/lit/ - Literature

>>21299785
The Castle of the Otter - Gene Wolfe (1982)

I read this as part of Castle of Days (1995). Maybe sometime I'll read the rest of it, or not, either way. It's a series of essays ostensibly regarding the Book of the New Sun. Normally I wouldn't post this here, but it seemed like a relevant exception. It was worthwhile, but if you want to read it specifically for Book of the New Sun info, you'll find less than you probably had wanted.

The Feast of Saint Catherine
Wolfe says that he didn't submit the first book until the entire story was in its second draft. I wonder how common that practice is. Michael Sullivan has also said that he doesn't submit a first book until the entire trilogy has been finished so that there's no chance that it goes into limbo. It's nice for the readers at the least.

Rather than four novels it became, BotNS was originally intended as a maximum length novella, basically a novel. He describes what that would've been like.

Helioscope
His idea of relating Jesus to torturers, which has been copypasted here in full a few times, check the archives, is one that I don't think I've seen before. I wouldn't be surprised if he had many other heterodox beliefs.

Wolfe also presents his views on fan conventions, reader views on writers, what it means to be an writer, and the wonderful benefits and advantages of not being a full-time writer. I don't really personally agree with most of them, but they're understandable.

Sun of Nelioscope
There's some about his life and what he believes, especially regarding religion, and how people believe the series to be much more religious than was planned. He also criticizes those same people who believe it to be religious of not knowing about Christ and being afraid to learn the truth.

I found his criticisms of people not accepting various narrative forms as science fiction to still be relevant considering how many people still read this series as being predominantly fantasy, if not entirely.

His criticisms of those who decry using that past as the future are less convincing, but I don't mind that practice in most cases. Some people really do unreasonably abhor or feel dismissive of the practice. I find that to be unfortunate for them.

Hands and Feet
Wolfe discusses his epigraphs.

Words Weird and Wonderful
Wolfe provides some meanings to his words. This has been superceded by the Lexicon Urthus.

Onomastics, the Study of Names
Wolfe states that his naming rule is simple: "Everything is just what it says it is." So it is. Videogames and other media use a lot of mythology, even obscure stuff, often lazily just to have interesting names, so I was familiar with that aspect.

Cavalry in the Age of Autarch
Wolfe explains in detail how truly great calvary is with math, statistics, examples, and states that the future is genetically engineered calvary, possibly in the form of centaurs.

These Are the Jokes
Wolfe has his characters tell jokes. I didn't find them to be that amusing.