that is interesting; i hadn't known that. on a further interesting note (at
least i hope it is), Brunner adopted John Dos Passos' technique (in his USA
trilogy) of breaking up the narrative with (fictional) newspaper articles,
book quotations, etc. that shed light on the "big picture" surrounding the
story. this is very similar to what Brin does in Earth.
Dr. Brin also does this to a lesser extent in the Uplift series, but especially in Startide Rising. Mini-stories told from the point of view of a selected Galactic race interspersed throughout the action give us a better sense of the scale/scope of the action. In the second Uplift Trilogy, the scrolls and then Gillian's commentaries break up sections and explain details.
Jon
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