From: "Tony Ellis" 
Subject: Re: (urth) Re: What abos?
Date: Sun, 28 Apr 2002 12:27:07 +0100

Jerry Friedman wrote (of the account of Robert Culot):
>He remembers that his grandfather claimed to see abos in order to
>annoy Robert's father (if I remember right)--not very convincing.

Actually, you remember wrong. He remembers his grandfather as "'a most
honest old man. He would not tell lies to anyone, you understand.'" But
perhaps he is delusional, like Victor. Or stupid, like Doctor Marsch. Or
lied to, like Madame Blount. :-)

And that (alongside the what-a-boring-story factor) is the problem I have
with the no-abos theory, which I have certainly considered many times during
my re-readings of 5HC down the years. There is all sorts of evidence in the
novellas indicating that the abos exist, and to say that they don't forces
you to invent an excuse for every last piece of it. If it feels right for
you, fair enough, but to me it just feels like struggling against the
natural current of the story, as opposed to letting it take me where it
wants to go.



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