Date: Tue, 04 Mar 2003 09:50:42 +1100
From: Che Monro 
Subject: RE: (urth) Che's "Gender in TBOTLS" and "Questions"


>Crush responds soothingly:
>Since I'm primarily responsible for all this, I'll take some of this on...

Gosh, thanks Crush. :)

>First, my opinions have developed about regarding Hyacinth and Chenille
>since I made those arguments. I believe I now understand EXACTLY what's
>going on with Chenille and why her name is sexually ambiguous. I'm think I
>have a **general** understanding of Hyacinth and I no longer see any reason
>that she is male. But I'm still developing the evidence both these
>characters so that's all I'll say.

*laughs* But Hyacinths are a male symbol, as used in um, The Wasteland by=20
T. S. Elliot. Yup yup. As you pointed out.

>You didn't mention the one character with whose cross-dressing I am
>satisfied with both the evidence and the thematic value. That is, Incus!

Um, now you make me sad that I've lent my book of the Long Sun to someone=20
and haven't got it here to refer to. What about the Chem guard I mentioned=
=20
who used to dress up and who got killed in an attempted rape? *sighs* Poor=
=20
character. I'm satisfied with that evidence, althouh, I am fairly literal=20
minded and I read things at face value mostly. You can see why I'm not the=
=20
ideal Wolfe fan, I just love his style and emotion and storytelling power,=
=20
but most of his tricksyness goes straight over my poor simple pretty little=
=20
head.

> >Then he asks:
> > 2a. The Fifth Head of Cerebus. I never understood
> >this story at all. Who's a clone of who?
> >What service does the house provide,
> >just what's going on here? Lovely story, but I can't
> >make head or tale of it.
>
>Crush helps as much as he can:
>The original of the clones (whom we'll call "Original") cloned himself and
>then committed suicide to create Mr. Million. The clone (whom we'll call
>Number Two) cloned himself to create Maitre. Maitre (who is fourth in order
>after Original, Number Two, and Mr. Million) murdered Number Two and cloned
>himself to create Number Five. Number Five murdered Maitre, went to prison,
>and was released (perhaps there was a coup or St. Croix lost its war with
>St. Anne). He then returned to "the Cave" and cloned himself again.
>
>"The Cave" is a brothel.

Ug. So Biology really is destiny then? I love that story and the whole=20
shape changer setup, but there's so much about it that I don't understand.

I'd love to hear your ideas about Chenile too. I liked her, although it's=20
Silk and Oreb who I read the book for, mostly. But there's so much in=20
there, isn't there? Definitely a desert island book. I reckon that you=20
could spend 20 years reading the 3 Wolf series on a desert island and still=
=20
not get to the bottom of it. I could, anyhow.

Cheers,

Che

Ch=E9 Franz Joseph Monro -- http://www.chemonro.com
che@chemonro.com    --     flirt@technologist.com



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