From: Michael Straight <straight@email.unc.edu>
Subject: Re: (whorl) Voided Cross
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 1997 09:44:53 


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



On Mon, 28 Jul 1997, Doug Eigsti wrote:

> 	I dredged out an ancient post form the archives describing my 
> favorite shape for the Void Cross:
> 
>  XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOO
>  XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOO
>  XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOO
>  XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOO
>  OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO          XXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOO
>  OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO          XXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOO
>  OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO          XXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOO
>  OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO          XXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOO
>  OOOOOOOOOO                              OOOOOOOOOO
>  OOOOOOOOOO                              OOOOOOOOOO
>  OOOOOOOOOO                              OOOOOOOOOO
>  OOOOOOOOOO                              OOOOOOOOOO
>  OOOOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXX          OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
>  OOOOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXX          OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
>  OOOOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXX          OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
>  OOOOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXX          OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
>  OOOOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
>  OOOOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
>  OOOOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
>  OOOOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

> 	Do we take Gene Wolfe speaking ex cathedra on this, or any other
> subject, over the evidence found in the text. I find it stifling to think
> that an impression garnered by a reader from the text can be called wrong.

If this shape isn't the one Wolfe had in mind, it ought to be :-), I was
just trying to puzzle out his answer.

Maybe he didn't have a specific shape in mind, but rather wanted to invoke
both the voided cross and the swastika, even if they are contradictory.

-Rostrum