Kai Lung (was Re: (urth) Major new Wolfe story online)

Adam Stephanides09 May 2002, 18:20original as archived

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on 5/7/02 6:35 PM, Josh Geller at dclxvi at dclxvi.best.vwh.net wrote: On Tue, 7 May 2002, Matthew Davis wrote:

"Adam Stephanides" <adamsteph at earthlink.net> writes:

So Wolfe is a Kai Lung fan. I had no idea.

The Kai Lung stories were an early-20th-century series of fantasy stories set in China, written by Ernest Bramah. The characters in them always talk in the flowery, ultra-polite idiom of the Chinese princess in "Under Hill," so I assumed that Wolfe was pastiching Kai Lung. But he might have been pastiching Vance, I suppose. The two volumes reprinted by Ballantine in the 70s (KAI LUNG'S GOLDEN HOURS and KAI LUNG UNROLLS HIS MAT) are well worth seeking out, imo. --Adam

Phoebe Davis09 May 2002, 19:32original as archived

↳ follows Adam Stephanides · by subject

I thought of Kai Lung immediately upon reading Underhill, but not Vance at all. Not saying that a Vance influence is not there of course. The tongue in cheek use of overly ornate language is one similarity, but Underhill and Kai Lung also share wit, and an anachronistically satirical theme. The exchange btw the merchant and the knight bent on extorting money is very reminiscent of Bramah. Sadly, I've only been able to find Kai Lung Unrolls his Mat in my years of collecting but I continue to look. Both Golden Hours and Mat were reprinted as part of Lin Carter's excellent Adult Fantasy series for Ballantine. Imo, any book in that series is worth finding and reading. Phoebe

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--- Adam Stephanides <adamsteph at earthlink.net> wrote: on 5/7/02 6:35 PM, Josh Geller at dclxvi at dclxvi.best.vwh.net wrote:

On Tue, 7 May 2002, Matthew Davis wrote:

"Adam Stephanides" <adamsteph at earthlink.net> writes:

So Wolfe is a Kai Lung fan. I had no idea.

The Kai Lung stories were an early-20th-century series of fantasy stories set in China, written by Ernest Bramah. The characters in them always talk in the flowery, ultra-polite idiom of the Chinese princess in "Under Hill," so I assumed that Wolfe was pastiching Kai Lung. But he might have been pastiching Vance, I suppose. The two volumes reprinted by Ballantine in the 70s (KAI LUNG'S GOLDEN HOURS and KAI LUNG UNROLLS HIS MAT) are well worth seeking out, imo. --Adam --

Dan'l Danehy-Oakes10 May 2002, 16:55original as archived

↳ follows Phoebe Davis · by subject

Phoebe observed:

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Both Golden Hours and Mat were reprinted as part of Lin Carter's excellent Adult Fantasy series for Ballantine. Imo, any book in that series is worth finding and reading.

While that's a good generalization, I'd like to point out that the BAF series was also the originating point of Kurtz's Deryni books, and leave it at that.

Michael Straight13 May 2002, 18:57original as archived

↳ follows Dan'l Danehy-Oakes · by subject

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On Thu, 9 May 2002, Adam Stephanides wrote: The Kai Lung stories were an early-20th-century series of fantasy stories set in China, written by Ernest Bramah. The characters in them always talk in the flowery, ultra-polite idiom of the Chinese princess in "Under Hill," so I assumed that Wolfe was pastiching Kai Lung. But he might have been pastiching Vance, I suppose.

When I read the story, I thought Wolfe might be pastiching Barry Hughart's Bridge of Birds (which is possibly the most wonderful fantasy novel I've ever read, Wolfe's works included). -Rostrum