From: Peter Westlake <peter@harlequin.co.uk>
Subject: Re: (urth) Suzanne Delange
Date: Mon, 11 May 1998 14:35:51 +0100

At 09:08 1998-05-11 -0500, Craig Christensen wrote:
...
>I think that the mention of the Spanish Influenza is a major clue to the   
>nature of the story.  The narrator has forgotten knowing Suzanne in the   
>past; he hasn't simply failed to meet her.  And his relationship with her   
>was not minor, it was consequential.

The fact that everyone has forgotten that flu epidemic is certainly
very suggestive. At the very least it's a nice coincidence, and
a great find - thanks!

>I am willing to concede that the young lady may not be the narrator's   
>daughter, but I still like the idea.
>
>I have two questions for the group. First, what is the reference to   
>Hamlet?  And second, why the long rambling description of quilt   
>collecting?   In such a compact story it must have significance.

The Hamlet, at least, is easy:

  "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
    Than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

(Taken from the first copy of the text that came to hand, at
<http://www.cs.uni.edu/~wallingf/teaching/052/projects/project03/hamlet.txt>).
It's a very well-known quote (no offense!), hence "Hamlet's hackneyed precept".

I wondered about the quilts too. Misdirection? Some very subtle clue?
They connect with the late eighteenth century, but I don't know what
to make of that, if anything.

Peter.

Peter Westlake, Harlequin Ltd, Barrington Hall, Barrington, Cambs CB2 5RG.

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