(urth) The Politics Of Gene Wolfe

Jeff Wilson jwilson at io.com
Fri Mar 20 18:02:55 PDT 2009


Matthew Groves wrote:
> I've been puzzling over this passage in Claw, Jonas and Severian are
> in the Antechamber and Jonas is wigging out.  I don't know the history
> Jonas is talking about, and I wonder if it sheds any light on Wolfe's
> views on monarchy and democracy.
> 
> "Hereditary rulers and hereditary subordinates, and all sorts of
> strange officials. Lancers with long, white mustaches." For an instant
> the ghost of his old humorous smile appeared. "The White Knight is
> sliding down the poker. He balances very badly, as the King's notebook
> told him."

The last bit references Lewis Carroll's _Through the Looking Glass_, 
which could be taken as a criticism of class society.

-- 
Jeff Wilson - jwilson at io.com
< http://www.io.com/~jwilson >



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