The Canocentric Exegesis of Wolfe's `Tracking Song'

This theory of David Lebling's is quite intriguing! Here are a couple more resonances: 1. The `lost dog finding its way home' motif resonates with the perception of death among some Christians as `going home to one's Maker'. 2. The winged beings as beyond-humans resonate with Wolfe's own Hierogrammates, shaped by humans according to human ideals (`united, compassionate, just') never actually achieved by the human race itself. I can't quite draw an exact analogy, but I'm always willing to believe that Wolfe often works impressionistically rather than with exacting exactness. I think he's willing to deviate slightly from his clever constructs in order to deliver a haunting image or a well-timed surprise. -- Dan Rabin