catamites and narrators

maa32 · 13 Sep 2002, 04:28 · from urth-v0209.mbox · original

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From: maa32 <maa32 at dana.ucc.nau.edu>
Subject: (urth) catamites and narrators
Date: Thu, 12 Sep 2002 21:28:32 -0700
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Just a short note based off an old point made by James Jordan:
he claimed that Wolfe would never have a protagonist with homosexual=20
encounters.  However,there is some evidence that works against this both in=20
Fifth Head of Cerberus, in the relationship of Blood and Musk, and in the=20
strange commentary made by Severian about little Severian - (when he insist=
s=20
that he didn't have anything to do with molesting the child, who would have=20
thought of that before he brought it up?  He plants the seed in the mind wi=
th=20
his occupatio - "I didn't do it, so don't think I did")

Blood and Musk aren't evil becuase they are homosexual.  Not even in Wolfe.=
 =20
To have Severian defend himself creates a bit of suspicion, doesn't it?  An=
d=20
Additionally, Mr. Borski has already elucidated on the strange preoccupatio=
n=20
with circumsicions and various other repressed evidence of homosexual behav=
ior=20
in The Fifth Head of Cerberus, available at Cave Canem.  For an author who=20
should be a bit opposed to it, there seems to be an awful lot of it in his=20
books - and a lot of it that goes relatively uncommented upon, too.  While=20
Wolfe may be clearly anti-feminist at times, I don't pick up this hostility=
 to=20
the very idea of homosexuality.  After all, he loves Proust's Remembrance o=
f=20
Things Past.  Just my two cents on something that was said many days ago. =20
Sorry I'm so far behind.
Marc Aramini

--=20

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