A Price on my Head (was: Wash Post article)

Michael Straight · 18 Apr 2002, 13:20 · from urth-v0204.mbox · original

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From: Michael Straight <straight at email.unc.edu>
Subject: Re: (urth) A Price on my Head (was: Wash Post article)
Date: Thu, 18 Apr 2002 09:20:21 -0400 (EDT)
Message-ID: <urth-v0204-664 at digest.urth.net>
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On Thu, 18 Apr 2002, [iso-8859-1] Nicholas Gevers wrote:

> 1) When I referred to Wolfe as a maze builder, yes, I
> certainly had =3D93A Solar Labyrinth=3D94 (one of Wolfe=3D92s best
> stories) in mind, but the labyrinth metaphor is one
> with a broad natural application to Wolfe. It simply
> fits, specific story or no.=3D20

This just further supports the theseus that "A Solar Labyrinth" is about
reading Wolfe's books.

> Perhaps I should articulate a challenge, to
> those who don=3D92t think 5HC is set in Briah: what
> actually disqualifies my assumption? Why do you say so
> emphatically that 5HC doesn=3D92t fit?=3D20

I'm not sure which way Occam's razor cuts.  Should one assume that an
author's works are all set in the same universe unless there is evidence
otherwise ("Universes should not be multiplied unnecessarily"), or does
the assumption lie in the other direction ("Connections should not be
assumed unnecessarily")?

Would you have assumed the Long Sun books were set in Briah if Wolfe
hadn't made the Pas-Typhon connection?

I'm much more inclined to see a thematic connection (double planets, shape
shifters, colonization, etc.) and I think that's sufficient reason to
argue that 5HC is a companion work to the Sun books.

-Rostrum

--=20

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