green and magenta- spoilers

kelber at mindspring.com kelber at mindspring.com
Fri Dec 1 14:31:11 CST 2006


-----Original Message-----
>From: Jordan Fink <jordan at riseup.net>

>
>does anyone have any ideas about what magenta/mauve/violet versus green
>symbolizes for him.
>
>things change from one to the other especially around characters like
>Erlys who obviously symbolize invisables (either imaginary numbers or
>maybe zeta-zeros eh?)
>
>remember that Deuce liked Mauve and Sloat liked green when they did her on
>the four corners.



Good question.  One thought: Green, natural?  Mauve, artificial?  See the following book/book review.

Laura

http://www.amazon.com/Mauve-Invented-Color-Changed-World/dp/0393020053


"In 1856, while trying to synthesize artificial quinine, 18-year-old chemistry student William Perkin instead produced a murky residue. Fifty years later, he described the event: he "was about to throw a certain residue away when I thought it might be interesting. The solution of it resulted in a strangely beautiful color." Perkin had stumbled across the world's first aniline dye, a color that became known as mauve.
"So what?" you might say. "A teenager invented a new color." As Simon Garfield admirably points out in Mauve, the color really did change the world. Before Perkin's discovery all the dyes and paints were colored by roots, leaves, insects, or, in the case of purple, mollusks. As a result, colors were inconsistent and unpredictably strong, often fading or washing out. Perkin found a dye that would always produce a uniform shade--and he pointed the way to other synthetic colors, thus revolutionizing the world of both dyemaking and fashion. Mauve became all the rage. Queen Victoria wore it to her daughter's wedding in 1858, and the highly influential Empress Eugénie decided the color matched her eyes. Soon, the streets of London erupted in what one wag called the "mauve measles."

Mauve had a much wider impact as well. By finding a commercial use for his discovery--much to the dismay of his teacher, the great August Hofmann, who believed there needed to be a separation between "pure" and "applied" science--Perkin inspired others to follow in his footsteps: "Ten years after Perkin's discovery of mauve, organic chemistry was perceived as being exciting, profitable, and of great practical use." The influx of bright young men all hoping to earn their fortunes through industrial applications of chemistry later brought significant advances in the fields of medicine, perfume, photography, and even explosives."

-----Original Message-----
>From: Jordan Fink <jordan at riseup.net>

>
>does anyone have any ideas about what magenta/mauve/violet versus green
>symbolizes for him.
>
>things change from one to the other especially around characters like
>Erlys who obviously symbolize invisables (either imaginary numbers or
>maybe zeta-zeros eh?)
>
>remember that Deuce liked Mauve and Sloat liked green when they did her on
>the four corners.





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