[Dragaera] Sethra and Paarfi

[Tom Foolery]

On Mon, Apr 28, 2008 at 2:21 PM, Philip Hart <philiph at slac.stanford.edu>
wrote:

>
>   You can of course
> argue that the subject at hand is only really a hypothesis that way.
>

Done!  I like that word better, anyway, since theory apparently has so many
different interpretations, above and beyond what has been discussed here.

>
> >> Elsewhere in the thread, note that Rushdie did not anticipate having
> >> to spend a decade hiding in fear of his life.
> >>
> > Which could be why we won't be seeing many Paarfi novels from here on
> out,
> > no?
>
> We've read several of Paarfi's Histories following the (normally)
> unbearable aspersions cast on Morrolan in _TPotD_.


I apologize, I was merely attempting to inject some humor.


> > Why must they be true?  Why must they make sense?
> They don't have to, but they might, and if one wishes to read the Texts
> as something, well, legible, it's useful to come up with reasons why one
> should think so.  Otherwise, given SKZB's interest in story as mutable
> substance, one is liable to end up with the Texts being a sea of chaotic
> words (however pleasingly arranged on the page) and little more.
>
>
Okay, why is that so wrong?  Why must there be form in the amorphia?
Especially when the author himself appears to enjoy the chaos?  I am
sincerely not trying to get under your skin by asking this, though I fear I
have already.



> > He has admitted to making stuff up.
>
> Not that I know of, certainly not beyond the Thucydidean sense.
>

AFB here, but didn't he make remarks that he embellished some aspects to
make things more pleasing?   Isn;'t embellishment akin to "making stuff up?"
and if that is a true statement, can't it also be called "creative lying?"
I guess it doesn't matter, overall, because I accept the story as "true"
even if the details ask more questions than they answer.  Mr. Brust does a
terrific job in throwing out little details that tie the world together.
It's amazing, actually.  But I don't know we can do more than agree upon a
"truth" unless Mr. Brust removes the veil of mystery.

So!  Now that we've danced around this, I still am not certain Paarfi did
anything more than pay attention, and embellished things a lot.

Tomas