VRT Take III — Urth Net

Dan'l Danehy-Oakes12 Nov 2000, 20:36original as archived

VRT Take III

↰ answers Robert Borski · by quotation

M. Borski a ecrit:

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Terran anthropologist John Marsch has allegedly splashed down at Roncevaux on Sainte Anne. This argues for a document trail which the authorities could easily follow up on.

Mildly intoned: It does indeed argue for a document trail upon which the Annese authorities could easily check. However, "John V. Marsch" is a prisoner of the St Croix authorities, and, given the apparent political situation between the sister worlds, for them to check up on this paper trail (while I doubt not that they could, in a pinch, do so) would be rather less easy. At any rate, in the questionings of "Marsch," it seems clear that his interrogators do not believe that he is of Earth origin (in which disbelief they are, of course, correct). Less clear but palpable: They also do not suspect him of being an abo; they think he is a spy of the (human) Annese government. Plausible conclusions: (1) they do not in fact have reliable information as to whether a Terrestrial anthropologist named "John (V.) Marsch" did or did not splash down at Roncevaux; (2) they do, but believe the "John Marsch" in their hands to be an Annese spy who took Marsch's identity.

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As for "'A Story,'" as I've argued before, it's probably been written during VRT's incarceration on Saint Croix (Victor makes reference to his prison writings), and the intromitted "V" may be his own personal idea--a further subsuming of the Marsch personna by appending his own first initial as John Marsch's middle initial.

Certainly possible. And I agree that "A Story" is most likely a "prison writing." I simply observe & maintain that the presence of the quotation marks is ... odd ... and indicative. Of something.

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Also: do not forget that the detail about 'John' being the name of every abo boy is provided by VRT himself, writing as John Marsch.

!!! Very good point.

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It may not be true, or more likely may be yet another attempt, either consciously or subconsciously, at linking his identity with the Earthborn anthropologist.

I guess the question then is: Should we consider "A Story" as having any truth-value whatsoever? If so, why? --Dan'l

Peter Westlake13 Nov 2000, 10:09original as archived

↳ follows Dan'l Danehy-Oakes · by subject

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At 20:36 2000-11-12 -0800, Dan'l Danehy-Oakes wrote: M. Borski a ecrit:

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Also: do not forget that the detail about 'John' being the name of every abo boy is provided by VRT himself, writing as John Marsch.

!!! Very good point.

It may not be true, or more likely may be yet another attempt, either consciously or subconsciously, at linking his identity with the Earthborn anthropologist.

I guess the question then is: Should we consider "A Story" as having any truth-value whatsoever? If so, why?

Compare M. Million's lesson in which he asks No. 5 and David about the supposed abo artifacts. David argues that the artifacts were not important in the lives of the abos compared to their religion and culture, and appears to make up some examples - but those examples agree in every detail with the descriptions in "A Story"! The trees are there, and the flails made of sea-shells, and everything. This is astonishing whether "A Story" is true or not - if not, how did Marsch pick up those ex tempore bits of colour from David's lesson, and if so, how could David possibly have known them? Spectacled Bear. (I'll read Peace soon, honest...)