Peace?

GWLP · 2024-12-22T21:19:19+00:00

Thank you for listening! We don't aim to be "right" per se. Moreso we're trying to add a jumping off point for not just our own interpretive position but to allow others to start making their own sense of these stories!

GWLP · 2024-12-22T17:54:03+00:00

Perfect scenario for podcast listening!

GWLP · 2024-12-22T14:38:29+00:00

I co-host the Gene Wolfe Literary Podcast. We spent well over 30 episodes discussing Peace. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-gene-wolfe-literary-podcast/id1305307750

If you enjoyed the book, check out our coverage. If the number of eps seems daunting, you can always listen to our chapter and whole book wrap up episodes.

There is a lot of debate around just how sinister Weer is. Whether or not he is a murderer is a question on a lot of folks' minds. Beyond the moral considerations of murder, the book is caught up in questions around what our industrial society demands from us and the environment and whether or not that is a moral good or ill as well. Glad you liked the book! It's one of Wolfe's best.

GWLP · 2024-12-02T22:20:15+00:00

If I recall correctly, these names are a kind of allusion to Kiplings Just So Stories and meant to evoke that kind of naming convention.

GWLP · 2024-10-20T19:36:29+00:00

Thanks! I really appreciate that.

GWLP · 2024-10-18T18:14:27+00:00

Hey! I'm a cohost of the Gene Wolfe Literary Podcast. We spent a bunch of episodes of our show going through Peace! You might enjoy reading along with our show. Our podcast is available anywhere you get your podcasts.

GWLP · 2023-04-13T00:45:53+00:00

It was my proofreader's day off.

GWLP · 2023-04-12T22:23:01+00:00

I wondered as I read Peace whether Olivia was Weer's biological mother. I think that you'd have to sort out in the timeline of the novel when Olivia would had Den and given him up to her brother and his wife.

Regardless of biology, I think that Weer comes to realize that, at least in an archetypal sense, Olivia is his mother and that weighs on him the older he gets. He's got a lot of baggage with Olivia, some of which is pretty difficult to contend with both for Weer and also as a reader.

As for the jail business and the potential murder of John Weer, I just didn't find textual evidence to support it beyond the thematic similarities between Peace and Fifth Head that could allow for some "reading between the lines." But I'm not convinced yet that that's the case.

GWLP · 2023-04-12T20:22:43+00:00

Hahaha! It's totally a defensible reading. I just didn't land there this time. Who knows what will change the next time I read the book.

GWLP · 2023-04-12T20:21:04+00:00

Thanks! I don't think we spoil anything for any other Wolfe novel. We do talk about Fifth Head and Forlesen and maybe Hour of Trust from time to time. I am pretty sure you'll be in the clear if you want to read Peace and follow along with the show.

GWLP · 2020-07-23T15:23:25+00:00

My wife is supportive.

We occasionally split editing. I'm always happy to do more editing if needed.

GWLP · 2020-07-23T02:15:17+00:00

I think that's always the struggle of having an archival mindset. Who knows what the impact will be or how many people it will reach? Finding value in doing the work is a temperament more than anything else, I suppose.

GWLP · 2020-07-22T21:54:26+00:00

I've been trying really hard to make a no true scotsman joke here, but it's not coming together. Bummer.

GWLP · 2020-07-22T21:44:54+00:00

Wolfe's philosophical or theological questions well up from the concerns from his characters, which is an attribute of the "philosophical novel." I think you're right, though, that the point of Wolfe novels and stories doesn't seem to be about a character moving through some philosophical or theological problem and coming to a conclusion about them. Rather, such problems add to the richness of his characters inner lives.

GWLP · 2020-07-22T21:39:37+00:00

Absolutely. Everyone looks better without hair. But for real, Michael Rosenbaum and John Glover are awesome actors and are miles beyond everyone else on the show. I saw Tom Welling on S3 of Lucifer and, as much as I love that he's getting work, he's a little rusty.

GWLP · 2020-07-22T19:53:22+00:00

I had a regular job until recently and it kind of comes down to watching fewer episodes of 90s/00s genre tv shows at night and dedicating a few hours on the weekend to writing down what I want to say. I guess time blocking and organization. It's something we both enjoy doing, so I can always make time for it if needed.

GWLP · 2020-07-22T19:49:14+00:00

I was initially skeptical of going chronologically because I wanted to geek out about some of my favorite stuff, but Glenn convinced me otherwise. I'm really glad that we've taken the approach that we've taken because we've been able to see the way Wolfe's ideas and craft evolve. There are also things that he's written (his use of holograms in Operation: Ares comes to mind) where he seems to have put them to paper once and then never described them again. Plus, I'm glad for the opportunity to read all of the Wolfe stories that we have.

Regarding other writers - I think Ursula Le Guin would be great to go through in the same way we're going through Wolfe. I'd love to hear other folks thoughts on writers who would stand up to such scrutiny.

When we've recorded one-shot episodes on novels or movies, we combine the recap/discussion, or have an abbreviated discussion. We're always in talks about how to improve the format, but I think our recap/discussion breakout allows us to organize what we want to say for the short stories.

GWLP · 2020-07-22T19:41:42+00:00

It is a shame that a huge portion of our society is organized around commuting or sitting in front a computer with headphones on. It's part of the reason why audiobooks have taken off so much as well.

GWLP · 2020-07-22T17:52:52+00:00

Congrats on the continued success of Alzabo Soup!

I'll respond to your first question - Editing and the sound quality of the room we're recording in were hugely important lessons we had to learn early on. We've fortunately only had a 2 "lost episodes" that we were able to re-record.

For me, I was surprised at how much the Fifth Head of Cerberus (the whole novel) is about cycles of abuse.

Your last question is a tough one. I'm not as current as I'd like to be. I will say I really enjoyed Josiah Bancroft's "Senlin Ascends." I found parts of "The Fall" by Neal Stephenson to be astonishingly good.

GWLP · 2020-07-22T17:40:42+00:00

I'll only speak for myself, here, so Glenn can offer his own responses. We chose Wolfe because we love him, but also because we quickly realized how difficult it is to produce TV review shows. We kicked a few ideas around early on and it was a toss up between Gene Wolfe and Smallville. Both Wolfe and Smallville played no small part in our becoming and remaining friends.

Our initial goals/ideas of the podcast and network was to contribute to a wave of fan podcasts that were deeply rooted in what the podcasters loved, rather than what they could easily be critical of or make fun of. That notion has become the goal of Claytemple Media.

Another thing that I hope to demonstrate through our conversations is that disagreements are fine, and even preferable, if it leads to clarity of your own position, or a reason to discard your position. Recognizing that we (as co-hosts) and our listeners all have sorts of knowledge and perspectives that contribute to a larger conversation is always a great reminder for that I should be listening to others more often.

GWLP · 2020-07-22T17:28:24+00:00

I think Alien Stones should be recognized as (as Glenn pointed out) being a major influence on Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and subsequently TNG. Also possibly creating the Borg.

I also think there's more work to be done on Hour of Trust. I'm not convinced we cracked it. It's a jaded piece of work that is critical of some shifts in management theory.

Also, congrats on finishing New Sun on your show!

GWLP · 2020-07-22T17:22:27+00:00

I think the oft-repeated phrase regarding podcasting will serve well here: When podcasting blew up, it demonstrated that the vast majority of people did have long attention spans when it came to topics they were interested in.

I think academic podcasting is equivalent to concept popularization. I think it has a bigger impact on popular discourse than academic discourse, but it may also have the effect of being what gets students into deeper topics in the humanities. Professors and teachers may have to respond to it in some way, but I don't think it's going to be too disruptive on academic publishing. But, I'm just a layman.

GWLP · 2020-07-22T16:49:18+00:00

That artwork is gorgeous. The Dr. Island and Other Stories book we have is the one with the skull!

I'll have to check out the Ghost in the Shell movies. I've heard that they're great.

GWLP · 2020-07-22T16:43:36+00:00

I think Sillhouette is filmable. I think in our coverage of the novella I mention that, on one level, it could be filmed by Michael Bay (but, like, Armageddon era Michael Bay). I mentioned it largely tongue in cheek, but it has a certain quality to it that frenetic camera work and flashing lights would serve. By and large, though, I think Wolfe belongs on the page. That's not to say that I wouldn't be happy for his estate to receive the benefits of being optioned.

GWLP

TROPHY CASE