We see a little way into the daily life of two future periods, on two planets. Hloch addresses his Avalonian audience:
"To screen a glossary of obscure terms, punch Library Central 254-0691." (p. 55)
Jim Ching addresses his Terrestrial contemporaries:
"Doubtless you remember the line of argument the promoters [of the Festival of Man] used:..." (p. 58)
(Since we twentieth, and now twenty-first, century readers do not remember that line of argument, Jim quotes it anyway.)
This reads like some similar passages in Robert Heinlein's Future History. It also reads as if Jim is writing for publication. However, Hloch tells us that "How To Be Ethnic..." is an extract from Jim's notebook reminiscences shared with Rennhi by his descendants. Therefore, its first publication anywhere is in the Earth Book. Jim did not write with a future, partly alien, audience in mind. Avalonians do not remember the Festival promoters' argument any more than we do. (Sometimes the narrative can get a bit lost going backward and forward in time but this is all good stuff, though.)
2 comments:
I suppose it would have made more sense for Jimmy Ching to write "If this is read by someone who is not a contemporary Terrestrial you would likely not know the line of argument the promoters used..."
Kaor, Jim!
That would work if Ching had been planning to pub. his journals as memoirs. Apparently that was not the case, which leads me to thinking editors could add helpful notes to explain obscure points.
Testing.
Ad astra! Sean
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