Kinds Of Introductions

Three levels or layers of writing:

a fictional text;

an introduction to the fictional text;

a fictional introduction to the fictional text.

 

The fictional introduction has an intermediate status. Like the introduction, it is an introduction. Like the fictional text, it is a work of fiction.

 

Christopher Holm, a character in the novel, The People Of The Wind, is mentioned in the author's introduction to the novel, The Night Face, and in three of the fictional introductions in the omnibus collection, The Earth Book Of Stormgate. Thus, a character in only one work is nevertheless mentioned, but in different ways, in two others.

 

The Earth Book introductions add an immense amount to the future historical narrative:

 

Holm turns out to be the author of one story and the co-author of two others;

 

Emil Dalmady's daughter lived on Avalon where she wrote short stories that were published in the periodical, Morgana, and three of these were collected in the Earth Book;

 

A.A. Craig, author of Tales Of The Great Frontier, visited Avalon and wrote two of the stories collected in the Earth Book, including the first van Rijn story;

James Ching's first person account of his dealings with Adzel was part of a life long journal and he settled in Catawrayannis.