ATDTDA (7): 201-203 decoding

[Ray Easton]

On Sunday, Apr 29, 2007, at 16:55 US/Central, Ya Sam wrote:

> I am firmly convinced that maths  is of great importance to AtD. If 
> you mean that it's not very important what some equation discussed by 
> characters means, I wouldn't agree either,

Based on the advance reports, I believed that too -- before I actually 
read the book.

Consider the zeta function material.  I was trained as a number 
theorist.  (Let me hasten to add that I do not practice this 
profession.)  Hearing that characters in AtD were involved in studying 
the zeta function, I assumed, as I would with any writer, only more so 
with TRP, that some details of this theory would prove to be relevant.  
But very much to my surprise I have concluded that no such details are 
of any importance at all.

I cannot find any real thematic relevance to the actual content any of 
the maths present in AtD --  I focus on the zeta function only because 
this is the case where it should be easiest for me to see such 
connections if they exist.

I would very much like to be wrong about this, and look forward to 
someone showing me how, for example, the actual content of the Riemann 
Hypothesis has some thematic connection to the novel.  It may only 
demonstrate some defect in my imagination, but I can find none at all.

Ray