Page 279 - The Grotesque Children's Book

Translator’s Note. The Sixth Story. Here was the original location of the
sixth story of the folio, N’ariq. I presume by now you’re seeing the literary
tension with which the English version delights in taunting you: interspersing
Santi’s storyline, the folio stories, and Aurelio’s analysis of the symbology. From
the stories and analysis, you’re to develop some theory about what happened to
Santi, which then is confirmed or denied by the narration of Santi’s stories.
Similarly, there are some images or phrases in Santi’s narration which get
echoed in a subsequent story. Some readers find this to be wonderful fun, as the
stories and symbols play off of each other, one getting ahead of the other, then
retreating. Other readers, however, find it annoying not to have full
understanding of one before reading the other. By now, I trust you will have
figured out which kind of experience you prefer, and have seized control of your
own reading experience, and you’re thanking me profusely for all the help I’ve
given to you.

Though you’re probably ignoring all the sidebars, and who can blame
you?

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