Help me get Wolfe
December 23, 2011 8:30 AM Subscribe
What should I read to prep for my second foray into Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun?
I loved the series on my first reading, but was often confronted with a nagging sense of layers of meaning slipping through my grasp. I found and devoured Borges after reading BotNS, and found some insight there into Wolfe's magic tricks -- so, what else should I read? I'm looking to understand Wolfe's references and influences, to better understand my own reactions to the series, and read some good stuff in the process.
Fiction and nonfiction suggestions are equally welcome. I should also mention that my knowledge of Christianity is pretty scant, and I was particularly lost during Baldanders' and Dr. Talos' play -- secular discussion of Christian symbolism and theology would be welcome.
I loved the series on my first reading, but was often confronted with a nagging sense of layers of meaning slipping through my grasp. I found and devoured Borges after reading BotNS, and found some insight there into Wolfe's magic tricks -- so, what else should I read? I'm looking to understand Wolfe's references and influences, to better understand my own reactions to the series, and read some good stuff in the process.
Fiction and nonfiction suggestions are equally welcome. I should also mention that my knowledge of Christianity is pretty scant, and I was particularly lost during Baldanders' and Dr. Talos' play -- secular discussion of Christian symbolism and theology would be welcome.
I'd suggest reading more Wolfe and doing a little research about other Big Important science fiction, since some of what he's doing is responding to those. (I've heard Jack Vance's Dying Earth referenced in this context, but have not read it myself.)
I think people sometimes overinterpret Wolfe - this is a bit too esoteric in my opinion, for example. To me, Wolfe is predominantly a very fine conservative Christian anti-feminist writer - the best way to interpret his work is not as a literary puzzle but as an ethical discourse. That's why reading more Wolfe is helpful - it brings out his recurring themes.
I really like The Island of Dr. Death and Other Stories and Other Stories - that's as fine a group of short SF stories as you'll see anywhere, for all that they are wonderfully misogynist in places. And The Fifth Head of Cerberus. Also, Wolfe has written some essays about Book of the New Sun and about his writing process which can be found in Castle of Days.
You might also try reading GK Chesterton - IIRC, Wolfe is a fan of The Man Who Was Thursday and his other work.
I can practically recite from Book of the New Sun. I think the guy can't write women worth a damn (there are two kinds of women in Wolfe - leaving aside the Old Maternal Ones who barely count - the tall dark powerful and self-willed (which pretty much boils down to evil) and the short blonde pretty and self-effacing, who are good but who will be drawn away from the hero by their pitying, soft natures. Also, if you're a Wolfe woman, never, ever get a divorce or you will be eaten by ancient shark gods. Your ex will be very sad, and it will be tragic and beautiful and your ghost will tell your ex that you know you were selfish to get a divorce even though he was emotionally withholding and a drinker, but you'll still be dead. Or else you'll be gored by Mysterious Ancient Beasts, or eaten by scary flying things. Stay single or stay married, one or the other.)
posted by Frowner at 8:47 AM on December 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
I think people sometimes overinterpret Wolfe - this is a bit too esoteric in my opinion, for example. To me, Wolfe is predominantly a very fine conservative Christian anti-feminist writer - the best way to interpret his work is not as a literary puzzle but as an ethical discourse. That's why reading more Wolfe is helpful - it brings out his recurring themes.
I really like The Island of Dr. Death and Other Stories and Other Stories - that's as fine a group of short SF stories as you'll see anywhere, for all that they are wonderfully misogynist in places. And The Fifth Head of Cerberus. Also, Wolfe has written some essays about Book of the New Sun and about his writing process which can be found in Castle of Days.
You might also try reading GK Chesterton - IIRC, Wolfe is a fan of The Man Who Was Thursday and his other work.
I can practically recite from Book of the New Sun. I think the guy can't write women worth a damn (there are two kinds of women in Wolfe - leaving aside the Old Maternal Ones who barely count - the tall dark powerful and self-willed (which pretty much boils down to evil) and the short blonde pretty and self-effacing, who are good but who will be drawn away from the hero by their pitying, soft natures. Also, if you're a Wolfe woman, never, ever get a divorce or you will be eaten by ancient shark gods. Your ex will be very sad, and it will be tragic and beautiful and your ghost will tell your ex that you know you were selfish to get a divorce even though he was emotionally withholding and a drinker, but you'll still be dead. Or else you'll be gored by Mysterious Ancient Beasts, or eaten by scary flying things. Stay single or stay married, one or the other.)
posted by Frowner at 8:47 AM on December 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
Peter Wright's Attending Daedalus, Robert Borski's Solar Labyrinth and Michael Andre-Driussi's Lexicon Urthus are all worth reading if you want to put a lot of time into this.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 8:47 AM on December 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 8:47 AM on December 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
I've read part of Solar Labyrinth, which is by turns provocative and obscure. If you can dig up a copy of Gene Wolfe's own Castle of the Otter (which is about the writing of BotNS), do so. Very rare though.
posted by adamrice at 11:06 AM on December 23, 2011
posted by adamrice at 11:06 AM on December 23, 2011
(Castle of the Otter is republished as 1/2 of Castle of Days, which is still in print and fairly widely available used...totally worth reading)
posted by Frowner at 1:09 PM on December 23, 2011
posted by Frowner at 1:09 PM on December 23, 2011
Response by poster: Wow, I can't believe I didn't know about Castle of Days -- thanks Frowner. And I appreciate your thoughts on the misogyny in Wolfe's work as a whole. I'm very hesitant to assign the misogyny of a story to the personal beliefs of the author, and I can't quite believe that someone as subtle as Wolfe intends for us to take, say, The Ziggurat, at face value. But your criticism of his women characters rings true.
Thanks all for the suggestions -- keep 'em coming!
posted by inkfish at 2:51 PM on December 23, 2011
Thanks all for the suggestions -- keep 'em coming!
posted by inkfish at 2:51 PM on December 23, 2011
TS Eliot's Four Quartets are alluded to throughout BOTNS.
posted by Philemon at 10:28 PM on December 23, 2011
posted by Philemon at 10:28 PM on December 23, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
But also M. John Harrison's _The Pastel City_ (I don't know about the other Viriconium books)
I know I thought a lot about the New Sun while reading Gene Wolfe's _Soldier in the Mist_ and _Soldier of Arete_.
posted by wobh at 8:38 AM on December 23, 2011