(urth) barrington interview

Richard Simon gallebuck at yahoo.co.uk
Mon Oct 6 20:12:18 PDT 2014


My own view on this is as follows: most of Wolfe's 'puzzles' have a direct bearing on the story; that is to say, they conceal information that could help the reader understand something more about the plot, the characters, the subtext, etc. They are functional, part of the mechanics of the story itself.

Occasionally, when he thinks it is possible for him to do so without endangering the sense or misleading the reader , Wolfe will add a poetic conceit, usually a classical allusion. Decyphering it will add something to the reader's enjoyment but little to his understanding.

I do not believe that symbolism in the work of Gene Wolfe has any relevance outside the frame of the story. I often see his interpreters present some example of the use of symbols that they have found (or think they have found) as a full and sufficient explanation of Wolfe is up to at that point in the narrative. They read it as an attempt to convey some extra-literary meaning. They are mistaken. Gene Wolfe is a creator of popular entertainments, nothing more. He is certainly a great author — 'great' as in 'for the ages' — but he is not a preacher or a philosophical huckster. He is a technician, a craftsman above all.

Salutations to all.


On Monday, 6 October 2014, 19:38, Marc Aramini <marcaramini at gmail.com> wrote:
 


Whoever explains the most narrative events and patterns without resorting to misprision is right.  Some people are better at logic puzzles than others. Thus, the Wolfe wiki analysis of Cherry Jubilee was right even though it doesn't mention the speech patterns of cherry and merry, the most obvious "proof". Tallman's explanation of where the seventh night is excised in the journal of Seven American Nights is right because he can narratively show that on the same evening the sun has already set and is later setting , logically impossible.  Wolfe is not postmodern.  There is plenty of evidence. Some readings are right.  Some are often consistently wrong. We don't need Wolfe's consent, though at times it would be nice. 






On Monday, October 6, 2014, Lee <severiansola at hotmail.com> wrote:

>Jeffrey Wilson:  This does not make it sound any less reasonable to me.
>
>>There is no particular need for all the puzzles to be of the same difficulty or the
>>answers to have the same verifiability. Some of the easiest puzzles may
>>have the hardest to verify answers if the hardest puzzles are built on
>>them.
>
>
>For me this is a dodging of the essential question here. Which is:
>
>
>Who is right?
>
>
>In another interview, Wolfe said something about all the crazy theorists of his
>
>work but that there were some readers who basically understood all his work.
>
>
>There are thousands of Wolfe readers who have spent much time and thought
>
>trying to understand his work. Which are the ones who have the correct understanding?
>
>Who are the ones who are way off base?
>
>
>Without an authoritative identification of who is getting things right and wrong, we are
>
>each given an open invitation to assume that one of the readers who does get Wolfe
>
>correctly is, of course, ourselves.
>
>
>If Borksi were still posting on this board I'm sure he'd be able provide multiple reasons for
>
>why he is right and Marc is wrong. If there is truly to be some sort of assessment of correct
>
> interpretation, there needs to be auctorial authority or at least a  firm majority consensus to
>
>base it on. On most of the issues which are discussed here, I don't see either.
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