Earth to Urth Pt 3: Addenda

#Addendum 1 Meant to mention, in connection with Wolfe's use of Dickens and his imitation of Dickens' realism, the interesting story "Our Neighbour by David Copperfield", which is included in "Endangered Species". First published in 1978, the story is an example of Wolfe explicitly practising a Dickensian pastiche. I wonder whether we should regard this short piece as a sketch for certain aspects of the larger canvas on which Wolfe was beginning to paint in the late Seventies, namely The Book of the New Sun? #Addendum 2 Also meant to mention the thematic connection between the free board and lodging provided for the young couple in "Kevin Malone" with the titular free board and lodging provided in "Free Live Free". Any one else agree that the latter is also, in some perverse and deeply fascinating Lupine way, an allegory of Grace? #Addendum 3 Who was it who wrote that brilliant essay on the list recently in which they explained Wolfe's use of masks, and how, as a Catholic, Wolfe would regard God as able to use all sorts of imperfect images and agents as symbols of his power and love? It was very good, and I must lok it up again... (After a brief search: my poor memory - more Latro than Severian - tends to conflate and distort list messages and essays over time, but I think that I was recalling excellent postings from Nicholas Gevers and Alex Groce. Thank you, gentleman - and everyone else who joined in - a fascinating discussion. Well, I liked it, anyway!) My suspicion is that that is what is probably happening in "The Eye Flash Miracles", as so well detailed in William H. Ansley's recent posts. The references to "The Wizard of Oz" seem to act as an imperfect symbollic vocabulary through which Little Tib perceives something of the divine and the "spiritual" battle taking place around him. Presumably the images come from "The Wizard of Oz" books either because Little Tib had read the books or had them read to him, so that the images were latent in his memory, or because the images partake of some sort of archetypal symbolic system universally accessible to children. It's late, what am I talking about? Nigel Price Minety, Wiltshire "Carry On Torturer": Barbara Windsor IS Thecla!

Actually, maybe that's the only way to understand it... the characters blunder around senselessly for most of the novel so that even Free himself gets infuriated, and at the end are given a second chance anyway. But it's a pretty iffy notion of salvation... a second chance to the same things all over again, or maybe not. It's as if grace should lead one into doing works... isn't that almost what you were saying before?

No, I'm sorry, that's going too far. That leaves Joan Sims for Dorcas and Kenneth Williams and Hattie Jacques to play Dr Talos and Jolenta ("Ohhhh, maaytron!") corncrake

..

Joan Sims couldn't be Dorcas, she's old enough to be his - oh, right.

No, Barbara Windsor would have to be Jolenta. Hattie Jacques would be the leader of the Pelerines, and Kenneth Williams the Autarch. I guessed who Severian would be straight away (which raises very interesting questions about social environment and analogical reasoning :-) but I didn't think this would fly without a role for Sid James. Unfortunately for my mental health, I have just worked it out ... "magic mirrors, that's right - this way ..." SBear. - Carry On Torturer: Kenneth Connor IS Jonas! Stop! - Charles Hawtrey IS Hethor! Stop, stop! Aaagh!