(urth) FW: May 2014 Wolfe interview in _Technology Review_

[Lee]

>Antonio Marques: If we are to believe Abos imitate other kinds,
>then they should imitate them along with their imperfections. That would
>suggest that an Abo  imitating an Abo-imitating-a-human would hardly ever
>be a better imitation of the human, but usually a worse one.


There may be a misunderstanding of this view. Can we assume, hypothetically

that the original imitative creatures on these planets cannot die? If so, then

the "John Marsch" who visits Number Five after his visit to St. Anne was previously

the Abo (or "half-abo") named "Victor". Victor was previously a Shadow Child. And the

Shadow Child was previously in the form of some local animal or rock or cloud.


It is fairly well known that Wolfe has admitted that he included literary clues within 

the story that the real name of Number Five is "Gene Wolfe".  Thus, the name "Marsch" may 

be a literary clue that this character may have his real origin among the "Marshmen" of 

the Abos. Following the chain of logic, the name "Shadow Children" may be a clue that 

their origin is from some shadowy, shapeless forms, not from humans.


Anyway, this scenario, in which the entire (except for Number 5) human population of 

both planets has been replaced by the local, imitative species is not an idea that

originates with me. I think part of the original idea is that the abnormally 

advanced decay of the infrastructure of Port Mimizon is that the imitation of humans

is still not quite perfect, suffering most in the area of tool use. But the unspoken

ominous, conclusion is that this species will eventually spread to Earth.


(might the Abo name "Victor" also be a hint at which species is winning this conflict?)


My sense is that Gene Wolfe was in a very dark place when he wrote this. It makes sense

to me that he would write a story at this time in his life for which the ultimate conclusion 

is- "Everyone else on the planet is an alien pretending to me human, except me". Similar,

perhaps, to the existential fear of Dwayne Hoover, in Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions,

written at about the same time period.


>What did Abos look like before humans arrived in the system?


Gerry Quinn- Some looked like every beast, and some were of fantastic forms inspired 
by the clouds, or lava flows.  But most were long, and lived between the 
roots of trees.


Okay, so your main objection to the scenario presented is simply that you think the 

formless creatures jumped straight into being Abos, rather than taking the 

intermediate step of being Shadow Children. I don't see that as a major issue;

the ultimate result is the same chilling conclusion that the human race is threatened

and perhaps doomed.

 


> Marsch. He knows who he is.  The early parts of Marsch's journal were written by 
the actual Marsch.


I don't think he knows who he is. He blames the change in handwriting on a cat scratch, 

IIRC. Not a very good lie, especially in a personal journal unlikely to be read by others. 

I see the cat scratch story as part of his own self-deception. 


Like flight in the face of detection, I think self-deception would serve as a useful evolved

 trait in an imitative species. And in imitating humans an easy one, as humans themselves have

developed a large and elaborate capacity for self-deception. (which is what Wolfe is really writing about)


>But then where are the super-abos, as humans on the two planets appear to use technology quite well?


That is debateable. As noted above. Some espousing the scenario I have presented note the abnormal

decay of Port Mimizon, as though the people there now are not as skilled or motivated with tools as the 

people who built it.


It is a conceit of human beings that our brains and our minds are our finest, most refined and perfect

possessions. As with the Inhumi, I think Wolfe is tweaking our conceit here by suggesting our vaunted minds may be easier to imitate than our hands and their dexterity in tool use.