tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post8426999547444082140..comments2024-03-20T19:40:58.078-05:00Comments on The OF Blog: Fantasy Masterworks #1: Gene Wolfe, Book of the New Sun: Shadow and ClawLarry Nolenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16001420558511460998noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-8124943623676613172009-07-27T05:28:00.503-05:002009-07-27T05:28:00.503-05:00I;ve just finished reading the first volume of Bot...I;ve just finished reading the first volume of BotNS last week, and was also quite intrigued at its depth and underlying meanings. Can't wait to finish the whole series. Hey when you said <br />""Jorge Luis Borges, whose motifs have been cropping up lately in several authors' fictions that I've been reading.""<br />were you referring to just China Mieville, or to other authors as well? I know Borges has been a big literary influence on many, but which specific authors have you been reading that carry his common motifs?Sihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05511327186979724348noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-84648878216149238022009-07-26T12:46:40.298-05:002009-07-26T12:46:40.298-05:00Interesting insight, Larry. I read The Book of th...Interesting insight, Larry. I read The Book of the New Sun for the second time about 20 years ago and haven't revisited it since. In the meantime, I've read Borges. Now it's apparent that I need to go back and reread TBofNS in light of my later reading of Borges. <br /><br />And what a joy that will be!<br /><br />This would make a great academic paper, btw. It'd go over big at ICFA, for instance. You really oughta.Terry Weynahttp://www.readingtheleaves.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-90958582522897406512009-07-26T08:52:07.275-05:002009-07-26T08:52:07.275-05:00The comparison is especially interesting because B...The comparison is especially interesting because Borges is such a minimalist while Severian is so exhaustively maximal. Certainly this the voice is part of the "power" explored throughout the novels. What impressed me the most on rereading BotNS this summer is just how much suffering is depicted. The alzabo scene at Casdoe's house, for instance. <br /><br />As a reader, my favorite moments of BotNS are the analogies of scale, like Father Inire's here: <br /><br />"What you see here is to the means used to travel between suns as those toy fliers are to threal ones."<br /><br />I don't think you should worry too much about the Borges influence. Some of the best stuff ever (Shakespeare, Melville, Barthelme) is just existing content stylishly remixed.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04355810366805804953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-3308991281216465602009-07-26T02:37:51.112-05:002009-07-26T02:37:51.112-05:00I agree. I'm thinking about touching upon som...I agree. I'm thinking about touching upon some of those elements when I read/comment upon <i>Sword and Citadel</i> in the near future.Larry Nolenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16001420558511460998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-53921526965602614352009-07-26T01:33:58.849-05:002009-07-26T01:33:58.849-05:00Though I'm not overly familiar with Borges, I ...Though I'm not overly familiar with Borges, I was staggered at the levels of mythical and biblical imagery throughout these books. And it really is one of the rare books which you can re-read and discover just as many new facets each time.Markhttp://blog.markcnewton.comnoreply@blogger.com