Berthold at the end

When do we stop worrying about spoilers? Extra space for those who are worried about such things. Dum dee dee..... Ok. Able heals Berthold at the end. Wolfe writes that this is particularly difficult. Some have taken this to mean that some part of Berthold died and had to be replaced by part of Ben. I don't see it. It makes sense to me that since Berthold has been basically brain damaged for decades, it would be a bit hard to reverse. Moreover, it's much harder to do than fixing a body. How do you alter the way someone thinks and still have them be the same person at the end? In addition IIRC Berthold and Gerda are restored to their youth. So it just makes sense that this is difficult. Of course, I don't understand the relationship between Able and Art or Berthold and Ben. I have to reread "The Knight" and then reread "The Wizard." Sigh. Kieran Mullen

The first of this year was the more or less agreement.

To be fussy, Arthur/Able writes that. Meaning that while Wolfe actually wrote the words, he wrote them in A's narratorial voice, which - Wolfe being Wolfe - means we have to consider why he wrote that and whether it is strictly speaking "true." I think it is - I think A is the most "reliable" narrator in the Lupine oeuvre - but we do need to keep these distinctions clear. 8*)

Oh, what a surprise ... Identity issues in a Wolfe novel... I think that the first problem for TWK criticism must be an understanding of the relationship between Mythgarthr and Earth. --Dan'l