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From: =?iso-8859-1?q?Nicholas=20Gevers?= <vermoulian@yahoo.com> Subject: (whorl) Quadrifons and the godling Date: Sun, 18 Feb 2001 00:41:37 I haven't finished RTW yet, but a couple of topical impressions: 1) The physical impossibility of the godling: I saw this as a deliberate breach of SF protocols by GW. The godling is present in the text as a mark of the Outsider's presence there (the godling's message is ultimately the Outsider's), and thus must take the form of a miracle, a suspension of the laws of nature. 2) Quadrifons: interesting that he is listed at the front of RTW as a major character, yet doesn't appear in the text other than as a tessera and part of an abstract discussion. We know from late in OBW that Horn in fact communicated with Quadrifons, who advised him on how to recognise Smoothbone. The authors of the third person sections of RTW have clearly obeyed Quadrifons' general injunction to avoid using his name, and written him out of the text. They are unreliable narrators (or Horn was in OBW). Any thoughts on Wolfe's reasons for this fascinating lacuna? --Nick Gevers. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail - only $35 a year! http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ *This is WHORL, for discussion of Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun. *More Wolfe info & archive of this list at http://www.moonmilk.com/whorl/ *To leave the list, send "unsubscribe" to whorl-request@lists.best.com *If it's Wolfe but not Long Sun, please use the URTH list: urth@lists.best.com