Compliant (sic)

James Wynn · 19 Jan 2005, 09:59 · from 2005-January.txt.gz

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From: thewynns at earthlink.net (James Wynn)
Date: Wed Jan 19 09:59:41 2005
Subject: (urth) Compliant (sic)
References: <20050119123816.93586.qmail at web25701.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>
	<1f761737050119085846723d86 at mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <01b301c4fe50$a50232c0$4c1e4b0a at vcorp.ad.vrsn.com>

>>I think Maru and Dan'l were merely pointing out the
>>parallels in themes, linguistic tricks and aspirations
>>between Joyce and Wolfe, which I feel is valid
>>comment.
>
>Actually, it was a "litter of protest," against the kind of
>reading often directed at _Finnegans Wake_, in which
>"it's in there if you can find it, whether or not Joyce
>ever intended it."

I'm almost embarrassed to broach this subject since some people believe I'm
as guilty of this as anyone, however...

In my opinion, you have lost your way in Google. It's powers of association
are impressive -- so much so that it is a mistake to take results as
authoritative in themselves when applying them to Wolfe.

On the other hand, it is also possible that no one else on the list has
arrived at Wolfe's works with the proper background knowledge (in say, "Anne
of Greene Gables") to appreciate some subtlety that Wolfe has deliberately
woven into his works (I've been frustrated by this problem myself at times
IMO).  In that case, you are casting pearls before swine and should obey
Jesus' command regarding this. I recommend writing a series of footnoted
articles on these ideas and posting them on a website (here's an example:
http://www.urth.org/whorlmap/) so you can attract readers who *are* able to
appreciate your annotations.

The best way to tell if only swine are reading your posts is to see whether
you are not getting any feedback from other readers on them.

Finally, I am intrigued by your connection with Geneva, Switzerland and
Number Five's city. I half suspect that the city is based on Geneva and the
cities and streets mentioned there can be found on a map of sites (wouldn't
the founding city of Calvinism be a just model for Catholic Wolfe's colony
gone wrong?). I don't believe (as you seem to) that the Engineering college
is the location of Cave Canem. I think it is quite likely to be the
Saltimbanque theatre. Yet, I personally wouldn't mind seeing this theory
poked with a few sticks.

But I'm not sure if that will happen because your other posts are unjustly
undermining your credibility on any matter. As an example, when I queried
for possible candidates in Geneva architecture for the Library in TFHoC, you
posted the address for the library in Geneva, NEW YORK. I think this made us
both look foolish...as though I had begun an earnest intellectual discussion
with a homeless man muttering to himself in the streets, or that I had been
taken in by a prankster.

You've planted a lot of seeds in the last two days. Why not sit back and see
if anything grows from it?

~ Crush

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