<div dir="ltr">For those without access to "Detective of Dreams", it's available to read online here:<div><br></div><div><a href="http://hell.pl/szymon/Baen/1635%20The%20Eastern%20Front/The%20Dragon%20Done%20It/1416555285__18.htm">http://hell.pl/szymon/Baen/1635%20The%20Eastern%20Front/The%20Dragon%20Done%20It/1416555285__18.htm</a><br>
<div><br></div><div>Jonathan</div><div><a href="http://ultan.org.uk">http://ultan.org.uk</a></div></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On 11 August 2014 09:29, <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:urth-request@lists.urth.net" target="_blank">urth-request@lists.urth.net</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">Send Urth mailing list submissions to<br>
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Today's Topics:<br>
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1. Re: Short Story 87: The Detective of Dreams (Marc Aramini)<br>
2. Death and Resurrection: Shadow of the Torturer Chapter I<br>
(<a href="mailto:marcobadie@katamail.com">marcobadie@katamail.com</a>)<br>
<br>
<br>
----------------------------------------------------------------------<br>
<br>
Message: 1<br>
Date: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 20:16:05 -0700<br>
From: Marc Aramini <<a href="mailto:marcaramini@gmail.com">marcaramini@gmail.com</a>><br>
To: The Urth Mailing List <<a href="mailto:urth@lists.urth.net">urth@lists.urth.net</a>><br>
Subject: Re: (urth) Short Story 87: The Detective of Dreams<br>
Message-ID:<br>
<<a href="mailto:CAF1072zz79a6tD2zFwWqrifLzXv-VgNsdGJf7Upk868WrzGcMw@mail.gmail.com">CAF1072zz79a6tD2zFwWqrifLzXv-VgNsdGJf7Upk868WrzGcMw@mail.gmail.com</a>><br>
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I have always been sensitive to religious allusions, especially ones that<br>
are similar to the almost voodoo Catholicism of my rather uneducated (but<br>
not ignorant) grandmother, and the Detective of Dreams kind of summons that<br>
fearful candle lighting literal symbolism I think runs a bit further<br>
underground in a lot of Wolfe's work. I remember being a young child and<br>
wondering why the conciliator wasn't the reconciliator, especially with<br>
that temptation in the wilderness scene of Typhon lifted almost line by<br>
line from the bible.<br>
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Message: 2<br>
Date: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 10:29:25 +0200<br>
From: "<a href="mailto:marcobadie@katamail.com">marcobadie@katamail.com</a>" <<a href="mailto:marcobadie@katamail.com">marcobadie@katamail.com</a>><br>
To: <a href="mailto:urth@lists.urth.net">urth@lists.urth.net</a><br>
Subject: (urth) Death and Resurrection: Shadow of the Torturer Chapter<br>
I<br>
Message-ID: <NA4VL1$<a href="mailto:94EF65A09EEA7CADCAAC71B14B944E77@katamail.com">94EF65A09EEA7CADCAAC71B14B944E77@katamail.com</a>><br>
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<br>
My second post to the Urth list.?<br>
After many years lurking I am trying to offer to this list something new...<br>
<br>
<br>
Death and Resurrection (The Shadow of the Torturer - Chapter I)<br>
In catholic theology, death and resurrection are the first steps of Novissima (Latin word: The Lastest Things).<br>
1. Death and Resurrection<br>
2. Judgement<br>
3. Hell?<br>
or<br>
4. Heaven<br>
<br>
<br>
Escathology (word from Greek) is the study of ?Novissima.<br>
<br>
<br>
Latin definitions for the verb: resurgo, resurgere, resurrexi, resurrectus<br>
lift oneself, be restored/rebuilt, revive, rise/appear again<br>
<br>
<br>
Catherine, Severian's mother, is the most obscure character of The Book of the New Sun.<br>
Please, note the simmetry (and the opposition):<br>
Severian (some iteration of Severian) is lifted, risen up (resurrected) from water by Juturna, (the Undine (a water being).<br>
The white gown's woman buried in the necropolis (some iteration of Severian's mother, I think) is lifted, risen up (resurrected) from earth by Hildegrin (the Badger, an earth being).<br>
<br>
<br>
Juturna is searching for Severian from the future.<br>
Hildegrin is searching for Severian (or for a link to Severian) in the past.<br>
<br>
<br>
Marco Cecchini (from Italy)<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Da: "Urth" <a href="mailto:urth-bounces@lists.urth.net">urth-bounces@lists.urth.net</a><br>
A: <a href="mailto:urth@lists.urth.net">urth@lists.urth.net</a><br>
Cc:<br>
Data: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 20:05:40 -0700<br>
Oggetto: Urth Digest, Vol 120, Issue 31<br>
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> 1. Re: Short Story 87: The Detective of Dreams (Dan'l Danehy-Oakes)<br>
><br>
><br>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------<br>
><br>
> Message: 1<br>
> Date: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 20:05:38 -0700<br>
> From: "Dan'l Danehy-Oakes"<br>
> To: The Urth Mailing List<br>
> Subject: Re: (urth) Short Story 87: The Detective of Dreams<br>
> Message-ID:<br>
><br>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"<br>
><br>
> This is probably my favorite Wolfe short story, and the first I read. It<br>
> blew the top of my head off.<br>
><br>
><br>
> On Sun, Aug 10, 2014 at 7:59 PM, Marc Aramini wrote:<br>
><br>
> > ?The Detective of Dreams? first appeared in *Dark Forces* in 1980. It is<br>
> > recollected in *Endangered Species*.<br>
> ><br>
> > SUMMARY: A man identifying himself as Herr D?enters the narrator?s office<br>
> > on the rue Madeleine, probably in Paris, and hires him to get to the bottom<br>
> > of a series of dreams, for which his offered reward reeks of hyperbole:<br>
> > ?Find and destroy the Dream-Master ? and you shall sit upon a chair of<br>
> > gold, if that is your wish, and eat from a table of gold as well.? The<br>
> > narrator reveals that he knows the real identity of Herr D--, which is that<br>
> > of Baron H?of the secret police of K--.<br>
> ><br>
> > The narrator makes his preparations, pinches his female assistant Andree,<br>
> > and leaves by train across the Alps to arrive at the station of I--. He<br>
> > makes his way to his first contact, a woman who sells lacey dresses in a<br>
> > stripped and compartmentalized ex-church, now housing a series of small<br>
> > shops and booths. He encounters Fraulein A--, who tells him of her fine<br>
> > dresses and tries to suppress tears. The narrator expresses surprise at her<br>
> > single status, and Fraulein A-- reveals she has no interest in men or<br>
> > women. When pressed, she reveals her nightly repeating dream (also<br>
> > mentioning Freud)? she passes through a narrow gate and sees a sumptuous<br>
> > feast, but she is dressed in only a plain dress such as she works in, and<br>
> > she is cast out by a man she seems to recognize, who is tall, robed like a<br>
> > king, and wears a strange crown (probably of thorns). She is cast out into<br>
> > the garden, where she smells a terrible beast, and wakes up. No matter what<br>
> > she wears to sleep, the dream is the same.<br>
> ><br>
> > He then goes to discuss the dreams with another victim, Herr R--, a<br>
> > banker. He tells of his youth selling cabbage leaf rolls and how he has not<br>
> > put his mother up in the finest house in Lindau, and reveals that in his<br>
> > dream the Dream-Master has hurt his hand. In his dreams, he is an important<br>
> > man who is summoned by the owner of a large and opulent house, the same as<br>
> > in Fraulein A--'s dream, to an accounting. He is told that he owes a<br>
> > certain sum he cant remember, then begs and weeps for mercy. He says,<br>
> > ?several times I have told him that I am a wealthy man in this world, and<br>
> > that if only he would permit me to make payment in its currency, I would do<br>
> > so immediately.? The master replies, ?That is a dream ? you must know it by<br>
> > now. You cannot expect to pay a rel debt with the currency of sleep.? After<br>
> > Herr R-- falls at his feet like a child, the master says, ?You would never<br>
> > be able to pay all you owe, and you are a false and dishonest servant. But<br>
> > your debt is forgiven, forever.? Herr R-- goes to burn the ledger page that<br>
> > contains his debt, but is met with another servant, who owes him a trifling<br>
> > sum, and he seizes him by the throat and demands payment. The owner sees<br>
> > him in disapproval, and the dream ends with a door to the chamber being<br>
> > opened by a vile, reptilian hand that strikes Herr R-- with dread.<br>
> ><br>
> > The next day our narrator meets with Baron H-- again and demands to know<br>
> > who is really behind the inquiry, and it is revealed that the countess of<br>
> > the province herself is having nightmares. Her husband fears assassination,<br>
> > and the narrator goes to see her and here of her dream, in which her<br>
> > husband is going to hold an execution in the garden which mirrors Christ's<br>
> > crucifixion, with modern weapons. She begs her husband not to, for she sees<br>
> > that the reflection of the count in the Dream-Master's eyes is the real<br>
> > count. At the end of the dream, the count gives the order to continue, and<br>
> > ?the soldiers fire. The Dream-Master falls forward, though his bonds hold<br>
> > him to the tree. And Karl flies to bloody rags beside me.?<br>
> ><br>
> > The detective determines that they all cross the main street, the<br>
> > Hauptstrasse, at approximately the same point, and he goes there to<br>
> > observe. Eventually, he himself feels observed. Finally, he realizes the<br>
> > identity of the Dream-Master. ?The stupidity, the wonderful stupidity of<br>
> > myself, who had not recognized his old stories! ? For the Dream-Master had<br>
> > set up His own picture, and full length and in the most gorgeous colors, in<br>
> > his window. He goes into the church and the priest gives him communion: ?I<br>
> > knelt, and there ? I destroyed the Dream-Master as He has been sacrificed<br>
> > so often, devouring his white, wheaten flesh that we might all possess life<br>
> > without end. Dear people, dream on.?<br>
> ><br>
> > COMMENTARY:<br>
> ><br>
> > Wolfe has listed ?The Detective of Dreams? as one of his favorite short<br>
> > stories in a few interviews; here, the didactic message is easily<br>
> > discernible to those with any familiarity of the parables of Jesus of<br>
> > Nazareth. The victims of the Dream-Master see His face frequently but are<br>
> > unable to recognize it in their dreams, instead seeking a physical cause<br>
> > for their terrors. This lack of familiarity with the spiritual grants their<br>
> > visions the quality of terror ? and it is the endings of the dreams that<br>
> > allow a more horrific message to creep into the story ? the looming threat<br>
> > of their fears realized, a nameless terror almost as eldritch as the<br>
> > fantasy of Lovecraft. This is especially clear in the dreams of the banker<br>
> > Herr R--, who sees a little more of the creature?s arm each day as the door<br>
> > to damnation opens bit by bit, inexorably. He wants to stop it, but cannot<br>
> > comprehend the spiritual change necessary to impede the opening door of<br>
> > damnation because he is too much a part of this world, which, at least in<br>
> > this story, is but a dream of the spiritual reality.<br>
> ><br>
> > Underneath the story lies the certainty of the encroachment of the modern<br>
> > world on hallowed traditions: the church has become partitioned shops, the<br>
> > great house of the nobility has become a bank, and, all too soon, the<br>
> > monarchy and nobility of Germany will shatter, too, with Austria and<br>
> > Prussia and all these nations changed and perhaps even dissolved as World<br>
> > War II comes to shake the earth.<br>
> ><br>
> > What are the failings of these individuals? Fraulein A lives without love;<br>
> > her chastity is sterile, and she feels little affection for either women or<br>
> > men. Her attempt to put on a dress worthy of the wedding does not hide that<br>
> > she herself has no appreciation for the symbolic love behind the wedding<br>
> > ceremony. Herr R?has gotten by on understanding men to exploit their<br>
> > psychological whims, a banker who does not have a sense for numbers. Even<br>
> > though the parable lists the debts at ten thousand talents, he can never<br>
> > remember what he owes, for it is kindness, forgiveness, and a surrender of<br>
> > profit that he truly owes, something he cannot put into words or wrap his<br>
> > mind around.<br>
> ><br>
> > In his dream we see the concept of demons as servants of God: ?I am aware<br>
> > that the owner possesses certain other servants, who have never been under<br>
> > my direction ? they are hideous, vile, and cruel; I know too that he thinks<br>
> > me but little better than they, and that as he permits me to serve him, so<br>
> > he allows them to serve him also.?<br>
> ><br>
> > The Countess' dream has its own form of punishment that is more certain<br>
> > than the slowly opening door of Herr R--: since the Count will have no<br>
> > mercy, this quality prompts his own explosion.<br>
> ><br>
> > The dualistic world view Wolfe presents is nowhere more clearly stated<br>
> > than in the dream of the Countess von V--: ?In my dream quite suddenly, his<br>
> > eyes seem far, far larger than mine, and far more beautiful, and in them I<br>
> > see reflected the figure of my husband ? it is his reflection, and not the<br>
> > man who stands near me, who is the real Karl. The man I have thought real<br>
> > is only a reflection of that reflection.?<br>
> ><br>
> > It is tempting to relegate ?The Detective of Dreams? to nothing but an<br>
> > exegesis of superstitious faith, a celebration of that mystery, that, to<br>
> > those steeped in the iconography and history of the Church, is obvious. The<br>
> > identity of the Dream-Master with the Eucharist is taken quite literally -<br>
> > ?This is My Body, which will be given up for you.? It represents a<br>
> > sacrifice for salvation that is reenacted with every taking of communion,<br>
> > one which is lost as these various individuals continue to exercise their<br>
> > will and desires and see the warnings as secular threats rather than a call<br>
> > to a different kind of reformation.<br>
> ><br>
> > LITERARY ALLUSIONS<br>
> ><br>
> > Especially in 18th and 19th century fiction, the practice of replacing<br>
> > character names with a letter, such as Squire B?in Richardson?s *Pamela*<br>
> > (recast as Squire Booby in Fielding?s *Shamela*), was quite common, and<br>
> > the motivation for doing so has several explanations. One is to lend the<br>
> > story universality ? devoid of place names and given names, the characters,<br>
> > and especially the settings, can become any place without the author having<br>
> > to make sure every intersection in the story is properly placed. Dickens in<br>
> > particular eschewed this practice, but here the model most obviously in<br>
> > play is Poe?s ?The Purloined Letter?, which never names its influential<br>
> > cast, from the prefect of police, G--, to the amoral minister, D--. The<br>
> > hero, Dupin, uses the methods of logic and deduction coupled with a<br>
> > creative imagination to solve mysteries, and also lives in Paris.<br>
> ><br>
> > The other reason for the elided proper names is derivative of the early<br>
> > conceit of the realistic novel, that the actual events were something like<br>
> > a memoir or happenstance that, to protect those involved or avoid scandal,<br>
> > replaced the names with letters. Why then does Wolfe use this technique,<br>
> > but give the first name of Count Karl von V--? In addition, we have a<br>
> > German speaking community near the alps accessible via train in a time<br>
> > after Freud's publications and the death of an Emperor, so the concealment<br>
> > only works to a certain degree of exactness.<br>
> ><br>
> > It is interesting that only in his current case does the detective of<br>
> > dreams omit names, as he boasts of his previous credentials with full<br>
> > names, which are touched on below.<br>
> ><br>
> > More frustrating, however, is the difficulty of placing the story<br>
> > completely in a setting because of these almost random letters, and, even<br>
> > though it might be a waste of time, we will examine this more below. It<br>
> > might be that the letters are arbitrary, though we do know that Herr R puts<br>
> > his mother up in Lindau, in Bavaria (which does have a part of the Alps<br>
> > within its borders). Near Lindau is a small city called Immenstadt which<br>
> > has a train station, but none of the other letters seem to match up unless<br>
> > we transport the action to Austria ? it seems that the theme, that this<br>
> > world is the dream, makes the setting less important than the ?real? waking<br>
> > world ? the spiritual one.<br>
> ><br>
> > Even though it is commonly regarded as a 19th century detective tale, it<br>
> > is actually set in the early parts of the 20th century before World War<br>
> > II forever changed the ideological landscape, and this transitional point<br>
> > is one of the themes ? the characters are approaching the modern world in<br>
> > their understanding and concerns, and they are faced with a spiritual<br>
> > puzzle they are ill equipped to deal with.<br>
> ><br>
> > Perhaps an additional reference is to the work of Chesterton, especially<br>
> > The Everlasting Man, which Wolfe mentions in his afterword to the story in *The<br>
> > Best of Gene Wolfe. *There are a few interesting passages about dreams in<br>
> > Chesterton's text:<br>
> ><br>
> > Out of some dark forest under some ancient dawn there must come towards<br>
> > us, with lumbering yet dancing motions, one of the very queerest of the<br>
> > prehistoric creatures. We must see for the first time the strangely small<br>
> > head set on a neck not only longer but thicker than itself, as the face of<br>
> > a gargoyle is thrust out ? the feet, each like a solid club of horn, alone<br>
> > amid the feet of so many cattle so that the true fear is to be found in<br>
> > showing, not the cloven, but the uncloven hoof. Nor is it mere verbal fancy<br>
> > to see him thus as a unique monster ? but the point is that when we see him<br>
> > thus as the first man saw him, we begin once more to have some imaginative<br>
> > sense of what it meant when the first man rode him. In such a dream he may<br>
> > seem ugly, but he does not seem unimpressive; and certainly that two legged<br>
> > dwarf who could get on top of him will not seem unimpressive. ? In other<br>
> > words, I say it is better to see a horse as a monster than to see it only<br>
> > as a slow substitute for a motor-car.<br>
> ><br>
> > I am convinced that if we could tell the supernatural story of Christ word<br>
> > for word as of a Chinese hero, all him the Son of Heaven instead of the Son<br>
> > of God, and trace his rayed nimbus in the gold tread of Chinese<br>
> > embroideries or the gold lacquer of Chinese potter, instead of in the gold<br>
> > leaf of our own old Catholic paintings, there would be a unanimous<br>
> > testimony to the spiritual purity of the story.? (from Chesterton's Preface<br>
> > to T*he Everlasting Man*)<br>
> ><br>
> > Removed from his religious context and put in a nightmare, Christ invokes<br>
> > that strange terror that the image of a horse might in a dream when all its<br>
> > strangeness is actually clarified.<br>
> ><br>
> > BIBLICAL ALLUSIONS<br>
> ><br>
> > Wolfe seems attracted to the idea of Christ as a teller of instructional<br>
> > stories, which are here recast as dreams with ominous implications. The<br>
> > stigmata in his hands from the crucifixion are obvious, and the majority of<br>
> > these scenes can be easily found as parables in the gospel of Matthew,<br>
> > though there is a significant overlap in content in the synoptic gospels.<br>
> ><br>
> > Fraulein A??s dream is from the parable of the wedding banquet, found in<br>
> > Matthew 22:1-14, quoted below from the New King James Version, but her<br>
> > dream starts with the garden and gate: ?it?s not a large gate for wagons or<br>
> > carriages, but a small one, so narrow I can hardly get through. Have you<br>
> > read the writings of Dr. Freud of Vienna? ? I am sure he would say that<br>
> > entering that gate meant sexual commerce.? This talk of a gate involves the<br>
> > start of Matthew 7:13-14 -<br>
> ><br>
> ><br>
> ><br>
> > 13Enter by the narrow gate; for wide *is* the gate and broad *is* the<br>
> > way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14Because<br>
> > narrow *is* the gate and difficult *is* the way which leads to life, and<br>
> > there are few who find it.<br>
> ><br>
> > The narrator is quick to dismiss the possibility of sexual repression,<br>
> > for the Fraulein's problem is quite the opposite ? an asexuality born of<br>
> > indifference to humanity. Here is the parable of the wedding banquet:<br>
> ><br>
> > 22And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: 2?The<br>
> > kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his<br>
> > son, 3and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the<br>
> > wedding; and they were not willing to come. 4Again, he sent out other<br>
> > servants, saying, ?Tell those who are invited, ?See, I have prepared my<br>
> > dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle *are* killed, and all things *are*<br>
> > ready. Come to the wedding.?? 5But they made light of it and went their<br>
> > ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. 6And the rest seized<br>
> > his servants, treated *them* spitefully, and killed *them.* 7But when the<br>
> > king heard *about it,* he was furious. And he sent out his armies,<br>
> > destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 8Then he said to his<br>
> > servants, ?The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not<br>
> > worthy. 9Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite<br>
> > to the wedding.? 10So those servants went out into the highways and<br>
> > gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding<br>
> > *hall* was filled with guests.<br>
> ><br>
> > 11?But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who<br>
> > did not have on a wedding garment. 12So he said to him, ?Friend, how did<br>
> > you come in here without a wedding garment?? And he was speechless. 13Then<br>
> > the king said to the servants, ?Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast<br>
> > *him* into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.?<br>
> ><br>
> > 14?For many are called, but few *are* chosen.?<br>
> ><br>
> ><br>
> ><br>
> > Fraulein A?s ending puts a far more sinister and implied threat into the<br>
> > outer darkness, which has encroached upon the garden around the estate:<br>
> > ?some terrible beast has entered the garden. I smell it ? like the hyena<br>
> > cage at the Tiergarten ? as the door opens. And then I wake up.?<br>
> ><br>
> ><br>
> ><br>
> > The banker Herr R??s dream is from the parable of the unforgiving<br>
> > servant, found in Matthew 18:21-35 -<br>
> ><br>
> > 21Then Peter came to Him and said, ?Lord, how often shall my brother sin<br>
> > against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times??<br>
> ><br>
> > 22Jesus said to him, ?I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to<br>
> > seventy times seven. 23Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain<br>
> > king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24And when he had<br>
> > begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand<br>
> > talents. 25But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be<br>
> > sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be<br>
> > made. 26The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ?Master, have<br>
> > patience with me, and I will pay you all.? 27Then the master of that<br>
> > servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.<br>
> ><br>
> > 28?But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who<br>
> > owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took *him* by<br>
> > the throat, saying, ?Pay me what you owe!? 29So his fellow servant fell<br>
> > down at his feet and begged him, saying, ?Have patience with me, and I will<br>
> > pay you all.? 30And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till<br>
> > he should pay the debt. 31So when his fellow servants saw what had been<br>
> > done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had<br>
> > been done. 32Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ?You<br>
> > wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33Should<br>
> > you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity<br>
> > on you?? 34And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers<br>
> > until he should pay all that was due to him.<br>
> ><br>
> > 35?So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his<br>
> > heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.?<br>
> ><br>
> ><br>
> ><br>
> > While the banker is incapable of remembering the sum of ten thousand<br>
> > talents, it seems that there are also other things he owes the Dream Master<br>
> > ? mercy, forgiveness, and compassion for his fellow man. The difference in<br>
> > both of these parables is that, beyond a secular punishment, we see the<br>
> > promise of hell:<br>
> ><br>
> ><br>
> ><br>
> > The throne of gold that Baron H-- offered our narrator might also echo<br>
> > Matthew 19: 28-30, presaging the narrator's consumption of the body of<br>
> > Christ.<br>
> ><br>
> > 28So Jesus said to them, ?Assuredly I say to you, that in the<br>
> > regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who<br>
> > have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes<br>
> > of Israel. 29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or<br>
> > father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name?s sake, shall<br>
> > receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. 30But many *who are*<br>
> > first will be last, and the last first.<br>
> ><br>
> > Chapter 7 of the Gospel of Matthew holds many of the themes which are<br>
> > found in the dream of the Count (it is reprinted in its entirety in the<br>
> > discussion of ?Many Mansions.)<br>
> ><br>
> > The damnation we see threatened in the dreams certainly has biblical<br>
> > precedent, as in Matthew 25:41-46-<br>
> ><br>
> > 41?Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ?Depart from Me, you<br>
> > cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:<br>
> > 42for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me<br>
> > no drink; 43I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you<br>
> > did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.?<br>
> ><br>
> > 44?Then they also will answer Him, saying, ?Lord, when did we see You<br>
> > hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not<br>
> > minister to You?? 45Then He will answer them, saying, ?Assuredly, I say<br>
> > to you, inasmuch as you did not do *it* to one of the least of these, you<br>
> > did not do *it* to Me.? 46And these will go away into everlasting<br>
> > punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.?<br>
> ><br>
> ><br>
> ><br>
> > THE LETTERS AND THE SETTING<br>
> ><br>
> > If the late emperor of which our narrator speaks of for popularizing the<br>
> > beard and mustache is Franz Joseph, then the text actually seems to be set<br>
> > in the early 20th century, as Franz died in 1916 (but he did rule from<br>
> > 1848 to 1916 as Emperor). This could very well make our area a state in<br>
> > Austria if the letters are accurate at all, probably the state of<br>
> > Karnten/Carinthia, with Klagenfurt its capital. Klagenfurt had a large<br>
> > train stop on the Vienna-Trieste railway which was destroyed in World War<br>
> > II. However, the problem with this is that they are not as close to the<br>
> > Alps or Lindau as Immenstadt, mentioned above, was, and perhaps Klagenfurt<br>
> > is too large (though it has some interesting local stories, since it's name<br>
> > means the ford of complaint ? one legend says that an innocent apprentice<br>
> > was executed over a theft that wound up being a mistake, and that the<br>
> > lament of the people when they found out rang out, thus the name of the<br>
> > town). However, the setting might be forever open to speculation.<br>
> ><br>
> > The only name that is given amongst those involved is that of Karl, the<br>
> > husband of the Countess. Karl means free man, and it is this freedom of<br>
> > choice between good and evil that is implicit in Wolfe?s Christian fiction.<br>
> > He could select mercy.<br>
> ><br>
> > D--: The Baron in disguise who hires the detective to hunt the dream<br>
> > master, he is also the head of the secret police. This is his mother?s name<br>
> > and the reason he selected the pseudonym.<br>
> ><br>
> > H--: The Baron?s true name<br>
> ><br>
> > K--: The city, state, or principality which the Baron represents. Could be<br>
> > Klagenfurt (the city) or Karnten (the state) in Austria.<br>
> ><br>
> > I--: the city or station name which used to the be the capital of a<br>
> > province (I cannot determine this with any accuracy, unless it simply<br>
> > implies the Inner Stadt district, unless it is perhaps Immenstadt in<br>
> > Bavaria rather than Austria)<br>
> ><br>
> > J--: now a province of K ? (could be Jezersko, which was a part of Karnten)<br>
> ><br>
> > A--: A rather asexual Fraulein who makes dresses and receives the dream of<br>
> > the wedding guests<br>
> ><br>
> > M--: an antique dealer who handles chairs and chests<br>
> ><br>
> > O--: an antique dealer who stocks pictures<br>
> ><br>
> > G--: A Frau who calls Fraulein A?a manhater for not receiving her son<br>
> ><br>
> > R--: A banker who grew up on the streets and made his fortune by<br>
> > understanding men rather than numbers (Raffgier is one possible German word<br>
> > for greed, but no other letters seem to echo the traits on display)<br>
> ><br>
> > V--: The Count and Countess, though it is the Countess von V?who dreams<br>
> > that her husband Karl is executing the dream master.<br>
> ><br>
> > Fraulein A?indicates that the police working under Baron H?are not ?our?<br>
> > police ? this could very well show the strange position Austria occupied at<br>
> > this time, though the city is probably in Germany (or might even be in<br>
> > Switzerland from the details that we have, though that is the least likely<br>
> > possibility).<br>
> ><br>
> > THE DETECTIVES PREVIOUS CASES:<br>
> ><br>
> > Paulette Renan ? our narrator found the quince seed in her throat ?<br>
> > Paulette = little, Renan = (seal)? ? early mythical and historical<br>
> > references to apples may have actually referred to the quince, and the<br>
> > quince seed, if eaten in large quantities, actually can produce hydrogen<br>
> > cyanide and be toxic. (The quince might have been the actual forbidden<br>
> > fruit in the story of Adam and Eve, and thus has a special place in the<br>
> > concept of original sin, which necessitated the presence of Christ in<br>
> > history, the ?new? Adam).<br>
> ><br>
> > Captain Brotte ? which means bread, discusses his finds amid the Antarctic<br>
> > ice, an unexplored region, and his name, bread certainly resonates with the<br>
> > Eucharist.<br>
> ><br>
> > Herr R-- says that he knows of the narrator because of a case concerning a<br>
> > mummy, and what is a mummy but an attempt to preserve the body for the<br>
> > afterlife?<br>
> ><br>
> > Joan gift from god O?Neil ? grandson of Niall (which could mean<br>
> > cloud/champion), she lived behind a painting of herself (this echoes the<br>
> > reflection of the Count in Christ's eyes, in which the reflection was more<br>
> > ?real? than the physical form visible to the eye).<br>
> ><br>
> > All these cases can in some way liken back to a Christian mystery or an<br>
> > attempt to pierce the veil of the unknown.<br>
> ><br>
> > UNANSWERED QUESTIONS:<br>
> ><br>
> > Is this a town in Austria, as I have assumed, or in Bavaria proper or even<br>
> > the Swiss Alps? The Count von V ? answers only to the Queen Regent (there<br>
> > was a prince regent in Bavaria during this time period, and we definitely<br>
> > have trains), a Queen Regent I cannot seem to locate in early 20th<br>
> > century history near Germany. Can we place the date and city with more<br>
> > exactitude, and is the identification of the ?late? emperor who popularized<br>
> > a certain kind of mustache and beard not Franz Joseph I, who died in 1916?<br>
> > From the mention of Freud, who did not publish his *Interpretation of<br>
> > Dreams* until 1899-1900 and did not have his group meetings until the<br>
> > early parts of the 20th century, this story is actually a 20th century<br>
> > tale, but is definitely set before World War II. Could it be after World<br>
> > War I? I feel as if the dissolution of German monarchs in 1918, with its<br>
> > kingdoms of Prussia, Bavaria, Austria, Saxony, and Wurrtenberg is<br>
> > definitely yet to come (what a mess those nations were, making placement of<br>
> > this city almost impossible ? setting a fairly narrow window of time in<br>
> > which the action could occur.)<br>
> ><br>
> > When Fraulein A-- says ?they are not our police?, does she refer to the<br>
> > fact that they do not work for the people, or that they are a foreign<br>
> > occupying force?<br>
> ><br>
> > Why are the dreams striking this city in particular? Is there a larger<br>
> > reason for the substantiation of divine warning here? Could it be related<br>
> > to the events that are about to occur in German history and the widespread<br>
> > persecution of the Jews? Or are we to see it as individual warnings?<br>
> ><br>
> > CONNECTION TO OTHER WORKS:<br>
> ><br>
> > The overtly Christian works are rarely as unabashed as ?The Detective of<br>
> > Dreams?, and certainly this has much in common with his Sherlock Holmes<br>
> > pastiches, though it is more serious. This story's metaphysical<br>
> > underpinnings in which the spiritual world has more of reality than our<br>
> > physical world can also be found in ?Trip, Trap.?<br>
> ><br>
> > _______________________________________________<br>
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><br>
><br>
><br>
> --<br>
> Dan'l Danehy-Oakes<br>
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