fifth head owlet- wolf‏

DAVID STOCKHOFF · 11 Apr 2013, 20:33 · from 2013-April.txt.gz

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From: dstockhoff at verizon.net (DAVID STOCKHOFF)
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:33:52 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: (urth) =?utf-8?q?fifth_head_owlet-_wolf=E2=80=8F?=
In-Reply-To: <BLU175-W349B43A4C3E0B2095E79EECFC00 at phx.gbl>
References: <BLU175-W349B43A4C3E0B2095E79EECFC00 at phx.gbl>
Message-ID: <1365712432.80338.YahooMailNeo at web84501.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>






>________________________________
> From: Lee Berman <severiansola at hotmail.com>
>To: "urth at urth.net" <urth at urth.net> 
>Sent: Thursday, April 11, 2013 4:12 PM
>Subject: (urth) fifth head owlet- wolf?
> 
>
>
>For me, the implication of 5HoC is that the natives of the twin planets are eons
>old in their existence. They are currently human in form but likely have taken
>different forms in their history as different races were drawn to their planet. 
>Dollo's Law (an archaic theory which is being disproven more and more as genetic
>science progresses) could not have allowed shadow/children/abos to lose their 
>shape-shifting ability or they would have lost it long ago.
>
>>I like your idea, but mine points to successful mimicry while invoking a dozen >angels/fairies/mermaids/robots-becoming-mortal tropes. Not to mention that imitation 
>>is the path to >improvement 
>
>I see little hope that the pseudo-human residents we find in 5HoC will evolve to
>the point of being industrious, productive humans. But I allow that is a debateable
>point.
>
>But for me, Urth, Blue and Green and even The Whorl are more hopeful 
>places than Ste. Anne and St. Croix. I found 5HoC to be such a dark and dismal
>read I almost didn't want to read any further Wolfe. Apologies for my cheery 
>outlook on life. But I think science and Gene Wolfe have both progressed in positivity 
>in outlook since the 70's.
>
>I see the association with higher beings and improvement depicted in Wolfe's later work
>but not in 5HoC. That place is falling apart with no hint of a Severian or Silk arising 
>to lead them to a higher plane. ??? ???  ??? ?  ??? ??? ? 
>
>
>---I don't see what those points have to do with one another, or rather, why they have to point in that direction. I agree that the theme of 5HC seems to be staleness and stasis. But so what, then, if the changelings of the twin planets are worthless as humans? I would expect nothing less. What angel would even want to uplift them? 
>
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