So you have your nice new copy of S. but you want to discuss it with like minded souls.Well here is the place to do it, use the comments on this page for a general book discussion.
We do have to say, although it may be obvious, that anyone reading comments may get spoiled by mysteries in the book, if you are worried, maybe read from the top down to get to the place you think you are in the book so you can see what others are saying.
Speaking of spoilers we don't want to stop open and frank discussion, but if you think something is too big a reveal and will spoil the whole book then please don't post about it, not without spoiler tags at least.
Please try and help others, be kind and courteous and above all enjoy the book and its contents.
As this post has got to over 200 comments, if you add a comment, make sure you choose the latest page link to see your comments and others that have been added recently.
Just picked the book up! look forward to discussing it with everyone here!
ReplyDeleteHello. Ryan. Welcome aboard the SFiles.. I am attempting to read S. but it's hard to know which plot line to follow! Looking for to your thoughts. M
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to be disciplined enough to do it, but the guy at Barnes and Noble said to try to read the Ship of Theseus novel itself in its entirety, then to go back and read the annotations. Seems insane though!
ReplyDeleteHello Brandt. I tried reading all at the same time, tough going, so I've decided to enjoy the book, then try to follow E and J's research and love story. Definitely, information overload. Looking forward to your comments. Did you listen to www.radiostraka.com
DeleteThat seems like sound advice to me. I'm recalling House of Leaves and the seemingly similar challenges (rewards) it posed to the reader. My copy of S is still shrink-wrapped in the other room, awaiting my attention. For now, finishing some work and listening to broadcast 5.
DeleteI have started reading the book, however i have been reading page by page. Annotations and all. It takes a little more time, but so far i have gotten a ton of enjoyment out of it. It is a strange feeling to be so excited to turn a page and see what comes next.
DeleteRyan and Scott, I now have a pattern. Read the story one chapter at a time and then go back and follow J & E notes and artifacts. They are solving the mystery for us along the way which I'm sure you have noted by now. We'll have dedicated posts for artifacts soon. If you want to make a comment to any of them specifically, help to confirm translations, or explain that little wheeling thingumabob.
DeleteI'm enjoying the book in all it's forms...
I am definitely finding that it is easier to read a page at a time and then go back and read the notes on that page. If I read the story itself first and then went back to read the notes, I feel like I would forget important pieces.
DeleteThis might be too late, but I found a post somehwere the coded the color of their margin notes chronologically. Jen and Eric read through the book several times and the ink they write in reflects that.
DeleteFirst pass: Jen writes in blue, Eric black. Second, Jen writes in orange, Eric Green. Third reading, Jen writes in purple, Eric in red.
So, I've been reading each chapter through to the end and then going back and reading the first set of margin notes. Then when I finish, I will go back and read the second pass of notes, and then again go back and read the third. This allows me to come up with my own ideas and thoughts about the clues in the text and then go back and see what they've come up with. Also, I'm too impatient to go more than a chapter without reading their comments.
Hope you see this and that it helps!
Lou: there's a fourth pass where they're both writing in black ink as well.
DeleteI just got the book a few days ago. I've been reading each page, notes included, as I go. I did figure out that different colors of ink mean different passes, but I hadn't really assigned each color a number yet. I'm having so much fun reading this book!
DeleteHi Lori, hope you find some useful things on here, if you look on the main blog there is a reference page about margin note ink colours
DeleteHello !
ReplyDeleteGlad to see people here, the UK seems to be bereft of copies, something to do with the storm on Sunday delaying shipments.
But I got a despatch notice saying it should arrive tomorrow, look forward to reading it with you.
Read on twitter you were looking for a list of items in the book. You don't have an email yet so I'll post it here. This is the way I remember things for myself. You may edit and make a list about it if you like and delete this comment after. If you chose. Let me know if you have any questions.
ReplyDeleteBook S
Translator's notes and foreword between pgs 2&3 or {vi} & {vii}
Mimeographed/ copied sheets
Konfidentiell 17 Augusti 1928
2 sheets one in German one in English
Chapter Ship of Theseus page 11
Stationary
Pollard State University
VMS Accussed of...
Page 20-21
Copy of book page
The Burning Word: The 1759 fire that destroyed San Tadeo-----
Page 32-33
Newspaper clipping The Daily Pronghorn
Welcome Back to Campus!
Page 54-55
Copy of 2 telegrams one in German
Des Deutschen Reiches
Postal Telegraph The International System - McKay's Magazine Boston
Chapter The Emersion of S. page 69
Copy of newspaper clipping Lampa
Page 86-87
Green stationary to Mr. Hirsch from Jean -Bernard Desjardins
Page 100-101
Gray stationary 2 sheets from Jen to Eric
Page 112-113
Post Card from Brazil from E
Page 130-131
Blank post card of brick wall w/ arch faint S in brick
Page 178-179
Post Card Native Birds of Brazil from E
Page 190-191
Crimped edged post card of gate and tall palms from E
Page 192-193
Post Card Brazil beach from E
Page 200-201
Crimped edge post card pictorial Brazil - like a map- from E
Page 203 A Sleeping Dog
Yellow legal note paper 3 sheets hand written
Page 242-243
Small crimped edged black & white photo
Of a woman on deck near a ship stamp on back 8NG
Page 256-257
Card with a monkey on front newspaper clipping inside - obituary- from E P
Page 306-307
Napkin Pronghorn Java with map drawn on it.
Page 360-361
A card with a hooded person holding a bird Jean-Bernard Desjardins on back a quote by V M Straka
Page 376-377
Hand written letter on Pollard State University stationary from Jen to Eric
Page 416-417
Blue and white stationary To my new friends: ---
Back of book
A decoder ring
The newspaper clipping inside the card between pages 256-257 is in Portuguese I believe.
DeleteAlso don't know the language of the copied newspaper clipping between pages 68-69 but thee is a typewritten translation below it.
DeleteThanks for the list, I have used it in a main blog post with a couple of slight modifications.
DeleteYou're welcome. It was just what I jotted down for my own use in notes on my iphone. I just copied and pasted. So it probably needed some cleaning up.
DeleteThanks for doing this Tess! I scrawled out an inventory (bagged & tagged) but was too tired to type it up.
DeleteA correction though - I'd say that the 1st letter is in Swedish not German. (Konfidentiell is Swedish for Confidential)
You're probably right. I'm not good with languages.
DeleteWhat I thought was a blank post card between pages 130-131 is actually a photo. I didn't look at the back closely.
DeleteThanks, I'm going to find time tomorrow to try and do some checking and updating.
DeleteThat should say make a post about it if you like. Not * list*
ReplyDeleteBy the way I'm guessing some of the letters or written in German. In cant read foreign languages. MJ could probably tell you if I'm right in my guess or not.
DeleteBy the way I'm guessing some of the letters are written in German. In cant read foreign languages. MJ could probably tell you if I'm right in my guess or not.
DeleteI tried using Google Translate on the first german note.. but no luck..
DeleteRyan -- the 1st letter is in Swedish, not German.
DeleteAny way to divide discussion up- say by chapter, and maybe topic- like the ephemera list?
ReplyDelete
DeleteI'm not sure everyone will read it the someway. I'm reading it as I come across it. MJ I think is going to read the novel first then Jen and Eric's notes in the margins to each other. Then there's the list cards etc. this will be a hard book to discuss.
I'm not sure everyone will read it the someway. I'm reading it as I come across it. MJ I think is going to read the novel first then Jen and Eric's notes in the margins to each other. Then there's the list cards etc. this will be a hard book to discuss.
ReplyDeleteUgg autocorrect keeps turning post into list. Lol
DeleteThere's a subreddit for discussions and everything else relating to S. that was created today... if anyone's interested it's r/whoisstraka it might be more orderly for discussions than commenting here.
ReplyDeleteMy kids go on reddit, but it confuses me. Old I guess. Lol
DeleteThat subreddit is pretty empty though.
DeleteQuick question guys. I've been reading the novel itself and the notes between J and E page by page because it's easier for me to understand everything. However I just realized that the ink in green and orange seems to be from future correspondence. What has everyone been doing? Reading the orange and green as you read the story alone with the blue and black? Or skipping the orange and green to read it after you read the book? Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteMelissaSheryl, welcome to SFiles22! I am reading one chapter of the book, then going back and reading margins. J & E move through the clues in the books as anyone would, back and forth as new thoughts and ideas occur. J started in color cursive, but I see now (chapter 5) she's also using black. That was a bit of a surprise. Then there is the matter of the underlined passages in pencil! But that might be spoiler, so I will leave it for you to discover.
DeleteOne of the hardest things to get used to is the complete "destruction" of this "library book". Clearly, if found, we would need to report to the librarian.ha ha. I'm wondering if I should add my own notes? Why not!
i know why you say that, because the references are from something that isn't explained in that page... like if it's a different conversation after they read the book... right..? that's the feeling i got from it...
DeleteMJCarp: thanks for the welcome! I was very curious about the underlined passages. I'm not very far in yet, but now you have my intrigued about them. I'm going to pay close attention. I think I may try your technique from now on: reading a chapter at a time and then going back and reading J and E'a conversations.
DeleteGumbii: exactly! That's why I don't know if I should be reading all of the conversations, or just specific colors and then going back.
DeleteYep guys, there is a chronology to the inks colors - both for Jen and Eric.
DeleteFrom oldest >> most recent:
- Eric: Pencil >> Black felt tip >> Green felt tip >>
- Jen: Blue ballpoint >> blue ball point >> Red ballpoint >> Purple
For example, Jen mentions Serin pretty early on (p. xii) but Eric doesn't really comment about the check from the Serin Institute until p15. So that trip to NYC for the photo auction is later along the Jen/Eric timeline
I've been reading all of the annotations as I go, noting that comments in later ink took place later. Slow going.
EDIT -- Ink Color Chronology:
DeleteFrom oldest >> most recent:
- Eric: Pencil >> Black felt tip >> Green >> Red felt tip
- Jen: Blue ballpoint >> blue ball point >> Red ballpoint >> Purple || Black felt tip**
**Jen starts using black felt tip (just like Eric's - possibly the same pen) but chronology isn't yet clear
-Jen only - p101, p201, p221
-Both Jen & Eric (same page, same exchange): p66, p113, p115
Please feel free to add to this if you note changes/differences etc.
Haven't read all the posts here yet. Just wanted to say how happy I am to have found this blog. Started the book today and hooked! Looking forward to reading all the insights here. And I just bought a ticket to JJ Abrams/Doug Dorst "S." Book event at Symphony Space in NYC in November.
ReplyDeleteJojo, welcome. We are glad you found us as well. Terrific that you can attend the event in NYC. We would love a full reporting of that event! Are you twitter? or other media?
DeleteHi MJ, yes I am following you on twitter and looking for a Facebook group as well. Posted all about the book on my fav Lost Facebook page today. We are diehard JJ fans. Everyone is buying the book. haha Glad to be here.
ReplyDeleteI found the person who "keeps up with all the places the symbol (S) has shown up. A guy in Denmark tracks them on his website". Jen, page 14
ReplyDeleteHis name is Juri Moller on Pinterest. http://www.pinterest.com/JuriMoll/the-board-s/
"how cool would it be if even a few were real (esp the really old ones)?- Jen. Eric says these can be faked fan sites-but this one does have some "old" S sightings.
DeleteThanks JoJo! I tweeted this the other day (RadioStraka had replied to him). But I'm not completely convinced this is an authentic "in game" account. While the pinterest account started pinning pics before Oct 29th book release, the twitter handle was only registered Oct 30th and there is no associated website. I'd be cautious (as Eric advised) :)
DeleteI also have found a web site connected to the book- search of eotvos wheel (page 3 margin note) brings up this- wheel
ReplyDeleteWow. Much needed information! We'll get a post on this overnight. I was looking for eotvos wheel information earlier this week. Didn't see this link. Many some behind the scenes invitations needed... ;-)
DeleteHave emailed the maker of the Wheel page- JW Dominguez. The page has long list of candidates to be Straka. Email- TheLitigationMonkey@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteJT, that site is incredible. How the heck did you find it? I've been researching VM Straka all day! Amazing find. What did you say in your email to JW Dominquez?
DeleteKV909562A
DeleteTR909267B
TY514728W
VX856712W
From the Photos tab, crime scene Anyone?
Jojo- was checking out if the wheel could be used in the cipher contest, as they mention using it for decoding. Asked Mr Dominguez if he has any tips for new readers of Straka. They are definitely looking for email I would say as they have the whole contact page there.
DeleteMJ- Possibly longitude and latitude readings?
DeleteThen we are looking for specific cities, either from the book, footnotes, margin notes, postcards, letters, newspaper articles, etc. A list would be in order. And some orderly pattern. Do we start with Lampa 1910? latitude N 50, Longitude E 14, then where to? Gives M D J Q P for a starting letter. Anyone have a thought?
DeleteJojo: I've solved the cipher contest and you don't use the wheel. ;)
DeleteThen how do you solve it? Any other hints/clues?
DeleteFor the Cipher contest, all I'll say is it is a twin dillema
DeleteJeffrey: everything I needed to solve the cipher was in the book. I'll just say that using the wheel is a dead end.
DeleteI finally have my own copy of S :-)
ReplyDeleteHave to say it is a gorgeous piece of work, I will take great pleasure in reading it, but finding the time to study everything will be tough.
You might have seen my tweet earlier, but just in case you didn't, the phrase "Find what you love and fight like hell when people try to take it away from you" is a margin note in the intoduction and Radio Straka used that same phrase at the end of transmission 5.
So does this mean Radio Straka is Eric ?
Or Eric quoting Straka perhaps? No- I like Eric as reborn Straka trying to find out about himself better!
DeleteWell it doesn't get much better than that, Doug Dorst just mentioned us on Twitter :-)
ReplyDeleteSomeone asked for a list of where the inserts go and he told the person to look here :-D
A nod from Doug Dorst that's awesome. Your blog is getting popular already.
DeleteGot book today, realized that S tears off at perforations, then gets stuck to spine. Might need more double sided tape though.
ReplyDeleteI live the library date stamps at the back. Still might buy one of those stamp kits for books one day.
ReplyDeleteit's very possible they are clues!
DeleteSo I spent last night flipping through the book and skimming the notes to get some feel for the timeline of the notes and I believe I have a decent reading order for them:
ReplyDelete1. Pencil: this is Eric writing notes to himself as he's reading the book for the first time, and a lot of what Jen seems to be responding to in her first set of notes (in blue ink)
2. Blue and black ink: this is Jen and Eric writing back and forth to one another
3. Green and orange ink: this is Jen and Eric writing after the first set of notes (and this is also where the postcards from Brazil come into play, I believe)
4. Purple and red: this is Jen and Eric writing after the second set of notes
5. Black and black: the final set of notes we see both Eric and Jen writing in black ink (which you can isolate from (2.) above by the inclusion of Jen's cursive in black. I *think* I also noted that there were a few instances of Eric writing notes on his own that seemed to be from this last set, and those were outlined in black boxes (and/or had black vertical lines on either side? I forget)
My reading plan is to read the novel itself first, then read the pencil marks and the blue/black notes on the second pass, do a third pass for the green/orange, a fourth for red/purple and a fifth for black/black.
The ephemera seem to be mentioned in the notes Jen and Eric leave one another, so I'm reading those as they're mentioned.
Thanks for the info, I'm going to create reference page with this and the other suggestions on.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteMelvillean, wow, thanks so much. Very helpful. I've been trying to only read the the book but Jen and Eric's notes are just too fun and interesting to pass over. So now I read each page with their notes and save their later notes for another time.
DeleteThanks Melvillean! I'd done something similar, but in a flow chart type form. I'm reposting here.
DeleteEDIT -- Ink Color Chronology:
From oldest >> most recent:
- Eric: Pencil >> Black felt tip >> Green >> Red felt tip
- Jen: Blue ballpoint >> blue ball point >> Red ballpoint >> Purple || Black felt tip**
**Jen starts using black felt tip (just like Eric's - possibly the same pen) but chronology isn't yet clear
-Jen only - p101, p201, p221
-Both Jen & Eric (same page, same exchange): p66, p113, p115
Please feel free to add to this if you note changes/differences etc.
BTW, finding many Lost references in the book. (I know, been there, done that, but once a Lostie always a Lostie). Wanted to know if anyone is interested in having a "Lost" reference page somewhere here. They probably aren't clues to this story, just thought it would be fun for other Losties. For example, the name "Ana Luisa" (Ana Lucia). The mentioning of the word Lost (page 4, SOT), etc...What do you think?
ReplyDeleteSounds good to me :-)
DeleteIn my mind there has always been something very LOST about this whole thing.
I'm treating them separately, but always with one eye looking through the bamboo.
I've been seeing the LOST references too (not surprising at all).
DeleteLove the way Zort put it, "treating them separately, but always with one eye looking through the bamboo.'
I'm finding the dialogue & fellowship that evolves between Jen & Eric in some ways similar to the discussions (and connections) that happen online (forums, twitter, etc.) -- kind of reminiscent of LOSTARGs.
They use "ARG" as an abbreviation for argument. And Jen actually writes "fanfic" in the margin replying to a comment Eric made regarding some critic calling Ship of Theseus fan-made.
Oh, and there's a reference to browncoats as well -- p83.
Exactly : "once a Lostie, always a Lostie" !
Delete@Lionel -- always gotta have a fellow LOSTies back. ;)
DeleteHi guys. Just wanted to introduce myself. Found this website after doing a quick google for the eotvos wheel. Looks like this site might be a huge help when I read further into this amazing book. You should set up a forum for everyone to post/discuss things!
ReplyDeleteHello Andrew, welcome to the SFiles.
DeleteThis is the forum :-)
We have set up reference pages for aspects of the book, each with there own comments section for people to discuss.
If you have an idea for a reference topic let us know.
Have the book arriving tomorrow, thanks for this fascinating and useful site. Isn't it fun to find a new mystery to explore!
ReplyDeleteHello, and welcome.
DeleteI'm loving the mysteries, but they are many and varied !
So has anyone figured out how to actually use the Eotvos wheel? Looking for references and the notes on pg. 3 and pg. 10. It seems like they mention it when there are lists of adjectives or some sort. Also, what is "Fns" or "FR"? I can't read exactly what she's writing. What does that stand for?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteIs the coding wheel actually an Eotvos wheel ?
DeleteFn = Foot note
DeleteHiggins and Jeffery, welcome! Glad you found us. It is great to have a new mystery to solve.
ReplyDeleteFns = footnotes. The decoder wheel provided should come in handy to decipher coordinates, but we have not discovered those as of today. We have a dedicated tab for footnotes and ciphers.
Ah, thank you MJCarp! Now I feel like an idiot... haha That makes so much sense now.
DeleteI love a writer that gives me new vocabulary- as in- I trust that S will not be a FARRAGO of mysteries.
ReplyDeleteI am reading through the story first without side notes- and had one other general thought. S____ must either speak many languages, or have a Star Trek Universal Translator.
ReplyDeleteSorry - but I didn't know there was a word for the sleep/awake time- "hypnagogic terrors"- that one's a beaut! I did know "defenestration".
ReplyDeleteI believe some of Jen's favorites (top 10) might be cipher keys. There are also some non-words, made up. Or are they? Hmmm. I did not know the term hypnagogic as well, but know the experience!
DeleteI wondered how the book could be published with the fake information and date in the front- and just saw the real info in the Teeeniest type on the inside back cover.
DeleteZort- back cover also has list of the sources for the items in the book- like Shutterstock.com/Dale Berman.
DeleteYes I did have a quick look there - bart4u - You can see the burger picture used in the PSU newsletter on the first page.
DeleteHave reached the end and found "sussurus"- the eS-ee-est word of them all!
ReplyDeleteSue, nice find. They are several of these creative words. Do you think worth keeping track of?
DeleteJust for personal enjoyment I would say. Jen's circled favorites more likely to be useful, as you have mentioned I think.
DeleteHi guys !
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to say hi, and thank you for all the work and findings you have made available on this blog !
I'm French, and got my S. Book from the UK yesterday...
Just finished chapter 1, so I'll be careful not to read too much spoilers here, but I definitely will come back often !
Hello Lionel and welcome.
DeleteHope you find something of interest here and can help us solve the mysteries of S.
Thanx Zort, I'm sure I will !
DeleteI don't know if anyone else has seen this yet, but there is a hidden page on eotvoswheel.com. If you go to eotvoswheel.com/page6 , there is a discussion of some further sources on the Calais riot. There is no page1, 2, 3, 4, or 5.
ReplyDeleteHello Paul, it isn't hidden as such because it is linked on the Bouchard Prize post, but it is an odd html page reference.
DeleteYep. There are a few links like that -- some that go to real wiki pages, some that link to wiki pages for fictional characters/places within SoT, and some that link within the eotvoswheel.com blog.
DeleteJen's Favorite Words (so far...I am behind in my reading)
ReplyDelete-skullduggery {vi}
-Amanuensis {ix} -- also "Apis's Amenuenis" both words begin with A and end with S.
-MacGuffin (p69, margin notes)
-leptorrhine (p88)
-gaffed (p164)
-blackscabbards (p198)
There is part of a line that Jen says she loves: (p81)
"scratches his bald head self consciously
There are other words from the text that they've circled, or drawn a box around, but not commented on as fave's. I've kept track of some of them.
-provisionally (p10, margin notes) -- Not a fave, but I've included it since they come back to it a couple of times with later inks.
-holystone (p42, p57) -- I've include this since it's marked/circled twice.
There is something deeper going on with the concept of holystones, which are used to scrape the deck clean. Another favorite word of Jen's is "palimpsest", which means in latin "scraped clean and used again." There is a connection here. What does it mean?
Deletehttp://whoisstraka.wordpress.com/2013/12/06/holystones/
Adding on:
ReplyDelete-integrious (p367) -- Eric asks if it's a new fave and Jen replies hat it makes he top ten.
Whee! Got the cipher contest to work- I am BAD with that stuff. Anyone entering- did you note that 40% of contest is "style" in description of how you solved- and 10% is logic? Also- no transportation expenses- just 75$ lunch! Ah- but what a lunch!
ReplyDeleteCongrats!
DeleteYeah, notice though, that 10% logic applies to how well we explain our method/steps for decryption in 50 words or less (not for the logic we used in decryption).
As I understood it, the 40% style is for the method used to decrypt, not the description of the steps. (So using your brain, pen/paper, 5x5 table should theoretically garner more style points than just using an online decoder.) It's pretty difficult to explain the steps of that particular cipher decryption in <50 words & still comment on their minor encoding variation.
Though I have since thought of a trick that would have afforded MUCH more space, I'm not sure it would be allowed within contest rules.
I just tweeted, but I'll post here as well -
ReplyDeletePage 334 of Ship Of Theseus - mentions the name Taraqachi - In the Quetcha language Misti taraqachi means magpie
Also earlier I found -
On page 244 Jen writes "19 ?" in reference to the name "Omar Tisatashar", it appears to be the Arabic pronunciation for 19 - Arabic pronunciation blog
I've added that last one to the 19 page
My apologies if this was already discussed. I am sure each of you have dialed in your latitude and longitude on the Eotvos Wheel. When I did so I noted that the word SIOUX is shown in the code box. As far as I can tell, this is the only real word (at least in English) on the wheel. Interesting that it starts with S....
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone have insight into using this wheel? Do you think it is named after the physicist Eötvös? Does that matter for its use? Also, given that the postcard from Brazil (pp112-113) provides a specific city name, has anyone dialed in the correct lat and long and used the resulting code reveal to decipher the postcard text?
The Eötvös wheel code for Lençois Brazil is BFKAR. Does anyone think that would be the 5-letter seed for a Playfair cipher matrix?
DeleteHi, yes I've had a look at the wheel and pulled out all the code lines, you are right about SIOUX being the only possible real word.
DeleteThen I looked I logged all the codes based on the number on the outer wheel relative to 0 on the inner wheel.
They are all different numbers between the East and West halves of the wheel except 59 and 111 where codes appear on both East and West.
Hello all! I just wanted to drop in and say hello. I've been creeping on this site since I got the book last Friday. Currently only on page 63 but am really enjoying it! I am reading the margin notes as they are referenced in the book text or when I finish reading a page. Any other suggestions? I also see that no one has been able to figure out what to do with the decoder. GAH! There is SO MUCH in this book!
ReplyDeleteHi there,
DeleteI have been reading a whole chapter of SoT then going back and looking at the notes, it seems to flow better that way for me.
No, we haven't had anyone say they have worked out the code wheel yet, I opened up a new reference page today for it, so any suggestions greatly appreciated.
Well, I've almost finished with chapter two so I think I will try it your way once I start chapter three. That way I can see how it flows for me too. Also, referencing one of the above posts, I've noticed a lot of Lost references too! I'm not sure if they're intentional or not, but it's nice to recognize something that seems like a throwback to one of my favorite shows of all time.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteGeneral question: what do we know about our hosts, MJCarp and Zort70? I note with some interest that MJCarp's avatar is a postcard from Brazil. And while Zort70 has info available on the blogger.com site and has a website and clear digital footprint, MJCarp has no personal info and yet is indicated as having blogged since 2008....
ReplyDelete;>
We take them at their word when they say "We are not associated with Bad Robot Productions, J.J. Abrams or any other production company," since there's no reason not to.
DeleteHeh. I "know" MJ & Zort from back in the LOST days and indeed they are not in any way associated with Bad Robot Productions, J.J. Abrams, etc. I've even had the pleasure of meeting MJ on a few occasions. As Zort says below, take a look at the LOSTArgs site.
DeleteMJ & Zort are fans, generous enough to use their free time to create a place where we can all come together to discuss the enigma that is S. Nobody does it alone.
Ha! I wasn't trying to imply lack of independence, only trying to stir up "the mystery". You guys are doing a great job. BTW, I am a "Lost" and "Fringe" virgin, coming to this only via the book, which I bought on a whim while browsing through a local bookstore. Given how much I am loving the book, I may have to hit Netflix for Abrams' television shows.
DeleteYes, you've stumbled into the neighborhood bar of a band of Interwebs mystery adventurers- welcome! Can also vouch that MJ and Zort are not Bad Robot Agents- (though we do know a great BR cospalyer- @TK10815). Hope you do watch Fringe & Lost- there's a lot of excellence there.
DeleteJust wanted to say everyone should check out "Alias" as well.
DeleteLess than 100 pages left in S. Trying to Stat spoiler free, but I'll be back when I'm finished.
Horace, hello! Welcome to SFiles22. I see that I have been vouched for by some nice friends. I am as they say not bad, great fan, and have a few spare moments to play games dreamed up by JJ. Zort70 is good friend, seriously smart, and runs the show here. We are split time zones, so I try to look in when he's snoozing, in case there is breaking news.
DeleteAre you saying that you have NOT watched LOST and Fringe? Is that what you mean by virgin? That was brave of you to admit! ha ha. Start with LOST Pilot Part 1 & 2. Those couple of hours are movie-quality productions and started many of us here on a journey we did not expect.
Definitely completely independent, have a look at LostArgs for some of our previous work.
ReplyDeleteSome here are noticing the all capped, underlined, and double-underlined words in the margins, i.e., ATALL (sometimes aTaLL), RELAX, BREATHE. Is it possible these words are identifiers or codes within the margins. Do they connect or direct E & J to certain pages? If you discover the pattern, please let us know.
ReplyDeleteFinally finished novel, and read through of margin notes one set after the other. Sure do seem to be many times when Jen says there is a code there, but does not solve it. Also, the pirate's treasure mentioned many times- and that there are glyphs that might lead to it. Seems to me that the stamped pieces of obsidian and the wooden sailor whistles might be items that could be found in the real world- maybe the wheel will point to some geocaching sites.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised and amazed. I'm a 1/3 of the way through the book but kept thinking one I'd finished it, the wheel and all the other mysteries would be solved by Jen and Eric. - This, I figured, would be the exciting part of the story. Watching how these two read the book and solve the mystery. Not actually finishing the book and the still being a huge gap in the sense that the wheel isn't solved.
DeleteI'm perfectly willing to accept that the wheel might just be a MacGuffin (given that there are numerous MacGuffins in the novel itself as well as having the word itself called out in the marginal notes).
DeleteI really believe there is something for us to find, whether it is something physical or some extra book content or something else I don't know but I definitely think there is something for is if we want to look for it.
DeleteJust read Horace's post. Weren't you questioned at the LostARGS once too Zort? You crafty fellow. ;-) several of the posters here are from that blog. Just finished the book. Wanted to do that before delving into all the discussions.
ReplyDeleteI don't know much about html coding or website construction, but it seems odd to me that regardless of what one types after http://labalise.fr/ one still gets the "No Server Signal" message. For example, labalise.fr/fubar still gives the "Server" message. Try that on other sites and you get a 404 error or some other error message. I may be mistaken, but this suggests to me that there may be some text that would be typed after the / which would take you to a page with other content. In other words, the site directs all traffic to the "Server" message except for labalise.fr/XXXXXXX, where XXXXXXX might be a code derived from text. Perhaps this is just based on my ignorance regarding website behavior.
ReplyDeleteUnless what you're seeing there IS the 404 page.
DeleteI was thinking about this and wondered if the transmissions are every 19 days and 19 hours when do we start from ?
DeleteThe first Radio Straka transmission or the book release date ? and also what time of day 19:19 ? but which time zone ?
If it is from the first Radio Straka transmission then it would be today at some point, if the book release it would be Sunday I think.
They have tweeted this today-
DeleteTwo weeks since the last @NTSlive broadcast & followers still flock to the masts of this Radio Straka. Thank you all http://www.radiostraka.com
You think they will do more?
Probably not. Radio Straka was just a marketing gimmick. It wasn't written by Dorst or Abrams: http://www.booktrade.info/index.php/showarticle/50415/
DeleteThat's very interesting background for the broadcasts- I think they were well done. Writer seemed to understand how to expand the book world into the real world , pulling lots events from history. I would imagine they ran it by JJ and DD before airing also.
DeleteAnd friends and family are mentioned, so to speak!
melvillean is right. You're looking at the 404 page. If you check out the page source you can see you're basically being redirected to twinup.co, a website development company in France. Any 404 page on that website (e.g. twinup.co/asdf) shows that same "No Server Signal Found" message. The twinup website has no obvious S easter eggs
DeleteSo, my thought process
1. Twinup is probably "behind the curtain" and not what we're supposed to be looking at, if they are involved at all
2. It seems like a lot of trouble to go through to hire a French web development company to build labalise.fr and then have it be both broken and leading "behind the curtain"
3. The easiest solution is that both labalise.co and twinup.co are unrelated to S. It wouldn't be the first website Eric and Jen can access but we can't (c.f. the "german guy" tracking the S symbol, or their university website)
I've been looking around for "real world" places that could be associated with the book.
ReplyDeleteI haven't found any Argosy Hotel that's ever been noted in NYC. But there is an Argosy Book Store 116 East 59th Street (59th St., between Park Ave & Lexington).
Argosy Book Store is family owned, and is NYC's oldest independent book store (founded in 1925). They carry antiquarian and out-of-print items and specialize in Americana, modern first editions, autographs, art, antique maps & prints, and the history of science & medicine.. The store fills a 6 floor building in Manhattan.
Click on the link and take a virtual tour: Argosy Books -- LOOK INSIDE. Definitely the kind of book store an old, rare Straka book might be found in.
The "Argosy Hotel" reference could have simply been an homage. But I wonder (and I know how crazy this sounds) if it may be linked somehow? I'm going to send them an email & am thinking about giving them a call tomorrow.
This guy has compiled a lot of great stuff too! http://mysteriesofs.wordpress.com
ReplyDeleteSpoiler note at end if you haven't finished- anyone worried that on pg 448 they bring up unknown person who wrote "s" in book in beginning ? And then, very last thing is "OK" by Eric- saying he would go into next room- but it is crossed out by black lines. Have images of defenestration from apartment window in Prague. Oh dear- I did a search after I wrote that and found this- Defenestrations of Prague
ReplyDeleteStill curious about the S, yes. As for the OK -- I took it as a little lighthearted ending. Like, Eric was so used to writing in the book, that he began to write a reply. Then he (or maybe Jen came in and grabbed the book from him) crossed it out to go join her.
DeleteI set up an IRC channel to help bounce ideas around or just chat:
ReplyDeletehttp://client00.chat.mibbit.com/?server=irc.webchat.org&channel=#straka
Finally finished the book! Would be curious to see if eventually Straka's original MS is somehow found and brought to light... very much got the impression that FXC took over for the ending.
ReplyDeleteI would love it if one of the codes led us to the real final chapter.
DeleteSorry if this is explained somewhere, but why do locations in SoT only get given their first letter. Eg p447. Last paragraph says "...the cave above B---"
ReplyDeleteIt happens all through he book and I think I missed an explanation why.
Thanks. T
Terence, this is a common literary trope. Authors ranging from George Orwell to Jane Austen, from Kafka to Auster, have used this sort of naming convention to make a character seems as though he/she was part of the "real" world. Doyle used this in Sherlock Holmes stories to make it seem like a real person was being protected from identification. Other authors have done the same thing with place names and dates.
DeleteGreat stuff. Thanks for this info Horace.
ReplyDeleteHello all! I already feel I'm a latecomer, having only even discovered this book's existence yesterday (my copy should be arriving by courier tomorrow), and can't wait to get immersed! I adore puzzles, riddles and the like, particularly narrative based ones, and was thrilled to come across this site. It's been difficult trying NOT to allow myself to see spoilers, but I couldn't help looking for information in anticipation.
ReplyDeleteHi Amanda, welcome on board, hope we can provide some useful information for you.
ReplyDeleteOK, heres another shot in the dark. On the Birds of Brazil postcard Eric mentions p389 of Alves's Birds of Brazil. I can't find any such book, but realised that the full title of the Winged Shoes by Straka is...The Winged Shoes of Emydio Alves. Perhaps Eric is giving Jen a hidden message look at page 389 of the Winged shoes to decode something. P389 of SoT is a deadened for me...like almost everything in this book!! Maybe its something, maybe its nothing... T
ReplyDeleteSo this may not be totally in the spirit of the S. experience, but I would really appreciate if someone would explain what was the final theory that Jen and Eric decided to believe. I have read everything in the book, but I am still quite confused. I have looked all over the internet, but no one seems to have posted any spoilers or detailed summary. So I would appreciate if someone would be willing to clear things up. Here are a few questions:
ReplyDelete[Spoiler Alert]
-
-
1. Who do Jen and Eric believe was Straka? It seems like they mentioned, that they though he was the factory worker also called Straka.
2. Who is Signe? Was this Straka's child?
3. What the heck was going on with the fires being set on campus? Is the "new S" group of authors trying to protect Straka's identity?
4. What was the purpose of the "old S"? It seemed like they were fighting against people they thought were evil like facists and corporations.
5. So Filomena (FXC) was in love with Straka, even though she never knew who he was?
-
-
[End Spoilers]
Thanks for any help!
-J
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
Delete1. Yes - they think that the factory worker was Straka. Durand and Ekstrom(?) were confirmed to be in Prague when Vaclav Straka jumped off of the bridge, and so they could have possibly had the opportunity to save him and bring him into their fold.
2. I think so. Definitely seems to be Durand's daughter, though not sure if Ekstrom or Straka is the father. Feel like it is probably Straka's daughter due to the lengths that everyone goes to in order to hide her. Page 382 discusses that Durand was in the hospital, but that it was suspiciously never mentioned in any of Durand's writings, even though she was meticulous with her documents. Probably was in the hospital giving birth to Signe. After Ekstrom and Durand's deaths, Signe was raised by Straka and Summersby (according to Summersby's lawyer). Signe grows up to marry the prof/researcher Desjardins.
3. Seems like it. Although probably not the "new S", as they were the ones fighting the "old S," and are probably much too old to be committing arson. New new S, maybe? New new new S?
4. Pretty much. Exposing industrial-era abuses and such.
5. Yes.
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
Bravo! Thank you for your thoughtful answers. Overall, I have to say that I enjoyed the book but had hoped for more of a mystery and less of a literary study. Brilliant book design nonetheless.
DeleteHas anyone yet cataloged the various appearances of "the monkey"? Given the margin note in Ch 10 (pg 434) indicating that the monkey has some other meaning beyond the obvious of a charming simian and the "Follow the Monkey" tweets, I'm wondering where that listing might lead?
ReplyDeleteAlso open; the Jen twitter feed draws attention to the various references of the pirate, Covarrubias, (including getting one of the page number incorrect, as it turns out):
@EricHusch Sometimes you are tricky to love. Seriously, look. The pirate is mentioned 8 times on six pages. (ix, 64, 210, 266, 410, 426)
The final pg reference is actually 416.
Interesting, the monkey and the pirate do seem to be mentioned a lot.
DeleteI'm still struggling to find the Litigation Monkey blog that is mentioned on the Eotvos Wheel website, so I wonder if the Monkey and the Pirate are linked ?
I just attempted a catalog of the monkey appearances and what it means to follow the monkey. Let me know what you think or if you have more to add.
DeleteSO glad I found this page! One of my main questions is about the monkey (like isink's comment above me). Hope this isn't just me missing something obvious
ReplyDeleteJ: Imagine if you'd known about the monkey back then.
E: I would have loved it. I'm not sure I do now. Still: it's extremely cool how the words can stay the same but their meaning can change.
J: Because the reader changes.
E: Exactly. (underlined)
Those are the margin notes on pg 434. Known about monkey back when? and why would Eric not like that knowledge now? What is it about the monkey that would cause words to stay same but meaning change?
Hey, looking at this site I see a page for underlined words and circled words and squared words. But I don't see a link for italicized words, which I think might be considered by some a mistake.
ReplyDeleteI have a few theories for them.
As a starter list the Translator's Note and Foreword contain these italicized words not including book title--though I think they're important--are:
soi-disant (a frenchism meaning an assumed name)
bon vivant (a frenchism for a hedonist)
identify
knew
oeuvre (which whispers there is a message in the books listed esp. fn#7. And also a frenchism)
Also other italicized words in footnotes:
fn#2 Le Monde ( note the date mentioned is 1935, which is impossible according to a brief internet search; the Le Monde didn't start until 1944.)
fn#4 him
I would like to point out Le Monde is a French newspaper but also a word which means "the world."
So several theories to test. All the French and even the mention of Durand in fn#3 makes an odd coincidence. And 1935 wasn't just pulled out of thin air for nothing I feel. Maybe some type of number code.
It's a convention to italicize foreign words as well as names of newspapers. I don't think there's anything to this.
DeleteCan I say I curse the ground that J.J walks on because I am completely addicted to the book and thanks to this site the expanded universe of it. *calls mental hospital to be taken in and examined*
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love this book, however one of the challenges that I am having is keeping up with all of the characters' names. Especially all of the S. members. Does anyone know of a site that has compiled info on all of them?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I have seen a complete listing of all of them anywhere yet. I'd thought about starting a wiki for that exact purpose but wasn't sure if there would be interest enough to warrant it.
DeleteKomposer -- There's a list of Straka Candidates on EotvosWheel.com that might be of some help -- Eotvos Wheel - Straka Candidates
DeleteMrToasty -- I have made some notes on the characters & Candidates, etc -- my own "paper & pencil wiki", though that's really not much help to anyone else ;)
I found a couple wiki's little while ago, but they still seem pretty empty:
Ship of Theseus Wiki
Search for S Wiki
Ooops sorry, failed at linking the Straka Candidates page above.
DeleteHere's the corrected link: Eotvos Wheel - Straka Candidates
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ReplyDeleteJust finished this book earlier, glad to find a site about it. Eric / Jen are such realistic characters and I already miss reading their adventures.
ReplyDeleteI think page by page is the best way to read this book the first time. Then you get the notes in context with the story rather than as a separate thing. I read the entire book that way. Later I'll try to read SoT on it's own.
The mysterious "S" symbol could be some person messing with them, but the underlined passage about disappearing seems like a real threat.
The biggest mystery to me is "who is Serin?" and I have a half baked theory that they get their funding from pirate gold.
I am late for the party. I just bought the book a few days ago but I love it. I love the ARG component to the book. I don't know if I'm just wagtailing or not or if any of my "discoveries" are useful or even knew to you folks but I compiled them in one spot. I focused on the Radio Straka twitter account. Anyway, here's my discoveries I would be interested to know if anything I found is new or remotely useful. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteRadio Straka has favorited one my tweets. My original tweet was "The Seven Sisters shine brightly." Perhaps the Pleides are important in some way?
DeleteHi Debbie,
DeleteWelcome! You're not at all late to the party. All input is appreciated.
I've read through your other posts on the blog as well as your post on reddit and thought there were some things you should know about Radio Straka before you read too much into their posts.
Radio Straka is entirely a creation of Canongate Books to market the release of S. and increase interest/awareness prior to the book's release. Canongate Books is based in Scotland and is responsible for publishing/distribution of S. in the UK. So, yes, the people responsible for Radio Straka are based in the UK, and this is why their tweets seem UK focused. They are definitely an in-game "official" account, worked with Bad Robot in creating the scripts for the broadcast, and have access to the information in the book. But since Doug Dorst wasn't involved, I don't think they have access to any "secrets". Certainly they could be used to reveal something to use in the future, Dorst/Bad Robot feel a we need a nudge.
Here are a couple articles with more info about the launch of Radio Straka & Canongate:
http://www.booktrade.info/index.php/showarticle/50415/
http://www.thebookseller.com/news/canongate-launches-radio-straka.html
Experimental Jotta's post about the Radio Straka / S. Launch:
http://www.jotta.com/jotta/article/v4-projects/2787/canongate-s-by-jj-abrams-launch
If I recall correctly, Dorst talks about Radio Straka being Canongate's creation in this podcast with Wired:
WIRED - Geek's Guide to the Galaxy
LISTEN - mp3
That post got a little long, so I thought it better to break comments about the pics references into separate posts.
DeleteNice catch finding the pic of the door with birds. I had found the pic of the poem on the same site, but didn't notice the birds graffiti pic even though it's directly adjacent in the thumbnails. (D'oh!)
I'll post direct links to the pics here to make it easier:
Bird Graffiti - Reference Pic 1
Bird Graffiti - Reference Pic 2
Poem Graffiti Reference Pic
You can click through the slideshow here for the comments Debbie referred to under the pics (they are pics 29, 30 and 31):
LDN Graffiti
You should note however that Seven Sisters is an area of London, and NOT the name of the street artist. The comment under the pic "Unknown Reverse Graffiti Seven Sisters" indicates graffiti found in the Seven Sisters area by an Unknown Artist. It's is possible that Radio Straka chose that pic because the graffiti was found in Seven Sisters, London. But I think what is much more likely is that they were looking for a pic to represent Birds of Negative Space and found those pics, which happened to be taken in the Seven Sisters area of London. I'd guess the Seven Sisters location is incidental.
Seven Sisters, London
The only connection to Theseus in Greek Mythology (that I could find with a quick search) is that Theseus' mother is named Aethra. One of the Oceanids was also called Aethra and is sometimes referred to as "the wife of Atlas and mother of the Pleiades and the Hyades' (though it seems it they are more commonly accepted to be the the offspring of Pleione.
Aethra (Greek mythology)
Pleiades (Greek mythology)
The picture of the Magpie street painting tweeted by Radio Straka is by the street artists Boe-art and Irony and appears to have been on Blackstock Street in North London:
DeleteBoe-art post on deviantART
http://www.bewareofeverything.com/ -- Art by Boe website (there's not much there)
Regarding the Summersby Confession video:
DeleteIt seems to me that there's actually more than one ship pictured in that video. I count 3 or 4. I believe it's meant to give the impression of a single ship morphing through time (as in the book) but the pics used appear to be of 3 or 4 different ships. The initial pic used as a visual does indeed appear to be the German Passenger Liner Kronprinzessin Cecilie / Later USS Mount Vernon you posted/linked.
I haven't tried to pic match the other ships as I don't think it's relevant. They're just using pics found online to illustrate what they want.
Regarding Herbert List:
DeleteMany of Radio Straka's tweets (especially those from 10/25-10/29) were meant to go with their broadcasts. I believe the Herbert LIst pic they tweet was during their 1st broadcast. Radio Straka brought up List, his photograph "The Drowning Man" and it's possible reference to the Santorini Man and talked about List as a possible Straka Candidate. There's much more in the blog post discussing the 1st transmission. The other 4 transmissions may interest you as well.
Radio Straka - Transmission 1
Radio Straka - Transmission 2
Radio Straka - Transmission 3
Radio Straka - Transmission 4
Radio Straka - Transmission 5
Thanks ObFuSc8!! I will update my notes. I have to say I'm a bit disappointed about Radio Straka. I had hoped that there was more of an ARG component beyond the book. Would the WhoisStraka.com website be ARG related?
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome Debbie.
DeleteRadio Straka is a marketing tool but does add a bit of depth regarding the themes & mythology of the Straka-verse.
I you haven't already, you should check out the websites posted in the websites link at the top of the page. There's more information there (especially at EotvosWheel.com) that adds depth.
Have you solved the Chapter 10 footnote cipher? You should give it a try on your own before you read the solution here.
Most of us feel like there are more puzzles/codes/ciphers hiding within S., waiting to be found. You can check the Footnotes & Ciphers page and the Ciphers page on the blog and see what you think. (The Chapter 10 FN solution appears on the Ciphers page so you may want to be careful if you're avoiding that as a spoiler.)
I am avoiding the cipher discussion for now since I haven't finished the book. I'd like to give it shot before peeking. I did find the Eotvos Wheel site. That has been a lot of fun. I try to avoid anything that will give away anything in the book itself so I just focus on minutiae as I go.
DeleteI personally don't believe that the whoisstraka.com site (and the related twitter) are "in-game". I also have doubts about the twitter accounts. Here's a link to some discussion about those accounts: Nine or Ten Clues
DeleteThere's more discussion in these posts:
Who Is Straka .com
Who Is Straka Update
The Ilsa Files (and twitter accounts)
Debbie -- I've been making notes similar to yours, except that mine are on paper (and partly in my head) instead of online.
DeleteHere's a link to Debbie's blog in case anyone else want to take a poke around:
http://ladansedusinge.wordpress.com/
I track minutiae. I'm sure none is relevant but I really enjoy the process. You never know when something will be relevant. Thank you for the warm welcome!
DeleteI'm curious why you doubt the twitter accounts? They seem very much like their notes in the book.
ReplyDeleteThey didn't start tweeting until after the book was released, which can sometimes indicate that a social media account or website is not 'official'.
DeleteHaving said that, however, those two seriously yap away at each other all the livelong day, and they have been for nearly two solid months. I'm leaning towards 'official' at this point, but who knows?
I just received S. as an early Christmas present. I will start to follow this site as I progress. For now, I took out all the inserts, marking them and the book page with numbered Post-Its so I don't have to worry about things falling out. I'll give that idea of reading the novel first a try, but I don't know if I can resist the marginalia. I don't expect to start on this until after the first of the year.
ReplyDeleteHi Russ, welcome onboard, you will love S. no matter which order you read it in.
DeleteHello all, I've only recently found this site and I'm hooked.
ReplyDeleteI checked out the Eotvos Wheel site and have been trying to find some info on the author. First hit for "J. W. Dominguez" gives us this:
Info on unclaimed money.
It may be nothing, but I couldn't help but feel suspicious about it, especially since Dominguez mentions paying off a mortgage in one of his posts.
Thoughts?
The name Edsel B. Grimshaw seems intriguing. Could this be the reason for Grimshaw?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSerin Institution
ReplyDeleteSERIN noun
1. a small finch, Serinus serinus, of Europe and northern Africa, closely related to the canary.
Serinette barrel organ used for training song birds
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serinette
"It sounds as if S. Is being held captive in a sanctuary for deranged passerines" SoT p.40
ILSA is she connected to Serin Institution?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOne wonders if Springbank whisky sales will increase!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.whisky.com/brands/springbank_brand.html
Not quite the same S., but I like the thinking
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI'm struggling to work out whereabouts on the page to post this. I'll just put it here for now and it can be moved if needs be. I've checked this site and I can't find any reference to what I am about to post so I apologise if it has been mentioned elsewhere already. When I heard about the Santorini Man on Radio Straka the case sounded familiar to me. I searched and surprise, surprise, I found something similar http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taman_Shud_Cas
ReplyDeleteSorry, that should have an 'e' on the end http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taman_Shud_Case
ReplyDeleteDanielle,
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the community! Isn't it fun to discover all of these connections? Great find on Tama Shud. Others have done the same independently. Here is a blog that has more info if you want.
Keep the comments coming. If you're unsure of where to post, do a search. If you get a hit, you can maybe find related comments and post a reply to one of those.
What is "the tradition?"
ReplyDeleteNice LOST connection :-)
DeleteHi Danielle, I talked about it briefly also here: Sources of Dorst's Inspiration It is a striking similarity to be sure. I yammer on and on in my blog about the connection of T.S. Eliot and Ship of Theseus from imagery, themes and the personal life and times. There is a small connection to Eliot as well here. Eliot begins writing poetry at the age of 14 because he is inspired by reading Fitzgerald's translation of the Rubaiyat. Weird, for sure.
ReplyDeleteWhile looking for clues to understanding the substance (the black vine, the black wine, Vevoda's weapon, the orlop ink?) led me to the philosopher Spinoza. Curious if anyone else sees the same link I do.
ReplyDeleteIt does remind me of the passage in Chapter 4 where S dreams after the campfire tales of black fruit icing on hot pastry (something like that). This is probably a strange link but Spinoza reminds me of Hermeticism. Hermeticism has popped a few times for me but not only in the softest of connections. It also reminds me of the margin notes where Eric dismisses the dilettante critic, Hubbell, because he looks through the "lens" of psychotherapy when examining Straka's works. I took that as little joke from Dorst about the Hubbell telescope.
ReplyDeleteLook at foot of the following page on eotvoswheel page: http://eotvoswheel.com/files/73f8307fa15a4668b34b4b6d8f70ba6e-5.html
ReplyDeleteNow look herehttp://www.reisespione.de/user/77
Same fella!