The Second Apocalypse

Earwa => General Earwa => Topic started by: obstinate on July 10, 2017, 01:30:56 pm

Title: Is the "outside" just what's on the other side of the fourth wall?
Post by: obstinate on July 10, 2017, 01:30:56 pm
I dearly hope not, but this thought has occurred to me a few times. It's probably already been discussed here -- if someone is aware of the thread, please point me to it.

Does Kellhus realize that he's in a book? It's occurred to me that you could read a lot of the metaphysics of Earwa in the sense of a book containing knowledge of itself as a book. For example, the fact that human feelings like suffering and other negative feelings are meat to the gods arises from the fact that we don't read books about people who are happy. In that sense, we, or rather the appetites that cause us to read the books, are the gods. Likewise, the damnation of the inhabitants of Earwa could be said to exist only because Bakker picked up his pen. The world could be closed to the outside just by finishing the story, etc.

I don't believe that this is the direction that things are headed, and I'd be gratified if Bakker had authoritatively answered that this wasn't it. But absent that, could someone point out something contradictory about this so that I can stop worrying about it?
Title: Re: Is the "outside" just what's on the other side of the fourth wall?
Post by: Wilshire on July 10, 2017, 02:38:47 pm
I don't think there is anything that explicitly addresses that argument.

For what its worth, I definitely see where you're coming from. You've made some pretty good arguments for that being the case... But no, I don't think that's the direction Bakker is taking the story.
Title: Re: Is the "outside" just what's on the other side of the fourth wall?
Post by: H on July 10, 2017, 02:46:50 pm
Quote from: Wilshire on July 10, 2017, 02:38:47 pm
I don't think there is anything that explicitly addresses that argument.

For what its worth, I definitely see where you're coming from. You've made some pretty good arguments for that being the case... But no, I don't think that's the direction Bakker is taking the story.

It does seem analogous, but that doesn't mean it is the same.
Title: Re: Is the "outside" just what's on the other side of the fourth wall?
Post by: themerchant on July 10, 2017, 03:56:28 pm
Me and Madness have talked about Kellhus realising he is in a book before.So it's been floated about for a while.
Title: Re: Is the "outside" just what's on the other side of the fourth wall?
Post by: Hiro on July 10, 2017, 04:03:24 pm
Speaking of fourth wall shenanigans,
(click to show/hide)