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<div style="font: normal 12.907845497131348px Arial; color:rgb(0, 0, 0);"><div><br></div><div><div>My second post to the Urth list. </div><div>After many years lurking I am trying to offer to this list something new...</div><div><br></div><div>Death and Resurrection (The Shadow of the Torturer - Chapter I)</div><div>In catholic theology, death and resurrection are the first steps of Novissima (Latin word: The Lastest Things).</div><div>1. Death and Resurrection</div><div>2. Judgement</div><div>3. Hell </div><div>or</div><div>4. Heaven</div><div><br></div><div>Escathology (word from Greek) is the study of Novissima.</div><div><br></div><div>Latin definitions for the verb: resurgo, resurgere, resurrexi, resurrectus</div><div>lift oneself, be restored/rebuilt, revive, rise/appear again</div><div><br></div><div>Catherine, Severian's mother, is the most obscure character of The Book of the New Sun.</div><div>Please, note the simmetry (and the opposition):</div><div>Severian (some iteration of Severian) is lifted, risen up (resurrected) from water by Juturna, (the Undine (a water being).</div><div>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).</div><div><br></div><div>Juturna is searching for Severian from the future.</div><div>Hildegrin is searching for Severian (or for a link to Severian) in the past.</div><div><br></div><div>Marco Cecchini (from Italy)</div></div><div><br></div><br>
<div><span style="font-family:Arial; font-size:11px; color:#5F5F5F;">Da</span><span style="font-family:Arial; font-size:12px; color:#5F5F5F; padding-left:5px;">: "Urth" urth-bounces@lists.urth.net</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:Arial; font-size:11px; color:#5F5F5F;">A</span><span style="font-family:Arial; font-size:12px; color:#5F5F5F; padding-left:5px;">: urth@lists.urth.net</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:Arial; font-size:11px; color:#5F5F5F;">Cc</span><span style="font-family:Arial; font-size:12px; color:#5F5F5F; padding-left:5px;">: </span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:Arial; font-size:11px; color:#5F5F5F;">Data</span><span style="font-family:Arial; font-size:12px; color:#5F5F5F; padding-left:5px;">: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 20:05:40 -0700</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:Arial; font-size:11px; color:#5F5F5F;">Oggetto</span><span style="font-family:Arial; font-size:12px; color:#5F5F5F; padding-left:5px;">: Urth Digest, Vol 120, Issue 31</span></div>
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Re: Short Story 87: The Detective of Dreams (Dan'l Danehy-Oakes)</div><div>> </div><div>> </div><div>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div>> </div><div>> Message: 1</div><div>> Date: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 20:05:38 -0700</div><div>> From: "Dan'l Danehy-Oakes" <danldo@gmail.com></danldo@gmail.com></div><div>> To: The Urth Mailing List <urth@lists.urth.net></urth@lists.urth.net></div><div>> Subject: Re: (urth) Short Story 87: The Detective of Dreams</div><div>> Message-ID:</div><div>> <caj8=rthcxq_ozv9gjf0egcegxxkxhvpcxudfgaywai8c3=fukw@mail.gmail.com></caj8=rthcxq_ozv9gjf0egcegxxkxhvpcxudfgaywai8c3=fukw@mail.gmail.com></div><div>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"</div><div>> </div><div>> This is probably my favorite Wolfe short story, and the first I read. It</div><div>> blew the top of my head off.</div><div>> </div><div>> </div><div>> On Sun, Aug 10, 2014 at 7:59 PM, Marc Aramini <marcaramini@gmail.com> wrote:</marcaramini@gmail.com></div><div>> </div><div>> > ?The Detective of Dreams? first appeared in *Dark Forces* in 1980. It is</div><div>> > recollected in *Endangered Species*.</div><div>> ></div><div>> > SUMMARY: A man identifying himself as Herr D?enters the narrator?s office</div><div>> > on the rue Madeleine, probably in Paris, and hires him to get to the bottom</div><div>> > of a series of dreams, for which his offered reward reeks of hyperbole:</div><div>> > ?Find and destroy the Dream-Master ? and you shall sit upon a chair of</div><div>> > gold, if that is your wish, and eat from a table of gold as well.? The</div><div>> > narrator reveals that he knows the real identity of Herr D--, which is that</div><div>> > of Baron H?of the secret police of K--.</div><div>> ></div><div>> > The narrator makes his preparations, pinches his female assistant Andree,</div><div>> > and leaves by train across the Alps to arrive at the station of I--. He</div><div>> > makes his way to his first contact, a woman who sells lacey dresses in a</div><div>> > stripped and compartmentalized ex-church, now housing a series of small</div><div>> > shops and booths. He encounters Fraulein A--, who tells him of her fine</div><div>> > dresses and tries to suppress tears. The narrator expresses surprise at her</div><div>> > single status, and Fraulein A-- reveals she has no interest in men or</div><div>> > women. When pressed, she reveals her nightly repeating dream (also</div><div>> > mentioning Freud)? she passes through a narrow gate and sees a sumptuous</div><div>> > feast, but she is dressed in only a plain dress such as she works in, and</div><div>> > she is cast out by a man she seems to recognize, who is tall, robed like a</div><div>> > king, and wears a strange crown (probably of thorns). She is cast out into</div><div>> > the garden, where she smells a terrible beast, and wakes up. No matter what</div><div>> > she wears to sleep, the dream is the same.</div><div>> ></div><div>> > He then goes to discuss the dreams with another victim, Herr R--, a</div><div>> > banker. He tells of his youth selling cabbage leaf rolls and how he has not</div><div>> > put his mother up in the finest house in Lindau, and reveals that in his</div><div>> > dream the Dream-Master has hurt his hand. In his dreams, he is an important</div><div>> > man who is summoned by the owner of a large and opulent house, the same as</div><div>> > in Fraulein A--'s dream, to an accounting. He is told that he owes a</div><div>> > certain sum he cant remember, then begs and weeps for mercy. He says,</div><div>> > ?several times I have told him that I am a wealthy man in this world, and</div><div>> > that if only he would permit me to make payment in its currency, I would do</div><div>> > so immediately.? The master replies, ?That is a dream ? you must know it by</div><div>> > now. You cannot expect to pay a rel debt with the currency of sleep.? After</div><div>> > Herr R-- falls at his feet like a child, the master says, ?You would never</div><div>> > be able to pay all you owe, and you are a false and dishonest servant. But</div><div>> > your debt is forgiven, forever.? Herr R-- goes to burn the ledger page that</div><div>> > contains his debt, but is met with another servant, who owes him a trifling</div><div>> > sum, and he seizes him by the throat and demands payment. The owner sees</div><div>> > him in disapproval, and the dream ends with a door to the chamber being</div><div>> > opened by a vile, reptilian hand that strikes Herr R-- with dread.</div><div>> ></div><div>> > The next day our narrator meets with Baron H-- again and demands to know</div><div>> > who is really behind the inquiry, and it is revealed that the countess of</div><div>> > the province herself is having nightmares. Her husband fears assassination,</div><div>> > and the narrator goes to see her and here of her dream, in which her</div><div>> > husband is going to hold an execution in the garden which mirrors Christ's</div><div>> > crucifixion, with modern weapons. She begs her husband not to, for she sees</div><div>> > that the reflection of the count in the Dream-Master's eyes is the real</div><div>> > count. At the end of the dream, the count gives the order to continue, and</div><div>> > ?the soldiers fire. The Dream-Master falls forward, though his bonds hold</div><div>> > him to the tree. And Karl flies to bloody rags beside me.?</div><div>> ></div><div>> > The detective determines that they all cross the main street, the</div><div>> > Hauptstrasse, at approximately the same point, and he goes there to</div><div>> > observe. Eventually, he himself feels observed. Finally, he realizes the</div><div>> > identity of the Dream-Master. ?The stupidity, the wonderful stupidity of</div><div>> > myself, who had not recognized his old stories! ? For the Dream-Master had</div><div>> > set up His own picture, and full length and in the most gorgeous colors, in</div><div>> > his window. He goes into the church and the priest gives him communion: ?I</div><div>> > knelt, and there ? I destroyed the Dream-Master as He has been sacrificed</div><div>> > so often, devouring his white, wheaten flesh that we might all possess life</div><div>> > without end. Dear people, dream on.?</div><div>> ></div><div>> > COMMENTARY:</div><div>> ></div><div>> > Wolfe has listed ?The Detective of Dreams? as one of his favorite short</div><div>> > stories in a few interviews; here, the didactic message is easily</div><div>> > discernible to those with any familiarity of the parables of Jesus of</div><div>> > Nazareth. The victims of the Dream-Master see His face frequently but are</div><div>> > unable to recognize it in their dreams, instead seeking a physical cause</div><div>> > for their terrors. This lack of familiarity with the spiritual grants their</div><div>> > visions the quality of terror ? and it is the endings of the dreams that</div><div>> > allow a more horrific message to creep into the story ? the looming threat</div><div>> > of their fears realized, a nameless terror almost as eldritch as the</div><div>> > fantasy of Lovecraft. This is especially clear in the dreams of the banker</div><div>> > Herr R--, who sees a little more of the creature?s arm each day as the door</div><div>> > to damnation opens bit by bit, inexorably. He wants to stop it, but cannot</div><div>> > comprehend the spiritual change necessary to impede the opening door of</div><div>> > damnation because he is too much a part of this world, which, at least in</div><div>> > this story, is but a dream of the spiritual reality.</div><div>> ></div><div>> > Underneath the story lies the certainty of the encroachment of the modern</div><div>> > world on hallowed traditions: the church has become partitioned shops, the</div><div>> > great house of the nobility has become a bank, and, all too soon, the</div><div>> > monarchy and nobility of Germany will shatter, too, with Austria and</div><div>> > Prussia and all these nations changed and perhaps even dissolved as World</div><div>> > War II comes to shake the earth.</div><div>> ></div><div>> > What are the failings of these individuals? Fraulein A lives without love;</div><div>> > her chastity is sterile, and she feels little affection for either women or</div><div>> > men. Her attempt to put on a dress worthy of the wedding does not hide that</div><div>> > she herself has no appreciation for the symbolic love behind the wedding</div><div>> > ceremony. Herr R?has gotten by on understanding men to exploit their</div><div>> > psychological whims, a banker who does not have a sense for numbers. Even</div><div>> > though the parable lists the debts at ten thousand talents, he can never</div><div>> > remember what he owes, for it is kindness, forgiveness, and a surrender of</div><div>> > profit that he truly owes, something he cannot put into words or wrap his</div><div>> > mind around.</div><div>> ></div><div>> > In his dream we see the concept of demons as servants of God: ?I am aware</div><div>> > that the owner possesses certain other servants, who have never been under</div><div>> > my direction ? they are hideous, vile, and cruel; I know too that he thinks</div><div>> > me but little better than they, and that as he permits me to serve him, so</div><div>> > he allows them to serve him also.?</div><div>> ></div><div>> > The Countess' dream has its own form of punishment that is more certain</div><div>> > than the slowly opening door of Herr R--: since the Count will have no</div><div>> > mercy, this quality prompts his own explosion.</div><div>> ></div><div>> > The dualistic world view Wolfe presents is nowhere more clearly stated</div><div>> > than in the dream of the Countess von V--: ?In my dream quite suddenly, his</div><div>> > eyes seem far, far larger than mine, and far more beautiful, and in them I</div><div>> > see reflected the figure of my husband ? it is his reflection, and not the</div><div>> > man who stands near me, who is the real Karl. The man I have thought real</div><div>> > is only a reflection of that reflection.?</div><div>> ></div><div>> > It is tempting to relegate ?The Detective of Dreams? to nothing but an</div><div>> > exegesis of superstitious faith, a celebration of that mystery, that, to</div><div>> > those steeped in the iconography and history of the Church, is obvious. The</div><div>> > identity of the Dream-Master with the Eucharist is taken quite literally -</div><div>> > ?This is My Body, which will be given up for you.? It represents a</div><div>> > sacrifice for salvation that is reenacted with every taking of communion,</div><div>> > one which is lost as these various individuals continue to exercise their</div><div>> > will and desires and see the warnings as secular threats rather than a call</div><div>> > to a different kind of reformation.</div><div>> ></div><div>> > LITERARY ALLUSIONS</div><div>> ></div><div>> > Especially in 18th and 19th century fiction, the practice of replacing</div><div>> > character names with a letter, such as Squire B?in Richardson?s *Pamela*</div><div>> > (recast as Squire Booby in Fielding?s *Shamela*), was quite common, and</div><div>> > the motivation for doing so has several explanations. One is to lend the</div><div>> > story universality ? devoid of place names and given names, the characters,</div><div>> > and especially the settings, can become any place without the author having</div><div>> > to make sure every intersection in the story is properly placed. Dickens in</div><div>> > particular eschewed this practice, but here the model most obviously in</div><div>> > play is Poe?s ?The Purloined Letter?, which never names its influential</div><div>> > cast, from the prefect of police, G--, to the amoral minister, D--. The</div><div>> > hero, Dupin, uses the methods of logic and deduction coupled with a</div><div>> > creative imagination to solve mysteries, and also lives in Paris.</div><div>> ></div><div>> > The other reason for the elided proper names is derivative of the early</div><div>> > conceit of the realistic novel, that the actual events were something like</div><div>> > a memoir or happenstance that, to protect those involved or avoid scandal,</div><div>> > replaced the names with letters. Why then does Wolfe use this technique,</div><div>> > but give the first name of Count Karl von V--? In addition, we have a</div><div>> > German speaking community near the alps accessible via train in a time</div><div>> > after Freud's publications and the death of an Emperor, so the concealment</div><div>> > only works to a certain degree of exactness.</div><div>> ></div><div>> > It is interesting that only in his current case does the detective of</div><div>> > dreams omit names, as he boasts of his previous credentials with full</div><div>> > names, which are touched on below.</div><div>> ></div><div>> > More frustrating, however, is the difficulty of placing the story</div><div>> > completely in a setting because of these almost random letters, and, even</div><div>> > though it might be a waste of time, we will examine this more below. It</div><div>> > might be that the letters are arbitrary, though we do know that Herr R puts</div><div>> > his mother up in Lindau, in Bavaria (which does have a part of the Alps</div><div>> > within its borders). Near Lindau is a small city called Immenstadt which</div><div>> > has a train station, but none of the other letters seem to match up unless</div><div>> > we transport the action to Austria ? it seems that the theme, that this</div><div>> > world is the dream, makes the setting less important than the ?real? waking</div><div>> > world ? the spiritual one.</div><div>> ></div><div>> > Even though it is commonly regarded as a 19th century detective tale, it</div><div>> > is actually set in the early parts of the 20th century before World War</div><div>> > II forever changed the ideological landscape, and this transitional point</div><div>> > is one of the themes ? the characters are approaching the modern world in</div><div>> > their understanding and concerns, and they are faced with a spiritual</div><div>> > puzzle they are ill equipped to deal with.</div><div>> ></div><div>> > Perhaps an additional reference is to the work of Chesterton, especially</div><div>> > The Everlasting Man, which Wolfe mentions in his afterword to the story in *The</div><div>> > Best of Gene Wolfe. *There are a few interesting passages about dreams in</div><div>> > Chesterton's text:</div><div>> ></div><div>> > Out of some dark forest under some ancient dawn there must come towards</div><div>> > us, with lumbering yet dancing motions, one of the very queerest of the</div><div>> > prehistoric creatures. We must see for the first time the strangely small</div><div>> > head set on a neck not only longer but thicker than itself, as the face of</div><div>> > a gargoyle is thrust out ? the feet, each like a solid club of horn, alone</div><div>> > amid the feet of so many cattle so that the true fear is to be found in</div><div>> > showing, not the cloven, but the uncloven hoof. Nor is it mere verbal fancy</div><div>> > to see him thus as a unique monster ? but the point is that when we see him</div><div>> > thus as the first man saw him, we begin once more to have some imaginative</div><div>> > sense of what it meant when the first man rode him. In such a dream he may</div><div>> > seem ugly, but he does not seem unimpressive; and certainly that two legged</div><div>> > dwarf who could get on top of him will not seem unimpressive. ? In other</div><div>> > words, I say it is better to see a horse as a monster than to see it only</div><div>> > as a slow substitute for a motor-car.</div><div>> ></div><div>> > I am convinced that if we could tell the supernatural story of Christ word</div><div>> > for word as of a Chinese hero, all him the Son of Heaven instead of the Son</div><div>> > of God, and trace his rayed nimbus in the gold tread of Chinese</div><div>> > embroideries or the gold lacquer of Chinese potter, instead of in the gold</div><div>> > leaf of our own old Catholic paintings, there would be a unanimous</div><div>> > testimony to the spiritual purity of the story.? (from Chesterton's Preface</div><div>> > to T*he Everlasting Man*)</div><div>> ></div><div>> > Removed from his religious context and put in a nightmare, Christ invokes</div><div>> > that strange terror that the image of a horse might in a dream when all its</div><div>> > strangeness is actually clarified.</div><div>> ></div><div>> > BIBLICAL ALLUSIONS</div><div>> ></div><div>> > Wolfe seems attracted to the idea of Christ as a teller of instructional</div><div>> > stories, which are here recast as dreams with ominous implications. The</div><div>> > stigmata in his hands from the crucifixion are obvious, and the majority of</div><div>> > these scenes can be easily found as parables in the gospel of Matthew,</div><div>> > though there is a significant overlap in content in the synoptic gospels.</div><div>> ></div><div>> > Fraulein A??s dream is from the parable of the wedding banquet, found in</div><div>> > Matthew 22:1-14, quoted below from the New King James Version, but her</div><div>> > dream starts with the garden and gate: ?it?s not a large gate for wagons or</div><div>> > carriages, but a small one, so narrow I can hardly get through. Have you</div><div>> > read the writings of Dr. Freud of Vienna? ? I am sure he would say that</div><div>> > entering that gate meant sexual commerce.? This talk of a gate involves the</div><div>> > start of Matthew 7:13-14 -</div><div>> ></div><div>> ></div><div>> ></div><div>> > 13Enter by the narrow gate; for wide *is* the gate and broad *is* the</div><div>> > way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14Because</div><div>> > narrow *is* the gate and difficult *is* the way which leads to life, and</div><div>> > there are few who find it.</div><div>> ></div><div>> > The narrator is quick to dismiss the possibility of sexual repression,</div><div>> > for the Fraulein's problem is quite the opposite ? an asexuality born of</div><div>> > indifference to humanity. Here is the parable of the wedding banquet:</div><div>> ></div><div>> > 22And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: 2?The</div><div>> > kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his</div><div>> > son, 3and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the</div><div>> > wedding; and they were not willing to come. 4Again, he sent out other</div><div>> > servants, saying, ?Tell those who are invited, ?See, I have prepared my</div><div>> > dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle *are* killed, and all things *are*</div><div>> > ready. Come to the wedding.?? 5But they made light of it and went their</div><div>> > ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. 6And the rest seized</div><div>> > his servants, treated *them* spitefully, and killed *them.* 7But when the</div><div>> > king heard *about it,* he was furious. And he sent out his armies,</div><div>> > destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 8Then he said to his</div><div>> > servants, ?The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not</div><div>> > worthy. 9Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite</div><div>> > to the wedding.? 10So those servants went out into the highways and</div><div>> > gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding</div><div>> > *hall* was filled with guests.</div><div>> ></div><div>> > 11?But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who</div><div>> > did not have on a wedding garment. 12So he said to him, ?Friend, how did</div><div>> > you come in here without a wedding garment?? And he was speechless. 13Then</div><div>> > the king said to the servants, ?Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast</div><div>> > *him* into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.?</div><div>> ></div><div>> > 14?For many are called, but few *are* chosen.?</div><div>> ></div><div>> ></div><div>> ></div><div>> > Fraulein A?s ending puts a far more sinister and implied threat into the</div><div>> > outer darkness, which has encroached upon the garden around the estate:</div><div>> > ?some terrible beast has entered the garden. I smell it ? like the hyena</div><div>> > cage at the Tiergarten ? as the door opens. And then I wake up.?</div><div>> ></div><div>> ></div><div>> ></div><div>> > The banker Herr R??s dream is from the parable of the unforgiving</div><div>> > servant, found in Matthew 18:21-35 -</div><div>> ></div><div>> > 21Then Peter came to Him and said, ?Lord, how often shall my brother sin</div><div>> > against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times??</div><div>> ></div><div>> > 22Jesus said to him, ?I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to</div><div>> > seventy times seven. 23Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain</div><div>> > king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24And when he had</div><div>> > begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand</div><div>> > talents. 25But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be</div><div>> > sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be</div><div>> > made. 26The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ?Master, have</div><div>> > patience with me, and I will pay you all.? 27Then the master of that</div><div>> > servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.</div><div>> ></div><div>> > 28?But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who</div><div>> > owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took *him* by</div><div>> > the throat, saying, ?Pay me what you owe!? 29So his fellow servant fell</div><div>> > down at his feet and begged him, saying, ?Have patience with me, and I will</div><div>> > pay you all.? 30And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till</div><div>> > he should pay the debt. 31So when his fellow servants saw what had been</div><div>> > done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had</div><div>> > been done. 32Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ?You</div><div>> > wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33Should</div><div>> > you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity</div><div>> > on you?? 34And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers</div><div>> > until he should pay all that was due to him.</div><div>> ></div><div>> > 35?So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his</div><div>> > heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.?</div><div>> ></div><div>> ></div><div>> ></div><div>> > While the banker is incapable of remembering the sum of ten thousand</div><div>> > talents, it seems that there are also other things he owes the Dream Master</div><div>> > ? mercy, forgiveness, and compassion for his fellow man. The difference in</div><div>> > both of these parables is that, beyond a secular punishment, we see the</div><div>> > promise of hell:</div><div>> ></div><div>> ></div><div>> ></div><div>> > The throne of gold that Baron H-- offered our narrator might also echo</div><div>> > Matthew 19: 28-30, presaging the narrator's consumption of the body of</div><div>> > Christ.</div><div>> ></div><div>> > 28So Jesus said to them, ?Assuredly I say to you, that in the</div><div>> > regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who</div><div>> > have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes</div><div>> > of Israel. 29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or</div><div>> > father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name?s sake, shall</div><div>> > receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. 30But many *who are*</div><div>> > first will be last, and the last first.</div><div>> ></div><div>> > Chapter 7 of the Gospel of Matthew holds many of the themes which are</div><div>> > found in the dream of the Count (it is reprinted in its entirety in the</div><div>> > discussion of ?Many Mansions.)</div><div>> ></div><div>> > The damnation we see threatened in the dreams certainly has biblical</div><div>> > precedent, as in Matthew 25:41-46-</div><div>> ></div><div>> > 41?Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ?Depart from Me, you</div><div>> > cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:</div><div>> > 42for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me</div><div>> > no drink; 43I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you</div><div>> > did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.?</div><div>> ></div><div>> > 44?Then they also will answer Him, saying, ?Lord, when did we see You</div><div>> > hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not</div><div>> > minister to You?? 45Then He will answer them, saying, ?Assuredly, I say</div><div>> > to you, inasmuch as you did not do *it* to one of the least of these, you</div><div>> > did not do *it* to Me.? 46And these will go away into everlasting</div><div>> > punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.?</div><div>> ></div><div>> ></div><div>> ></div><div>> > THE LETTERS AND THE SETTING</div><div>> ></div><div>> > If the late emperor of which our narrator speaks of for popularizing the</div><div>> > beard and mustache is Franz Joseph, then the text actually seems to be set</div><div>> > in the early 20th century, as Franz died in 1916 (but he did rule from</div><div>> > 1848 to 1916 as Emperor). This could very well make our area a state in</div><div>> > Austria if the letters are accurate at all, probably the state of</div><div>> > Karnten/Carinthia, with Klagenfurt its capital. Klagenfurt had a large</div><div>> > train stop on the Vienna-Trieste railway which was destroyed in World War</div><div>> > II. However, the problem with this is that they are not as close to the</div><div>> > Alps or Lindau as Immenstadt, mentioned above, was, and perhaps Klagenfurt</div><div>> > is too large (though it has some interesting local stories, since it's name</div><div>> > means the ford of complaint ? one legend says that an innocent apprentice</div><div>> > was executed over a theft that wound up being a mistake, and that the</div><div>> > lament of the people when they found out rang out, thus the name of the</div><div>> > town). However, the setting might be forever open to speculation.</div><div>> ></div><div>> > The only name that is given amongst those involved is that of Karl, the</div><div>> > husband of the Countess. Karl means free man, and it is this freedom of</div><div>> > choice between good and evil that is implicit in Wolfe?s Christian fiction.</div><div>> > He could select mercy.</div><div>> ></div><div>> > D--: The Baron in disguise who hires the detective to hunt the dream</div><div>> > master, he is also the head of the secret police. This is his mother?s name</div><div>> > and the reason he selected the pseudonym.</div><div>> ></div><div>> > H--: The Baron?s true name</div><div>> ></div><div>> > K--: The city, state, or principality which the Baron represents. Could be</div><div>> > Klagenfurt (the city) or Karnten (the state) in Austria.</div><div>> ></div><div>> > I--: the city or station name which used to the be the capital of a</div><div>> > province (I cannot determine this with any accuracy, unless it simply</div><div>> > implies the Inner Stadt district, unless it is perhaps Immenstadt in</div><div>> > Bavaria rather than Austria)</div><div>> ></div><div>> > J--: now a province of K ? (could be Jezersko, which was a part of Karnten)</div><div>> ></div><div>> > A--: A rather asexual Fraulein who makes dresses and receives the dream of</div><div>> > the wedding guests</div><div>> ></div><div>> > M--: an antique dealer who handles chairs and chests</div><div>> ></div><div>> > O--: an antique dealer who stocks pictures</div><div>> ></div><div>> > G--: A Frau who calls Fraulein A?a manhater for not receiving her son</div><div>> ></div><div>> > R--: A banker who grew up on the streets and made his fortune by</div><div>> > understanding men rather than numbers (Raffgier is one possible German word</div><div>> > for greed, but no other letters seem to echo the traits on display)</div><div>> ></div><div>> > V--: The Count and Countess, though it is the Countess von V?who dreams</div><div>> > that her husband Karl is executing the dream master.</div><div>> ></div><div>> > Fraulein A?indicates that the police working under Baron H?are not ?our?</div><div>> > police ? this could very well show the strange position Austria occupied at</div><div>> > this time, though the city is probably in Germany (or might even be in</div><div>> > Switzerland from the details that we have, though that is the least likely</div><div>> > possibility).</div><div>> ></div><div>> > THE DETECTIVES PREVIOUS CASES:</div><div>> ></div><div>> > Paulette Renan ? our narrator found the quince seed in her throat ?</div><div>> > Paulette = little, Renan = (seal)? ? early mythical and historical</div><div>> > references to apples may have actually referred to the quince, and the</div><div>> > quince seed, if eaten in large quantities, actually can produce hydrogen</div><div>> > cyanide and be toxic. (The quince might have been the actual forbidden</div><div>> > fruit in the story of Adam and Eve, and thus has a special place in the</div><div>> > concept of original sin, which necessitated the presence of Christ in</div><div>> > history, the ?new? Adam).</div><div>> ></div><div>> > Captain Brotte ? which means bread, discusses his finds amid the Antarctic</div><div>> > ice, an unexplored region, and his name, bread certainly resonates with the</div><div>> > Eucharist.</div><div>> ></div><div>> > Herr R-- says that he knows of the narrator because of a case concerning a</div><div>> > mummy, and what is a mummy but an attempt to preserve the body for the</div><div>> > afterlife?</div><div>> ></div><div>> > Joan gift from god O?Neil ? grandson of Niall (which could mean</div><div>> > cloud/champion), she lived behind a painting of herself (this echoes the</div><div>> > reflection of the Count in Christ's eyes, in which the reflection was more</div><div>> > ?real? than the physical form visible to the eye).</div><div>> ></div><div>> > All these cases can in some way liken back to a Christian mystery or an</div><div>> > attempt to pierce the veil of the unknown.</div><div>> ></div><div>> > UNANSWERED QUESTIONS:</div><div>> ></div><div>> > Is this a town in Austria, as I have assumed, or in Bavaria proper or even</div><div>> > the Swiss Alps? The Count von V ? answers only to the Queen Regent (there</div><div>> > was a prince regent in Bavaria during this time period, and we definitely</div><div>> > have trains), a Queen Regent I cannot seem to locate in early 20th</div><div>> > century history near Germany. Can we place the date and city with more</div><div>> > exactitude, and is the identification of the ?late? emperor who popularized</div><div>> > a certain kind of mustache and beard not Franz Joseph I, who died in 1916?</div><div>> > From the mention of Freud, who did not publish his *Interpretation of</div><div>> > Dreams* until 1899-1900 and did not have his group meetings until the</div><div>> > early parts of the 20th century, this story is actually a 20th century</div><div>> > tale, but is definitely set before World War II. Could it be after World</div><div>> > War I? I feel as if the dissolution of German monarchs in 1918, with its</div><div>> > kingdoms of Prussia, Bavaria, Austria, Saxony, and Wurrtenberg is</div><div>> > definitely yet to come (what a mess those nations were, making placement of</div><div>> > this city almost impossible ? setting a fairly narrow window of time in</div><div>> > which the action could occur.)</div><div>> ></div><div>> > When Fraulein A-- says ?they are not our police?, does she refer to the</div><div>> > fact that they do not work for the people, or that they are a foreign</div><div>> > occupying force?</div><div>> ></div><div>> > Why are the dreams striking this city in particular? Is there a larger</div><div>> > reason for the substantiation of divine warning here? Could it be related</div><div>> > to the events that are about to occur in German history and the widespread</div><div>> > persecution of the Jews? Or are we to see it as individual warnings?</div><div>> ></div><div>> > CONNECTION TO OTHER WORKS:</div><div>> ></div><div>> > The overtly Christian works are rarely as unabashed as ?The Detective of</div><div>> > Dreams?, and certainly this has much in common with his Sherlock Holmes</div><div>> > pastiches, though it is more serious. This story's metaphysical</div><div>> > underpinnings in which the spiritual world has more of reality than our</div><div>> > physical world can also be found in ?Trip, Trap.?</div><div>> ></div><div>> > _______________________________________________</div><div>> > Urth Mailing List</div><div>> > To post, write urth@urth.net</div><div>> > Subscription/information: http://www.urth.net</div><div>> ></div><div>> </div><div>> </div><div>> </div><div>> -- </div><div>> Dan'l Danehy-Oakes</div><div>> -------------- next part --------------</div><div>> An HTML attachment was scrubbed...</div><div>> URL: <http: lists.urth.net="" pipermail="" urth-urth.net="" attachments="" 20140810="" d08ddf40="" attachment.htm=""></http:></div><div>> </div><div>> ------------------------------</div><div>> </div><div>> Subject: Digest Footer</div><div>> </div><div>> _______________________________________________</div><div>> Urth Mailing List</div><div>> To post, write urth@urth.net</div><div>> Subscription/information: http://www.urth.net</div><div>> </div><div>> ------------------------------</div><div>> </div><div>> End of Urth Digest, Vol 120, Issue 31</div><div>> *************************************</div></div>
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