5HoC + The Long Sun

James Wynn · 04 Feb 2003, 15:01 · from urth-v0302.mbox · original

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From: "James Wynn" <crushtv at HotPOP.com>
Subject: RE: (urth) 5HoC + The Long Sun
Date: Tue, 4 Feb 2003 09:01:52 -0600
Message-ID: <urth-v0302-2880 at digest.urth.net>
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Shell responded to Crush:
Of course, many of parallel themes (the nature of identity is
a biggie) that they share appear in many Wolfe works, so his predilection
to explore such themes could account for it, but, as you pointed out, there
are too many factual similarities simply to chalk it up to "well, Wolfe
writes about identity a lot."

Crush answers:
But LS/SS and FH share more than the theme of identity, but also
**imitation**. I think the similarities might give us some clues about what
mages are important to Wolfe when working with such a theme (although, for
the most part I don't understand what they are).

Crush also said:
<<The dead influencing/dominating the living (Persephone-like).
In the Whorl and Cave Canem are ruled by such "dead men." This is especially
true if one believes as I do that Mr. Million is the one running things and
that Maitre and #5 are simultaneously the subjects of **his** experiment.>>

Shell responded:
That's a great take on Mr. Million.  You also then beg the question, what
does it mean to be alive, or to die?  Is Mr. Million the same "person,"
does he survive, i.e., still live, post-surgery, or does he die, to be
replaced by something else with his memory?  The same can be asked of
Severian, Horn, and Silk.

Crush answers:
Well  that's more on the whole identity theme isn't it? Marsch insists on
addressing Maitre and #5 as though they are one person, which he asserts
they are: "one personality". So Maitre doesn't exactly "die" when #5 kills
him. The Original may have recognized this since his main conscious purpose
seems to have been immortality.

Since you appreciate my "take", I'll explain why I believe it.
1. It seems rather coincidental to me that Tante Jeanine would die (to the
ultimate advantage of #5) within a couple years of inheriting Cave Canem.

2. In #5's dream Mr. Million is steering the ship.

3. In #5's dream he warns Tante Jeanine to "stay away" from Mr. Million
because he might "hurt" her.

Shell adds:
FWIW, here are a few others I thought of.  The machines that guard the
prison camps foreshadow the Taluses of the LS.  The inquisitors of Dr.
Marsch seem like the Ayuntamiento.  And Mr. Million foreshadow's Lemur &
Co., humans who transplant their minds into machines, as distinguished from
"mere" chems, whose identities are created by man.

Crush piles on:
Nice. Here are some more:
1. Sol is in the Lizard's Tail constellation.
   =3D
   Horn and Nettle settle on the "tail of Lizard Island.

2. V.R.T. is constantly "practicing his hand" in his journal.
   =3D
   The chem at the Sun St. mantaeon  does the same.

3. The Shadow Child tells Sandwalker that the abos were originally "mostly
long"
   (this could mean they were like the trees but I don't think so. I think
they were like the giant red luminous worms Dr. Marsch reports seeing)
   =3D
Of course LS/SS has serpentine aliens.

-- Crush.

--=20

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