Pike's ghost

Lee Berman · 30 Nov 2011, 13:36 · from 2011-November.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Wed, 30 Nov 2011 08:36:08 -0500
Subject: (urth) Pike's ghost
Message-ID: <SNT123-W336ABA6B48644698002FDFCFB00 at phx.gbl>

>Jerry Friedman: Just disagreeing with Lee's comment that the word "mandragora" 
>could only point to Typhon.  I don't think any of these word games /necessarily/ 
>point to one thing.  You can always find connections to others.  Of course, you 
>and Lee and others may have reasons for preferring one connection.

You miscontrue my point, Jerry. In fact I don't think "mandragora" can only refer
to Typhon. I completely think the references to mandrake and occultism and even
satanism are there and intentional. My history of posts reflects that. But I do not 
ignore that Typhon is also associated with Satan.

I think Wolfe writes in this manner- using a constellation of associated ideas with
internal story connections to convey his message. My assertion is that "mandragora"
must (in my view) refer to Typhon, not that it may *only* (for all readers) refer 
to Typhon.

I think the mandragora is part of a constellation of story elements which help direct 
how Wolfe wants us to think of Typhon through the arc of the 12 book Sun Series- that
being as a superhumanly gifted, demonic tyrant-deity who sows the seeds of his own 
destruction when he devotes his efforts to self-indulgence but who has the capacity 
to become a benign, demiurgical Creator when his efforts are so directed. This, of 
course, is a parallel to certain lines of gnostic religious philosophy regarding God, 
Devil and creation.

>Oddly enough, it doesn't take me to those questions at all.

I get the impression you are offended by suggestions that the story takes a reader 
anywhere, specifically (even S. America ;- )). But if you do have a sense of where 
WOlfe's writing takes you, which you have not previously revealed, I am interested in 
hearing about it.

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