is Jesus".


Jery Friedman

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