Re: The Red Brain by Donald Wandrei
Posted by:
Sawfish (IP Logged)
Date: 1 May, 2021 11:13PM
charaina Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have another question regarding "The Red Brain".
> Later in the story, it is mentioned that:
>
> “Our chemists with a bitter doggedness never
> before displayed have devoted their time to the
> production of Super-Brains, in the hope of making
> one which could defeat the Cosmic Dust. They have
> changed the chemicals used in our genesis; they
> have experimented with molds and forms; they have
> tried every resource. With what result? There have
> come forth raging monstrosities, mad abominations,
> satanic horrors and ravenous foul things howling
> wildly the nameless and indescribable phantoms
> that thronged their minds. We have killed them in
> order to save ourselves. "
>
> So were the brains creating new variants of
> themselves or entirely new, monstrous life-forms,
> over thousands of years? Were the "indescribable
> phantoms" thus creations of the monster's minds
> themselves?
I'm unfamiliar with the story, but parsing the significant part of this sentence:
"There have come forth raging monstrosities, mad abominations, satanic horrors and ravenous foul things howling wildly the nameless and indescribable phantoms that thronged their minds."
The monstrosities, abominations, horrors, and foul things all refer to the attempts produced when the chemists tried to make Super Brains. They were failed Super Brains (FSB).
In the passage "...howling wildly the nameless and indescribable phantoms that thronged their minds", howling is used figuratively. The FSBs indeed howled, but it was in response to the FSBs' deranged perception of what they imagined they saw...the "phantoms".
Basically, the FSBs were hopelessly insane.
I perceive that the paragraph mainly *suggests*, metaphorically, rather than literally describes, the completeness of the failure.
My opinion only.
--Sawfish
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~