Date: Sat, 13 Apr 2002 13:52:58 -0500
From: James Jordan 
Subject: Re: (urth) 5HC a good introduction to wolfe? (was Washington

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Well, Alga, once again you and I have something weirdly in common, for 5HC 
was also my first Wolfe, and thereafter I got and read all I could. But I 
read the whole thing in the Ace paperback. I recall being most impressed by 
the sense of "thereness" that Wolfe communicated (to me anyway) in the 
opening pages. Also, of course, the chilling last sentence of part 1 after 
the whole "antichrist" buildup with "the Master at 666 Street of the 
Humbug" attempting to gain mastery of human beings by genetic manipulation 
-- Wolfe just seemed to have it all: social/religious commentary, brilliant 
writing, sense of place, etc. And that extremely sad scene of the 
shapechanger -- who should have been considered human -- in the dungeon 
hearing the church bells far away in part 3 -- these are hardwired in my 
memory.

Nutria

At 04:14 AM 4/13/2002, you wrote:
>In my own case, I fell for 5H because of its perversity and cruelty. I think
>(I really don't recall) that I first read only the first novella, which I
>found (and find) dazzling, a model of what science fiction could do if it
>grew up.(Does that mean I consider perversity and cruelty to be grown up?) I
>don't know that I thought if it that way; it's just that I am not a
>gee-whizzist, and neither, obviously, is Wolfe. When mantis discovered the
>Proust connection I was really impressed--in fact I gee-whizzed! I don't
>think it was till after I was hooked by the New Sun that I read the second
>and third novellas, which take some patience, but when I did and put them
>together in my mind--well, it's quite an achievement. Formally, it's Wolfe's
>most impressive work, and I simply don't believe the yarn that he knocked
>out the second and third novellas only to ensure publication. Perhaps
>there's a slightly show-offy tinge to it--look, this is what I, and this
>marginal field, can do with slightly shop-worn ingredients. I liked Delaney
>at the time for some of the same elements, but nothing Delaney has written
>is nearly as carefully crafted as 5H, though he too was trying to do
>original things with genre cliches.
>
>Sorry, rambling a bit here!
>
>-alga
>
>
>
>--



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Well, Alga, once again you and I have something weirdly in
common, for 5HC was also my first Wolfe, and thereafter I got and read
all I could. But I read the whole thing in the Ace paperback. I recall
being most impressed by the sense of "thereness" that Wolfe
communicated (to me anyway) in the opening pages. Also, of course, the
chilling last sentence of part 1 after the whole "antichrist"
buildup with "the Master at 666 Street of the Humbug"
attempting to gain mastery of human beings by genetic manipulation --
Wolfe just seemed to have it all: social/religious commentary, brilliant
writing, sense of place, etc. And that extremely sad scene of the
shapechanger -- who should have been considered human -- in the dungeon
hearing the church bells far away in part 3 -- these are hardwired in my
memory.


Nutria


At 04:14 AM 4/13/2002, you wrote:

In my own case, I fell for 5H
because of its perversity and cruelty. I think

(I really don't recall) that I first read only the first novella, which
I

found (and find) dazzling, a model of what science fiction could do if
it

grew up.(Does that mean I consider perversity and cruelty to be grown
up?) I

don't know that I thought if it that way; it's just that I am not a

gee-whizzist, and neither, obviously, is Wolfe. When mantis discovered
the

Proust connection I was really impressed--in fact I gee-whizzed! I
don't

think it was till after I was hooked by the New Sun that I read the
second

and third novellas, which take some patience, but when I did and put
them

together in my mind--well, it's quite an achievement. Formally, it's
Wolfe's

most impressive work, and I simply don't believe the yarn that he
knocked

out the second and third novellas only to ensure publication.
Perhaps

there's a slightly show-offy tinge to it--look, this is what I, and
this

marginal field, can do with slightly shop-worn ingredients. I liked
Delaney

at the time for some of the same elements, but nothing Delaney has
written

is nearly as carefully crafted as 5H, though he too was trying to 
do

original things with genre cliches.


Sorry, rambling a bit here!


-alga





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