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From: Adam Stephanides <adamsteph@earthlink.net> Subject: Re: (whorl) Dante Thoughts Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 19:25:56 I think it might be more productive, instead of seeking a blow-by-blow correspondence with the Divine Comedy a la ULYSSES, to look for correspondences between specific episodes, not necessarily in order. Thus, Krait's rescue of Horn from the pit resembles the beginning of the Inferno, where Virgil leads Dante out of the dark wood. But it also resembles Dante and Virgil's climbing up Satan's body out of the lowest circle of Hell: Horn in the pit is at a low point, both physically and psychologically; the lowest circle of Hell was for traitors, and Horn becomes a traitor to his family, whatever the pressure he was under; and being lifted out of a pit by an inhumu is similar to climbing out of a pit using Satan as a ladder. Similarly, in Cantos XXI-XXIII Dante and Virgil have to cross a series of ditches, and find that the bridge across one of them is shattered. A demon falsely tells theml there is another bridge further on, and convinces them to accept as guides to it a group of demons, who later turn on them. This is reminiscent of Horn and Sinew's boarding the lander which they think will take them to Whorl, but which is controlled by inhumi and aimed at Green. --Adam *This is WHORL, for discussion of Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun. *More Wolfe info & archive of this list at http://www.moonmilk.com/whorl/ *To leave the list, send "unsubscribe" to whorl-request@lists.best.com *If it's Wolfe but not Long Sun, please use the URTH list: urth@lists.best.com