For Joe: more nasty puns

maa3203 Feb 2002, 18:42original as archived

Hey Joe. If you wanted another Fruedian association in Wolfe, then the name of the narrator Horn offers a few. I'm sure we've discussed the Shakespearian connotation of horns and cuckholdry, and the Horn as male genitals from "Hornbus, you whore" of Nightside the long sun (which, I believe, if you will forgive my crudity, invokes fellatio). Here is one more that might be just coincidental: Horn falls in that big pit on the island. If you buy my theory that this recreates the vanished people by hybridizing man and tree, then Horn acts as an impregnating phallus "lost in the big woods". Unlike naming the taverns "the cock" and "the bush", I am not willing to say that this Horn in a pit is intentional on Wolfe's part. I just recall being traumatized by the description of Jolenta's private parts as an unhatched chick or something in The Claw of the Conciliator in the fifth grade or so. That's a pretty scary description to a young boy. And then there is that whole iron dingus scene in the Claw that always catches me by surprise. Please forgive the crudity of this post. Marc Aramini

James Jordan04 Feb 2002, 01:03original as archived

↳ follows maa32 · by subject

The horn falling into the pit may be righter than you realize. AS I recall, in "A Story by John Marsch" in 5th Head, there is some description of two large stones and a bush that have something to do with procreation. This is way back in my mind. Some 5th Head expert needs to clarify my memory for us. Anyway, it seems that Wolfe does use geography this way. Nutria

4 quoted lines

At 12:42 PM 2/3/2002, you wrote: Hey Joe. If you wanted another Fruedian association in Wolfe, then the name of the narrator Horn offers a few. I'm sure we've discussed the Shakespearian connotation of horns and cuckholdry, and the Horn as male genitals from "Hornbus, you whore" of Nightside the long sun (which, I believe, if you will forgive my crudity, invokes fellatio). Here is one more that might be just coincidental: Horn falls in that big pit on the island. If you buy my theory that this recreates the vanished people by hybridizing man and tree, then Horn acts as an impregnating phallus "lost in the big woods". Unlike naming the taverns "the cock" and "the bush", I am not willing to say that this Horn in a pit is intentional on Wolfe's part. I just recall being traumatized by the description of Jolenta's private parts as an unhatched chick or something in The Claw of the Conciliator in the fifth grade or so. That's a pretty scary description to a young boy. And then there is that whole iron dingus scene in the Claw that always catches me by surprise. Please forgive the crudity of this post. Marc Aramini --