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From: "Timothy Reilly" <treilly@ozemail.com.au>
Subject: (whorl) Long Sun - worth it? etc
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2000 14:08:22 +1000
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Re my posting on difficulty in even getting started on the Long Sun =
books because of the writing style some months ago in urth.v028.n079 and =
replies in n080-n082, I took the advice given and read OBW - and loved =
it. So then I went back and made myself read all the Long Sun books in =
one hit (assisted by mantis' booklets).
I still think Long Sun is very disappointing. The third person style of =
diction chosen is flat and to my mind rather boring, anaesthetising =
Wolfe's linguistic genius (so on display in OBW and TBNS). The ideas, =
while interesting, did not require four volumes to present. As for the =
meticulous plotting suggested by Alice Turner, I can only say this was =
not evident to me - on the contrary I had the impression that unlike =
TBNS the series was not fully written in advance, if only because Exodus =
is twice as long as the three preceding volumes. Nor did much of the =
plotting seem to lead anywhere - to take one random example, what was =
the value of the long (and boring, at least to me) chapter on the visit =
to the talus factory in Exodus?
Anyway, tastes differ, but there's no reason to be hagiographic of =
everything produced by Wolfe on this list - if we weren't all great =
admirers we probably wouldn't be here. There is simply no comparison =
between (say) TBNS and Pandora by Holly Hollander, even though they =
share the same author. We shouldn't be afraid to speak our minds when =
we think something's not up to scratch, as has also been suggested on =
this list about Strange Travellers recently (which I haven't yet read, =
but I tend to like Wolfe's work less the shorter it gets - my favourite =
short stories of his are Seven Amercian Nights and The Detective of =
Dreams, both on the long side for shorts).
OBW (which I'm rereading now in preparation for In Green's Jungles) is =
wonderful, I'm pleased to say. The language is utterly beautiful, and =
its ruminations on gods (existence of or otherwise), family, mortality, =
sex and love struck me as perhaps the most personal thing Wolfe has ever =
written. Indeed it seemed to me to be full of premonitions of death and =
a desire by Wolfe to end his writing career on a high note (not that I =
have any idea about his health I hasten to add).
Finally, does Wolfe have a thing about brothels or what? Featured =
prominently in 5HC and the Long Sun series, and also in TBNS, especially =
Shadow. Where does this interest come from I wonder? Korean War? =
Or...?
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<DIV><FONT size=3D3>Re my posting on difficulty in even getting started =
on the=20
Long Sun books because of the writing style some months ago in =
urth.v028.n079=20
and replies in n080-n082, I took the advice given and read OBW - and =
loved=20
it. So then I went back and made myself read all the Long Sun =
books in one=20
hit (assisted by mantis' booklets).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D3>I still think Long Sun is very =
disappointing. The=20
third person style of diction chosen is flat and to my mind rather =
boring,=20
anaesthetising Wolfe's linguistic genius (so on display in OBW and =
TBNS). =20
The ideas, while interesting, did not require four volumes to =
present. As=20
for the meticulous plotting suggested by Alice Turner, I can only say =
this was=20
not evident to me - on the contrary I had the impression that =
unlike TBNS=20
the series was not fully written in advance, if only because Exodus is =
twice as=20
long as the three preceding volumes. Nor did much of the plotting =
seem to=20
lead anywhere - to take one random example, what was the value of the =
long (and=20
boring, at least to me) chapter on the visit to the talus factory in=20
Exodus?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Anyway, tastes differ, but there's no reason to be =
hagiographic of=20
everything produced by Wolfe on this list - if we weren't all great =
admirers we=20
probably wouldn't be here. There is simply no comparison between =
(say)=20
TBNS and Pandora by Holly Hollander, even though they share the same=20
author. We shouldn't be afraid to speak our minds when we think=20
something's not up to scratch, as has also been suggested on this list =
about=20
Strange Travellers recently (which I haven't yet read, but I tend to =
like=20
Wolfe's work less the shorter it gets - my favourite short stories of =
his are=20
Seven Amercian Nights and The Detective of Dreams, both on the long side =
for=20
shorts).</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>OBW (which I'm rereading now in preparation for In Green's Jungles) =
is=20
wonderful, I'm pleased to say. The language is utterly beautiful,=20
and its ruminations on gods (existence of or otherwise), family, =
mortality,=20
sex and love struck me as perhaps the most personal thing Wolfe has ever =
written. Indeed it seemed to me to be full of premonitions of =
death and a=20
desire by Wolfe to end his writing career on a high note (not that I =
have any=20
idea about his health I hasten to add).</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Finally, does Wolfe have a thing about brothels or what? =
Featured=20
prominently in 5HC and the Long Sun series, and also in TBNS, especially =
Shadow. Where does this interest come from I wonder? Korean=20
War? Or...?</DIV></BODY></HTML>
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