Editing 270: Merlin
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
| − | {{w|Merlin}} is a wizard who features prominently in various retelling of the legend of King Arthur. | + | {{w|Merlin}} is a wizard who features prominently in various retelling of the legend of King Arthur. {{w|The Once and Future King}} by author {{w|T. H. White}} is one of the most popular versions of the legend, and in it, Merlin is described as living backwards through time, as [[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] discuss in this comic (this is also briefly mentioned in the musical {{w|Camelot (musical)|Camelot}}, which is based on this version of the story). |
In the comic, Cueball is speculating philosophically on how this would have affected Merlin's life as he started life with all his memories, and gradually lost them, comparing this to Megan's own sense of unreality at goodbyes. | In the comic, Cueball is speculating philosophically on how this would have affected Merlin's life as he started life with all his memories, and gradually lost them, comparing this to Megan's own sense of unreality at goodbyes. | ||
| − | Many old people do, however, end up alone without friends or family. And they may do nothing but watch TV all day. They might also lose their memory. So in this respect, Merlin's last days may not be so different from many real people's, except of course that Merlin was supposed to live in the late 5th and early 6th centuries with no access to DVDs or even TV. | + | Many old people do, however, end up alone without friends or family. And they may do nothing but watch TV all day. They might also lose their memory. So in this respect, Merlin's last days may not be so different from many real people's, except of course that Merlin was supposed to live in the late 5th and early 6th centuries with no access to DVDs or even TV. |
| − | + | {{w|Memento (film)|Memento}} is a movie telling the main parts of its story backwards, while a few black-and-white scenes are straightforward. So when Merlin watches the movie, he sees nearly the whole story in its actual order, and the title text drives home the joke by noting that these few scenes, which make more sense to someone with normal perceptions than the rest of the movie, would make less sense to him. | |
| − | Normal old people would not be able to enjoy | + | Normal old people would not be able to enjoy Memento like Merlin. Although he would of course always have remembered seeing it when he got old, until the day he saw it and then forgot it afterwards... |
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
