Date: Wed, 17 Apr 2002 14:48:20 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jerry Friedman 
Subject: RE: (urth) 5HC a good introduction to wolfe? (was Washington  Post article)


--- Michael Straight  wrote:
> On Tue, 16 Apr 2002, James Jordan wrote:
> 
> >          Methinks Dan'l is right. Gene Wolfe is pointing to the "heart
> of 
> > darkness" in everyman/woman, and using himself as an example. Number
> Five 
> > and Maitre are what Everyman could be -- and what Gene would be apart
> from 
> > saving grace. 
> 
> I agree with this, but I think it is a symbolic connection rather than a
> literal one.  That is, I don't think we should expect #5 to look like
> our
> own Mr. Wolfe nor look for clues that the family has held on to a single
> name since the 20th century.  But by giving #5 and Maitre his own name,
> Wolfe is implying something along the lines you suggest.

As I said in an earlier e-mail, Wolfe has survived to the 21st
century and there's no need for holding onto names.  More to the
point, the possibility that he could be cloned someday was probably
a reasonable sf assumption in 1972.

Also, note that the Gene Wolfes of 5HC are both engineers and writers,
like our hero.

How about looks?  Anyone know what Wolfe looked like when he wrote
that story?

Perhaps even more to the point, the story strikes me as *much* more
chilling if we take it as Wolfe recognizing this potential in
himself.

Jerry Friedman

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