From: "Seth Lombardi" <sethlombardi@hotmail.com>
Subject: (whorl) Typhon's Duality
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 21:05:16 CDT

Okay - longtime lurker here. Must admit that I haven't read IGJ yet, but 
there was so much in the last few posts that I just couldn't hold back.

Okay, if Typhon was Neighbor-Spawned or related it _would_ help finally 
explain the whole Why The Whorl Anyway question, but Typhon was such a 
seemingly sinister and human critter that I have a hard time buying it. His 
duality is parasitic and completely antithetical to both the Outsider and (I 
think - I've only read OBW) the semi-enlightened noble savage-ness of the 
Neighbors. Then again, the Neighbors ain't exactly what I'd call easy to 
relate to, so perhaps Typhon was some sort of proto-neighbor, from back when 
they were a bit more barbaric. On the other hand, I've always liked the way 
Wolfe makes most evil human created - even we seeded Erebus and such. 
(Uh...right?)
All this talk of duality makes me think this - The vast majority of animal 
life on Blue has eight legs, instead of our four legged variety. It's no 
surprise then that the dominant humanoid life form on Blue has four legs 
instead of our two. It's like the place is bursting with duality. And I, 
uh...really don't know what to do with that. Anybody?

Oh, and on the subject of Silk's suicide - I really wouldn't be too 
surprised. Silk contemplating tossing himself from the airship and the 
ensuing conversation with Horn seemed to me to be the defining moment of the 
entire book of the long sun. Never trusted that Hyacinth woman or Silk for 
being so gaga for her. I mean - nice guy but sometimes not too bright, 
y'know? Then again, how many Wolfe protagonists really need to chill when it 
comes to the ladies? Severian uses em like kleenex and Silk is a human 
doormat. Poor dopes.

Seth
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