Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2003 17:56:25 -0800
Subject: Re: (urth) My boy Hyacinth and Textual Analysis
From: Lisa Schaffer-Doggett 


On Friday, March 14, 2003, at 09:01 AM, James Wynn wrote:

>
> So, independently, I've rummaged around and followed several trails to 
> the
> same place, all leading to Dionysus and Midas, with the same 
> characters and
> critters popping up in the same roles. This is DEFINITELY thematic 
> rather
> than textual analysis, but it is based on names, choices and clues 
> provided
> by Wolfe. I'm not writing my own novel here.
>
> And while it's appealing to me to use Noah to connect Quetzalcoatl with
> Dionysus (through the Inhumi) I would never have considered it until I 
> saw
> how closely Wolfe was following Graves' retelling of Midas. What are 
> the
> odds, that it is all coincidental, really.
>
> As it is, I just can't see any point in waiting for Wolfe to break 
> down and
> confess; I think the evidence is all there.
>

Don offers his opinionated opinion:

It is relatively easy to see Graves in Wolfe because of his relative 
unorthodoxy regarding myths and their connections.  I'm not saying that 
Wolfe is rewriting Graves, nor is he falling into allegory (it is 
obvious that the needs of story are paramount to all other elements) 
but the Sun books are steeped in Gravesian symbolism and it is a very 
useful tool.


--