Thea's Identity

David Stockhoff · 22 Apr 2013, 13:03 · from 2013-April.txt.gz

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From: dstockhoff at verizon.net (David Stockhoff)
Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2013 09:03:59 -0400
Subject: (urth) Thea's Identity
In-Reply-To: <BLU175-W2318F6997DC41BE8A5549CFCB0 at phx.gbl>
References: <BLU175-W2318F6997DC41BE8A5549CFCB0 at phx.gbl>
Message-ID: <5175353F.305 at verizon.net>



On 4/22/2013 8:28 AM, Lee Berman wrote:
>> Horn is a jerk
>> Antonio Pedro Marques: I'm not so sure. Morality is by definition local.
>> Horn has no qualms about telling us his unsavoury thoughts and deeds.
>> Neither has the latter narrator. We may not like all they do and wish,
>> but Horn seems a bit above the average (New) Vironese. And notice he and
>> Nettle stayed together for many years, and raised 3 children, only having
>> issues with one of them, the other two loving. It's no feat for a jerk.
> This is my view of it also. Has there ever been a devoted, loving husband
> and father who did not occasionally feel boredom or even resentment toward
> his family? Who never got too involved in his own activities for a while? Who
> was never tempted by some young chippie? I think Wolfe pours his own heart into
> certain of his characters, perhaps most especially Weer and Horn. Perhaps the main
> point isn't that Horn is a jerk but that all men have a jerkish side to them.
> Naturally, this side will revel itself amidst the honesty demanded by a three
> novel-length story told in first person. 		 	   		

I defy anyone to identify a Wolfe character who is NOT a jerk. 
Everything else---the sympathy, the portrayal, the level of 
honesty---but they're practically all jerks.

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