(urth) The significance of Apu Punchau

Son of Witz sonofwitz at butcherbaker.org
Sun Dec 28 10:20:52 PST 2008


>-----Original Message-----
>From: Jeff Wilson [mailto:jwilson at io.com]
>Sent: Wednesday, December 24, 2008 09:38 PM
>To: 'The Urth Mailing List'
>Subject: Re: (urth) The significance of Apu Punchau
>
>Son of Witz wrote:
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: b sharp [mailto:bsharporflat at hotmail.com]
>> 
>>> I think it is confusing without recognizing that Urth is not Earth. Urth is the analog of Earth 
>>> in another earlier universe (if "early" has meaning in extra-universal context). Urth doesn't
>>> have Incas or Persians or Jesus, just (perhaps) analogs of them. 
>
>> I'm certainly not clear whether Earth is Urth, or whether Earth is to
>> Urth as Urth is to Ushas.  Probably the latter, yet the Hut in the
>> Jungle seems to contain characters and time from Earth. The airplane
>> described is very 20th century, and, though I'm not sure, someone
>> pointed out that the verse they're quoting is from the bible.
>
>Wolfe himself has since said that Urth is an earlier cycle than our 
>Earth, but I think that may be retroactive continuity after realizing 
>that drowning Urth would otherwise break the OT God's promise to never 
>again destroy the Earth by water.
>(Presumably Robert and Marie's bible contains a slightly different 
>account of Noah's covenant.)
>Jeff Wilson - jwilson at io.com

Interesting point Jeff, it seems perhaps a bit disingenuous of Wolfe's part, given the translator's notes in BotNS, which is signed by Wolfe. It says the manuscript is from the future.  Which means it's the manuscript he tossed into the winds of time in Urth, no?
Interviews and author's exegesis are great, but I will always priviledge the words written in the volume under consideration, especially where there are contradictions.  I think you're probably right about the retroactive continuity with the OT.  Wolfe had a vertiginous "Whoops, what did I do there?" moment.  Either way it works, I'm fine with the idea that Urth was Earth, or that Earth was Urth a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

Hope my Castle of Days showes up soon. didn't come in time for teh Christmas.
what you get for buying the cheapest copy on ye ole internet.
~witz





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