(urth) What the elm?

[Dan'l Danehy-Oakes]

On 6/6/07, JWillard <aldenweer at charter.net> wrote:

> I think the mistake is to assume an allusion is just some sort of homage
> or a wink and a nod:  I don't know if it's that simple.

Certainly not *all* are! I'm not inveighing against noting or interpreting
allusions, only against the assumption that all allusions are equally
significant.

> I think it's quite possible that the Book of the New Sun is Wolfe
> playing with the Divine Comedy.

Wow. That's interesting, particularly if you revert to the original
structure of a trilogy. Thecla as Beatrice? Jonas (or Talos) as
Vergil? H'mmm.

> In The White Goddess, Graves mentions the connection between the elm and
> the vine of Dionysus - which, as Borski's pointed out, is what Dennis is
> short for.

Yes. But then, he's mostly called "Den" (short for both "Alden" and "Dennis"),
and that's where a wolf dwells...

-- 
Dan'l Danehy-Oakes, writer, trainer, bon vivant
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