The Best Introduction to the Mountains

Michael Straight · 29 Jan 2002, 20:01 · from urth-v0202.mbox · original

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From: Michael Straight <straight at email.unc.edu>
Subject: (urth) The Best Introduction to the Mountains
Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2002 15:01:10 -0500 (EST)
Message-ID: <urth-v0202-6 at digest.urth.net>
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This is a post I composed and mailed right when the list went dead last
month.  I'll understand if no-one wants to continue this conversation...

Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2002 11:05:34 -0500 (EST)
From: Michael Straight <straight at email.unc.edu>
To: urth at lists.best.com
Subject: Re: (urth) Re: The Best Introduction To The Mountains

On Sun, 6 Jan 2002, Adam Stephanides wrote:

> revolutionaries.)  Which raises the question, of course, of how one=20
> knows when rebellion is allowable.  The Autarch's rule in BOTNS seems on
> the face of it more tyrannical than the judges in Dorp, yet Wolfe
> approves of the latter rebellion and denounces the former ones.

How does Wolfe "denounce" rebellion against the Autarch in BOTNS?  He
shows that the Ascian rulers are bad, probably worse than the government
of the Commonwealth, and he shows that Vodalus is no real revolutionary
(he just wants to seize power for himself and his friends) and a dupe
besides.

As it turns out, the aliens are supporting and using the Autarchy for ends
that Wolfe seems to think are ultimately good, but I can't see how you
read that as saying Wolfe would condemn a true revolutionary movement that
was trying to overthrow the Autarch not because they oppose the New Sun or
want to seize power for themselves but to free themselves from tyranny.

-Rostrum

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