From: "Tony Ellis" <tony.ellis@futurenet.co.uk>
Subject: (urth) re: 5HoC questions
Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2000 11:08:06 +0000

Dan'l Danehy-Oakes wrote:

> Also, is there any reason to believe that there was ever a real
> John V. Marsch? ...I wonder if "VRT" simply took his
> abo name and applied it to his new identity...?
>
Unfortunately, this intriguing idea is at least partially shot down by
the fact that once or twice Dr Marsch is called "Doctor Marsch" by the
people he talks to, long before he goes into the back of beyond with
VRT. It seems unlikely that VRT would keep the surname and replace the
first names.

On the other hand, the names do seem suggestive, don't they? I would
suggest that what we're looking at here is a classic Wolfian pun:  the
joke being that Marsch carries his eventual fate with him all the time
in the words of his name. Dr John V Marsch, the man who comes to St Anne
to find aborigines, gets killed and replaced by a real
John-of-the-Marsh. Now there's irony for you.

--
Tony Ellis
On-line Editor, PC Format magazine
01225 442244 x2349
http://www.pcformat.co.uk



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