Short Story 45: Feather Tigers

Sergei SOLOVIEV · 09 Sep 2012, 11:53 · from 2012-September.txt.gz

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From: soloviev at irit.fr (Sergei SOLOVIEV)
Date: Sun, 09 Sep 2012 13:53:20 +0200
Subject: (urth) Short Story 45: Feather Tigers
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Message-ID: <504C8330.1000504 at irit.fr>

I agree with Mo that the eyes should be human - but I asked myself, 
whether Quoquo was right claiming that
the humanity was extinct - may be the most discrete part - "people of 
yellow leaves" - survived? Quoquo was
arrogantly wrong on many points. Wolfe could want to be ambiguous here, 
as he often does.

Another point - I had a very strong feeling that Quoquo and Dondiil 
remind somewhat Japanese, that
is, these alien rabbits have the culture that GW wanted to be 
over-respectful to authority and hierarchical,
which is bad for science (this concerns also "body language"). I 
considered the story
as fiercely humoristic about science based on authority.

"Feather tigers" - the title I believe plays also with a clich? of 
Maoist propaganda, that spoke about "paper tigers" -
meaning all western powers, that, according to this propaganda, look 
more dangerous that they are.

Best regards

Sergei Soloviev

Mo Holkar wrote:
> At 03:11 09/09/2012, Marc wrote:
>> (Though it is not entirely clear that the eyes peering at Quoquo are 
>> from the tigers ? they may be the last vestige of humaanity).
>
>
> I always thought that the eyes peering at Quoquo "bright with an 
> intelligence not found in any animal" are those of newly returned 
> humanity, which have been regenerated in resonance to the reappearance 
> of the 'tigers, in a mirror of their earlier disappearance?
>
> best wishes,
>
> Mo
>
>
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