From: Michael Richman <mrichman@cybernex.net>
Subject: Re: (whorl) Silk's Religion
Date: Sat, 14 Jun 1997 02:17:50 


[Posted from WHORL, the mailing list for Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun]

At 09:51 AM 6/10/97 -0400, you wrote:
>

>I think one of the most well-done parts of this series is the way it is
>able to portray Silk's religious experiences and faith in the Outsider in
>a way that is compelling, but without the author definitively
>authenticating them.  At the very beginning, when Silk was enlightened, I
>thought, "This is interesting, Wolfe seems to be telling the reader that
>God really exists in this universe."  And then when Crane made his casual
>statement about brain seizures, it hit me like a ton of bricks.  

Wolfe seems to have it in for doctors.  In Soldier of the Mist [page 213],
Kichesippos, a doctor owned by the regent of the Rope Makers, examines Latro:

[Kischesippos asks], "Were you wearing a helmut when your injury occurred?"

I told him I did not know.

"That's right, you forget.  Is that your only symptom?"

"Yes," I told him.

Io said, "Gods appear to him.  Sometimes."

Kichesippos sighed.  "Occasional hallucinations..."



Michael Richman
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mrichman@bc.cybernex.net