(urth) ?Tracking Song? (and other stories)

[Transentient]

On Jun 6, 2007, at 5:15 AM, Solomon, Joshua wrote:

>> Matthew Groves wrote:
>>
>> Wolfe's underworld type-scene: Where does it come from, and what is
>> its significance?  We have it in "Tracking Song" (with the Min), in
>> the mine at Saltus in BotNS (with the ape men), in "The Eyeflash
>> Miracles" (Little Tib dreams of a cave with gnomes and a Gnome King.
>> Here, the reference is also to Munchkinland from _The Wizard of Oz_,
>> but they are in a *cave*, and the Gnome King made me think of Mantru
>> from "Tracking Song".)  I'm sure shows up in other places I haven't
>> noticed or don't remember.
>
> You may be onto something here, Matty. Caves also pop up in Fifth  
> Head. My
> memory of Fifth Head has degraded somewhat, but I think that the
> mythological abo (Sandwalker?) made a pilgrimage to one in "A  
> Story." This
> cave is a thematical doppleganger of Aunt Jeanine's basement room  
> in the
> first novella.
>

Wolfe often has his characters grope around in complete darkness.

A significant portion of one of the books in Long Sun is spent by a  
motley assortment of characters wandering around in completely  
lightless caves. One of them naked the entire time.