Dr. Crane's plotWhorl

From Alex:

Once we meet Crane's "gang," which isn't until a lot later, I think we can have no doubt as to who effected the graffiti campaign. Certainly it's not "spontaneous," in any way, not, at first, genuinely populist. Nor, of course, is Hy's letter to Silk.

Well, this is standard practice in fiction, even non-genre fiction. We (readers) always make subconcious or semi-concious note of dreams, prophecies, fortune cookies, Tarot cards and also the ravings of the mad. From Rostrum:

Yes, about the embryos, not necessarily that Silk is one, though, given Silk's age, and Q's residence in the Whorl, it is possible. Hasn't had his eye on Silk, though--first notices his name in flying by Teasel's window, and we are present at their first actual meeting, which I don't have time to look up. I don't see a clear motive in his being behind the campaign, but that of Crane & co. is as clear as glass. I should add that part of my insistance on Q as Pike's ghost (which I have sadly had to abandon) was that I believed this to be a ruse where he could get a look at Silk before Silk saw him. -alga *This is WHORL, for discussion of Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun.

But in most books this is kind of a wink at the reader; we're not supposed to ask why the madman's ravings should forshadow events in the book. In the Long Sun, however, one of the important points is that the religion of Pas, including divination via sacrifice is fake. We're supposed to ask questions about what exactly is going on with the religious stuff, so we need some other explanation for why the prophesies are coming true, e.g. the Outsider, some sort of psionic talent of the superembryos, some sort of influence from the sacred windows, etc. -Rostrum *This is WHORL, for discussion of Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun.

Rostrum said:

Thanks. That's what I was trying to say. Lots of fiction does this, but seldom are the people in the fiction TRYING to forsee the future and managing to do so--when they do, unless the work is genre fantasy, we look for a scientific explanation or a metafictional conceit (Muriel Spark pulls the latter off quite a lot). My hypothesis is that Wolfe wants it to be possible to explain this "scientifically" by assuming Silk's mysterious talents go this far (Silk seems to be the only one actually doing this in Long Sun) or some such, but really to lean us towards the assumption that Silk is being given signs by the Outsider, who clearly doesn't mean "you will be given no help" in quite the way you or I would.

At 03:34 PM 6/21/2000 -0400, you wrote: My hypothesis is

I suggest the Ruler's words to Westwind in "Westwind," to the effect that He prefers not to interfere openly, but behind the scenes. I suggest that Silk's "mysterious talents" are quickened by his baptismal encounter with the Outsider, and with the arrival of Oreb (both the Holy Spirit and also from Germanic lore) as a kind of cryptic guide. Thus, it's not just Silk's talents, but those talents as guided by the Outsider. Nutria *This is WHORL, for discussion of Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun.