On Paths Unknown discussion
MURDER, MYSTERY, AND SNOW
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Smilla's Sense of Snow " Chapter 4-11 (End of The City : Part 1)
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One can see hints of racism disguised as science (which of course he is fighting against) in his other books as well.
I'd made a note of that weird little factoid, too.Of Fermat's "unproven" theorem: "I've discovered a truly wonderful proof for this argument. Unfortunately, this margin is too narrow to contain it."
First, it's no longer unproven. Andrew Wiles was working on the proof at the time this book was first published, and finally produced his (correct) proof a couple of years later (he initially published a 'proof' at about the same time this book was published, but it was found to have a critical error).
Consensus seems to be that Fermat probably was in error himself, and that he hadn't really found a proof (he never mentions that proof again in the remaining 30 years of his life). In any case, Wiles' proof was, in itself, so huge as to undoubtedly not have fit in the whole of the book Fermat scribbled in, let alone in a margin.
"I don't know how my mother and father met. I do know that he came to Greenland because this hospitable land has always been the site of scientific experiments."Is "hospitable land" sarcasm, or does Smilla really consider it hospitable? Certainly, most Europeans wouldn't (rumor has it that Eric the Red named it Greenland purely to attract settlers: typical real-estate marketing!) but Smilla's memories of early childhood suggest she may be serious.
I don't think it is sarcasm, but I don't want to get into spoiler territory. :)
It's not really spoilers for me (but of course it will be for others). I've read it before and I'd been planning to just skim this to remind me of stuff, but I find myself too attracted to the writing, so it's taking much longer than planned!Honestly, I am so fed up with the rain in Devon that I'd be thrilled to move to Greenland. If my wife hadn't sent over the dog, I'd have slit my wrists by now. Today was a glorious day—the whole time I was at work.
I am doing the same, as I have read it twice. Hard not to get pulled back in for an in-depth reading.
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Re the sarcasm, before reading your comments already, I had wanted to comment on the sarcasm. Smilla has quite a biting sense of sarcasm, so I guess it's hard to sift out which is not. But don't spoiler me; it's my first time!
I suppose I had better make the next thread, eh? :P
Traveller wrote: "I'm sure the author enjoys math every bit as much as his character does."I think he'd have to. It's difficult to imagine someone digging into the mathematics just for research for a novel. That could have really managed without it.
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I think he'd have to. It's difficult to imagine someone digging into the mathematics just for research f..."
Yeah, I'm pretty sure he's using her as an excuse to wax forth about his hobby horses. XD I'm not complaining, mind.
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https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
I struggled a bit to try and figure out the relationship between Smilla and Isaiah.
Weird little factoid: "They discovered that the Greenlanders, whom they regarded as a transitional form of ape, had the largest skulls in the world. " :P
Very early on in the book already, we are introduced to other ethnicities' scorn for the Greenlanders.