Baldanders, Delany, Blattid

In an attempt to calm the waters (not without some risk), I'd like to shift the topic a bit. A week ago Josh asked/made his statement about Baldanders being based on Delany as clearly to him (Josh) as Ultan is based on Borges. Blattid is our Designated Delany expert, and I would like him to address Josh's notion. Others can chime in as well. =mantis=

mantis offered:

Pedophilia? One slim pornographic work by Delany which was chock full of it; can't remember the name.

You are probably thinking of 'Hogg'. Delany, BTW, questions its appellation as 'pornography'. He said, if I recall correctly, that people read pornography to become sexually excited, and he didn't know anyone who read 'Hogg' to become sexually excited. He described it as a realistic novel about sex and violence. I have not read 'Hogg', but I have read Delany's other so-called 'pornographic' work, 'The Mad Man'. This is the only Delany that I have not been able to read multiple times. It is the opposite of slim. It is brilliantly written, like everything he writes, but it is strong and disturbing. Without getting too confessional here, I can say that most sexual things that freak out men in my demographic don't bother me, but there was stuff in 'The Mad Man' that bothered me. I believe I will read it again, sometime. Not for a while. You see, I suspect that Gene Wolfe considers Borges and Delany both to be better writers than he is. I don't know if I would agree with that, but it is my perception of his perception, and like all such things could be totally wrong. I don't normally talk about this kind of thing, and ask your kind indulgences if I am in any way unclear. Master Ultan stands head and shoulders above Severian. Baldanders is gigantic, monstrous, larger than Severian in all ways. Baldanders is up to no good. Still, Severian can't help but like and respect Baldanders, although they look at things very differently. Severian can't even bring himself to believe that Baldanders was boofing his force grown boyfriend, there. Why not? This is a man who eviscerates women and puts them under bell jars, after all. These are some of my thoughts on the matter. There are others. Why did the innkeeper call Baldanders Baldy? He's not bald. May the hour of my silence return. .

I think that's EQUINOX, yes? I don't think it was especially pedophiliac, though--pretty much any perversity that Delany could think up seemed to have been included. Matt Go, for they call you, Shepherd, from the hill. Matthew Arnold (1822-1888), The Scholar-Gipsy

I don't think I've even heard of that one. As I say, I have not read 'Hogg'. I am given to understand, however, that one of the main characters (perhaps the viewpoint) is a seven year old prostitute. I don't recall 'The Mad Man' containing any pedophilia. I don't believe that it did. However, it did contain a lot of other stuff. Folks, Samuel R. Delany is a homosexual man who, by his own account, has been sexually active since the early fifties. I wouldn't assume that he does, has done, or even likes the idea of doing all of the sexual things that he describes in his fiction. But that he has certain knowledge of a lot of things that would disturb many, perhaps most of the readers on this list (not excluding myself) can be taken for granted. I am really sort of sorry that I ever brought this up. .

A yuge correspondance later ... I finally seed this ...

Well, I have to admit that I can't undersee it, but have to add that Josh reasings in a key outside the strange of my hearing. I just don't get Qaballa. Baldanders and Dr T* have seemed to me from my first purrousal of Shadow to be a marvelous ploy withon the Mad Scientist And His Monster archetrope. While playing with such things does have a nouvaguely Delanish aire, many aothrs pley dissimularly, enrough so that, widdowt some more spacific detrayal (than a scrabbled latter pizzle) I woodink it a coincidance. --Blah Ted