Saltimbanque vs. counterfeit

Jim Jordan · 03 Nov 1997, 21:15 · from urth-v0005.mbox · original

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From: Jim Jordan <jbjordan at gnt.net>
Subject: Re: (urth) Saltimbanque vs. counterfeit
Date: Mon, 03 Nov 1997 21:15:20
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[Posted from URTH, a mailing list about Gene Wolfe's New Sun and other work=
s]

Okay, I went back and looked it up, instead of relying on memory.

Italian, Spanish, and English are not New Orleans, and this is definitely
New Orleans.

In French, saltimbanque means "charlatan." Sorry for saying
"counterfeiter," though that's close. Given the hell associations, the 666,
the whorehouse, and the generally evil experiments of Mr. Million, I'd say
"Satan as charlatan" was clearly in Wolfe's mind. Not that the story is an
allegory, or something. But the last line of the original novella is a
chiller if this line of clones is really an "antichrist"!

Nutria

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