Thea's Identity

Marc Aramini · 22 Apr 2013, 15:23 · from 2013-April.txt.gz

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From: marcaramini at yahoo.com (Marc Aramini)
Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2013 08:23:59 -0700
Subject: (urth) Thea's Identity
In-Reply-To: <5175353F.305 at verizon.net>
References: <BLU175-W2318F6997DC41BE8A5549CFCB0 at phx.gbl>
	<5175353F.305 at verizon.net>
Message-ID: <B4F4A6C3-10EE-4B12-A566-25D39AEAA53A at yahoo.com>

I would have to say Silk is more like a pedant or preachy fellow than a jerk, and Latro more like a heroic dupe.  Obviously this is pretty subjective stuff we are talking about.  
Auk, sev, number five, Dunn, fr Chris - the shoe fits.  Maybe Mr Green gets a pass for being a schmoe. Latro strikes me as Wolfe's most straight up heroic character. 
Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 22, 2013, at 6:03 AM, David Stockhoff <dstockhoff at verizon.net> wrote:

> 
> 
> 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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