short story project so far

Marc Aramini · 03 Aug 2014, 17:37 · from 2014-August.txt.gz

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From: marcaramini at gmail.com (Marc Aramini)
Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2014 10:37:10 -0700
Subject: (urth) short story project so far
In-Reply-To: <53DE689B.9030801 at colby.edu>
References: <CAF1072yEAtsbr0G+sPrubw-U__5gTDYkT8dscZJfSdqXeE=PdQ at mail.gmail.com>
	<53DE689B.9030801 at colby.edu>
Message-ID: <CAF1072wJS=3gRsdWd+i3MnUHQKaFVE=AVUXibXg2h+==C4uDQA at mail.gmail.com>

Thanks Fernando.  When I started it I imagined it as a bit more interactive
than it became (but I also think I got better at it) - the insights posters
like Craig had on the  metaphysical implication of Maya in The Dead Man,
for example, were astouding. If you have alternative readings to some of
the stuff please feel free to respond to the write ups. The eventual
conclusions I think are "correct" for fifth head and short sun would have
never come to me alone without significant list help.

Back in 2003 or so I taught Shadow of the Torturer to a college class or
two, and I used to teach "The Changeling" and "Suzanne Delage" between
2012-2013.  Thanks to Gwern's little website on that one, they would find
my name right away. (Before the worst conceivable scenario imaginable wound
up costing me that position last December, unjust and traumatic ... and now
I have been sending college teaching applications all over the US, and not
one interview, none. philistines in HR departments.  Believe it or not I
work in a gym now ...  but I do hope to teach college again, as it was the
only fulfilling job I had in my life, unless writing counts.)

On Sun, Aug 3, 2014 at 9:51 AM, Fernando Q. Gouvea <fqgouvea at colby.edu>
wrote:

> I'll chime in with the others: I'd certainly buy the book(s) and read
> them. And probably refer to them on re-reading the stories. I don't always
> agree with your interpretations, but they are always fun to read.
>
> Some years ago, the college where I teach had created a way for students
> to get a little bit of academic credit for taking part in a "book seminar"
> meeting once a week. They wanted faculty participation, so I volunteered
> and chose as my book *The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories and
> Other Stories*. It was fun, but most of the students thought the stories
> were far too difficult. One came to me at one point and said "You do
> realize that most of these book seminars are *much* easier than this,
> don't you?" Alas, no, I didn't realize.
>
> The college later stopped the book seminars, probably because they felt
> students were getting credit for very little work...
>
> I hope you will keep at it. I'm having fun, and feel grateful for the
> immense amount of work you've clearly put into this.
>
> Fernando
>
>
>
> On 7/31/2014 1:36 PM, Marc Aramini wrote:
>
>   Well, I am about 33 percent done with Wolfe's published stories after
> this next one, "The Doctor of Death Island" ... I plan on skipping two
> numbers and returning to "The Eyeflash Miracles" and "Seven American
> Nights" after I consider them a bit more.
>
> I would really like to tear through the 80s more quickly than the 70s, and
> it should be possible since Wolfe's time on long novels and series vastly
> reduced the length and allusive depth of his short fiction. ... However, I
> feel that 7 American Nights and probably Cabin on the Coast in the early
> 80s marked a shift away from SF tropes to more fantastic ones, which are a
> bit less easy to mark "objectively" - some stories might actually have
> unresolvable mysteries, though I don't think anything written before 1980
> actually does.
>
> The write-ups I feel are least satisfactory are "The Green Wall Said",
> "The Blue Mouse",  "Paul's Treehouse" - though I think the garment district
> uprising in "A Criminal Proceeding" and mentioned briefly in "Operation
> ARES" can explain who is actually rioting in that story, "Hour of Trust"
> (what is the name of the company running everything, whose symbol is gold
> stamped instruments? That write up gave me more problems than you would
> think) "The Island of Doctor Death an Other Stories", and perhaps the Thag
> stories.
>
> I am most satisfied with "The Changeling", "Many Mansions" - (those houses
> are luring people in and are merely dressed up as familiar, tempting human
> houses with mimicry, and might even be planting something, human-alien
> symbiotic style, inside people through the strong drink), "The HORARS of
> War", and "Trip, Trap" write ups.
>
> I already know exactly what type of essays I will be finishing up on Long
> Sun, Latro, and Home Fires, but the rest will take some time and I might
> not return to New Sun until the majority of the short fiction and shorter
> novels are done.
>
> All considered the project might be close to 2,000 pages or so when I am
> done.
> Of course it would need hefty revision and citation, but lately I have
> considered perhaps trying to publish it upon completion - short essays on
> the long fiction in front which would be my own thesis based developments,
> not comprehensive looks at all, and the story analysis section after that.
> A traditional publisher would never touch it, I imagine, and it would be
> far too big for a small or university press, but perhaps an ebook would
> work.  Anyone think that would be viable?  Should I even, say, try to split
> it in half?  Just thought I would see what you guys thought, as this has
> been a WHOLE lot of work, even though I love it.
>
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>
> --
> =============================================================
> Fernando Q. Gouvea         http://www.colby.edu/~fqgouvea
> Carter Professor and Chair
> Dept. of Mathematics and Statistics
> Colby College              Editor, Carus Mathematical Monographs
> 5836 Mayflower Hill        Editor, MAA Reviews
> Waterville, ME 04901       http://www.maa.org/publications/maa-reviews
>
> If you're told about vampires, it's a good thing to be told about stakes at the same time.
>   -- Terry Pratchett, in "Let There Be Dragons"
>
>
>
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