Quote:
Originally Posted by Bookpossum
that took me back to desertblues' suggestion that this was all imagined by the Venetian in the moments before he died when his ship was captured.
I love it that there isn't a clearcut solution to the mystery!
|
I consciously chose to read it as if it were imagined by the Venetian once he was captured, to while away his captivity. I have mixed feelings, though, about whether it's a strength or a flaw that there isn't a clearcut solution. I don't mind (that is, I enjoy) misdirection and multiple possibilities as I'm reading, but I also expect the author to have a clearcut solution which the story supports, as in a classic mystery novel. He doesn't have to share it, it can remain nebulous, but I'm left with the feeling that Pamuk hadn't quite made up his mind himself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by desertblues
The Venetian in the novel seems to be ccondescending to Hoja about his astronomical knowledge and I wonder to what extent this is valid, just
|
I assumed that it was deliberately unjust, since it wouldn't be that long until the Ptolemaic cosmology was superseded. A not so subtle jab at the implied superiority (by the Venetian) of West over East.