regshoe

So many references in such a little book, definitely... bigger on the inside! ;)

And I'm very glad to know that I'm not the only one to find all those Borges references--I feared that I must be too obvious! When I first read it, I made it only a few pages before thinking "This is *exactly* like that Borges story!" (And oh man, if you ever decide to read him, you're in for such a treat... all that magical realism! I won't say anything more, because otherwise I won't shut about, but I have many Opinions--and recs, should you ever want them...)

That sort of feeling—where something is eerie, uncanny, slightly horrible and at the same time quietly comforting and secure—is one of my favourite things about JSMN, and I'm recognising it in Piranesi now too.

Definitely! I like how, just as things/people being good or bad is irrelevant in Faerie, so is the beautiful/horrible thing, because... it's both? It's not exactly the point? And you can't describe magic with human terms anyway?

Also, I like your point about Strange and his search for knowledge through destruction... the way he goes with a different point of view to understand is also something Matthew does, in both cases, there's "definitely a right way and a wrong way to go about it", I agree... but both are characters willing to go above and beyond to search for meaning, and I totally respect that!

I think that what I like best is the House as a world that's alive, a place where some people can find healing and strength, because, like you said, they "understand that and respect the world", and "are in turn respected by it, whereas it quite happily turns on characters who don't." That's very otherwordly and magical, and also comforting and excellent!

Oh, the more I think about all this the better it gets...!

Haha, my thoughts exactly. I have to say, I am loving these posts, if you ever feel like making more in the future... ;)

As for the oracle imagery... I may or may not have spent a whole afternoon with my cards, figuring out ideas and imagery and which card/symbol could stand for which character (I did something similar with the Marseilles tarot when I first read JS&MN, so I love the parallels, hehe)