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<DIV style="font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=severiansola@hotmail.com
href="mailto:severiansola@hotmail.com">Lee Berman</A> </DIV><FONT size=3
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<DIV><BR>> > Gerry Quinn: Fairy-like races have been a continual thread
throughout <BR>> > Wolfe, but the details vary. They are usually small,
they are usually <BR>> > attuned to the natural environment; they are
always distinctly non-human <BR>> > and mysterious, and difficult for
humans to understand. <BR> <BR>> An insightful observation. Is this a
departure from a previous position in <BR>> which it was asserted there are
no fairy references in the Sun Series <BR>> (and 5HoC, i.e. Shadow Children)?
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<DIV>As far as I remember, I stated that there seem to be no significant fairy
references in the Book of the New Sun. I do not recall extending it to the
other works you mention. In fact I have never disputed that the Neighbours
in the Short Sun have some fairy-like characteristics; what I rejected in
one discussion was the idea that they are completely interchangeable with
fairies, and that arbitrary characteristics of fairies can be assigned to
them.</DIV>
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<DIV>The Shadow Children in the second part of 5HOC are an interesting inversion
of the trope, since they are the devolved descendants of humans, and the
viewpoint characters are the aliens. In the third book the ‘natural order’
is restored as the Abos become the mysterious ‘fairies’. The Fairy is the
Outsider, in other words: in the world ruled by abos (Sandwalker’s people and
the Marshmen), the humans are the fairies. After the second wave of humans
takes control, the abos become the fairies.</DIV></DIV></DIV>
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<DIV><BR>> As part of the aspect of "attuned to the natural environment" I'd
add an element <BR>> of being primitive in tool use and social structure
(like Shadow Children, abos <BR>> [half-fairy?] and Neighbors and perhaps an
animalistic quality like inhumi. </DIV>
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<DIV>That seems a bit of a grab-bag of unrelated characteristics and
beings. In particular the Neighbours are, or at least recently were,
accomplished tool-users who built spacecraft among other things (and there is no
reason to think they are not still equally accomplished in their own dimension
or whatever), and the inhumi are not especially fairy-like; among mythological
beings their most obvious resemblance is to vampires.</DIV>
<DIV><BR> <BR>> > It occurred to me that perhaps (in Wolfe) robots
think of humans the same way <BR>> > humans think of fairies.
<BR> <BR>> I don't think this idea is worth discarding. As David
observes, it is a theme<BR>> which can commonly be found not just in Wolfe
but across SF and Fantasy. It<BR>> relates to the basic nature of robots,
humans and fairies. Robots, through <BR>> electronic programming, are
naturally more rule-governed than humans but are<BR>> often portrayed as
being fearful and/or envious of human freedom and emotions. <BR>> Likewise
humans, through tight family and social structure, are more <BR>>
rule-governed than fairies and are often fearful and/or envious of their wild
<BR>> and free nature. Perhaps fair to claim the reverse: fairies view humans
a bit<BR>> the way humans view robots. </DIV>
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<DIV>Yes, that might work.</DIV>
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<DIV>- Gerry Quinn</DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>