(urth) academic commentary
Jane Delawney
jane_delawney at sky.com
Sun Nov 28 17:46:25 PST 2010
Just a quick enquiry as to whether any other lister has read David
Wright's 'Attending Daedalus' which is an expansion upon the author's
Ph.D thesis and was published by Liverpool University Press, UK, in 2003.
Interesting volume, a full on academic study of mythopoesis and
deception (both on GW's part, and, within the fiction, on the part of
the Hierogrammates) in BoTNS / UoTNS. The author (Wright, that is)
appears convinced that the religious and mythic elements many perceive
in BoTNS and its 'relatives' are all part of classic Wolfean
misdirection, and that these themes in fact disguise an elaborate
self-interested scam on behalf of the Hierogrammates.
Seems to me on a first reading that Wright has (a) overlooked a pivotal
moment in UoTNS where the relationship & balance of power between
Tzadkiel and Severian are both subverted - turned upon their heads
indeed - within the space of one single short paragraph; and also that
(b) he has not taken into account the way things might appear to beings
who are not bound by our linear perception of time.
Ymmv of course! If any of you have read this work I'd be most interested
to hear your comments.
cheers
jd
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