gordonl (04/06/83)
Letters has been out for at least a year, maybe closer to two. I've had a hardcopy of it for more than a year... I'm finding it slow going. Its not that its not excellent, I would say that it indeed "excells", but its not a "quick read" at all... very complex book with much internal cross references, etc. Study the title page showing the title "letters" to get an idea of what I mean... Chimera is one of my favorite Barth books. The Chimera is a mytical 3-headed beast; the book Chimera "sums up" barth's three "mythic hero" novels; chimera itself contains three storys which in a subtle and beautiful way are interrelated. My favorite Barth is "Giles Goat Boy". I'm supprised it hasnt seen more discussion, since it involves universitys, computers, sex, and goats. I know that all of those items, especially the last, are near and dear to the hearts of netnews folk. gordon letwin decvax!microsoft!gordonl