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Jeff Wilson asks: I think there may be a difference in interpretation. I've noted before I tend to interpret the story more from an artistic perspective than scientific. Because…
09 Jul 2008, 11:57
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Jeff Wilson asks: Depends. What is the purpose of your question? If you are asking for obvious, clear text descriptions I suppose it is obvious there isn't much of that. Was that…
08 Jul 2008, 18:26
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I think Roy makes some good arguments that the summoned ship is Malrubius' and Triskele's. At least that is a ship rather than a creature or open top flyer. My concern is that if…
08 Jul 2008, 12:42
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Roy writes: I've wondered the same things and one answer is that there is no answer. That Wolfe didn't develop that part of the story enough in his own mind for there to be a reas…
08 Jul 2008, 03:35
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Jeff Wilson says in response to the suggestion that Hierodules are of the race of Hierogrammates: Where DO hierodules come from? The larvae of Tzadkiel would seem to be involved…
07 Jul 2008, 14:10
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I think Severian identifies Inire and the Cumaean as hierodules to B, F and O and gets no argument. Does that count? Jeff Wilson writes: That is SO unromantic! A guy is suppose…
07 Jul 2008, 03:10
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Kudos and thank you Roy C. Lackey! Using your unquestioned knowledge and skill to tinker with my theory is just the sort of thing I appreciate and find productive in participating …
06 Jul 2008, 05:40
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Jeff Wilson writes: Jeff if you are trying to make argments for why Dorcas' husband might not be Father Inire you are breaking down an open door. I agree, he might not be. But I…
05 Jul 2008, 14:59
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Back. Was away in NYC a few days. Dave Tallman asks: I don't know but all those years of poling could produce an awfully wry neck I think. BTW, some have concluded this charact…
05 Jul 2008, 03:57
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Dave Tallman, to really give my theory about the Rudesind, Dorcas' husband and Fechin a chance of plausibility, it must be understood that they are all versions of immortal, shape…
02 Jul 2008, 05:14
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Roy, in saying to me: and to Dave: I think you are missing the point of the discussion. OF COURSE he can be both right and not right. He can be simultaneously dead on correct, …
02 Jul 2008, 04:14
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Jeff, you could be right. Perhaps the principle goes so far that there is nothing accidental in the whole of the story of Severian's life. But it seems to me there are unplanned …
02 Jul 2008, 00:35
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Sorry Thalassocrat I think my brain has been to distracted and addled this week to write a good post. I'll get back when I can. FWIW- In the vein of of a Thais connection to Thea…
01 Jul 2008, 17:11
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Roy, I not sure I understand the point of your previous post. Are you saying you see no connection between Severian's loggia scene and the Contessa's story in the play? If so tha…
01 Jul 2008, 12:42
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Yes, having a man in his 80's father someone in their 20's-30's is possible but a stretch. I was only hinting that my ideas might help: if Fechin is Dorcas' husband instead of f…
01 Jul 2008, 12:01
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Dave Tallman, to continue the debate: Yes, my scenario involves two time travels, one forward, one back, while yours involves one. I don't see mine being so very unparsimonious. …
30 Jun 2008, 12:59
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Regarding Dave Tallman's Catherine scenario, I just have a gut feeling that if there is an exultant cell donor for the Catherine maids, Wolfe wouldn't be so unfair as to not toss …
30 Jun 2008, 03:23
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Dave Tallman I agree with Marc Aramini. I think you are really ON to something here! I don't think anyone else in the 11 or 12 year history of this list has noted the beheading …
27 Jun 2008, 21:08
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Roy says: Actually I think it referred to both her hair and dress (no books here) and I don't know what sort of dress is metal-trimmed. Are you hinting at something? Maybe Valeri…
27 Jun 2008, 13:38
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Roy C. Lackey says: Sorry I didn't remember that Roy; it must have been a couple years ago. Good that you rememer clearly. But didn't you prompt my response with your earlier ch…
27 Jun 2008, 03:09
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Jeff Wilson writes: Now Zama had already been reanimated, in zombie form, by Ceryx when Severian worked his magic. So zombies move around without cellular function? Zama is pale a…
26 Jun 2008, 12:54
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Dave Tallman, earlier I missed your post in this thread which discussed Catherine and Valeria, but I'll comment now: I think Borski came up with some brilliant observations and a…
25 Jun 2008, 14:34
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Jeff Wilson writes: I'll disagree on the basis of the many micro-connections that would need to be carefully mended. As an analogy, it would be impressive to watch a previousl…
25 Jun 2008, 13:54
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Brunians says: I have to agree. I thought I was going out on a limb to suggest the remote possibility that Severian had sex with Catherine and this is the reason for his silence …
25 Jun 2008, 03:05
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Regarding Sev's mother, Thalassocrat writes: I think I have an inkling of the meaning but I am confounded by the lack of real evidence. I see a missing piece in a jigsaw puzzle a…
22 Jun 2008, 23:13
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Jeff Wilson says: Yes, me calling the channels "ocean" could be a notable error since we are discussing size. Battle of Hampton Roads! I hadn't heard the Monitor and Merrimac b…
20 Jun 2008, 14:02
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Jeff Wilson says: Some versions say Lilith and Adam's mating produced the monstrous offspring. Others say they resulted from Lilith mating with demons after Adam rejected her. …
20 Jun 2008, 13:44
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Since it came up, I thought I'd list the lines from Dr. Talos' play which make me think the underlying theme is about corruption of the human race through mating with alien, god-…
19 Jun 2008, 13:44
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Though it is a mangled legend, I agree, keeping in mind that it is a naviscaput= ship head monster, the big ship being only the tip of the "iceberg". I always assumed the rest of…
19 Jun 2008, 13:32
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Dave Tallman, keep the ideas coming. I think some of your veins of thought are very fruitful! I've always assumed the old Autarch's explanation that kaibits were clones of exul…
18 Jun 2008, 19:59
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Duncan says: I believe almost all the vocabulary in this series are "real life words" which have meaning in our world. Yes, the Jungle Hut scene surely took place a few decades …
18 Jun 2008, 14:37
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Thalassocrat writes: I must agree that in this situation the play's the thing! But if I remember Eschatology and Genesis correctly, the temptation is for Meschia, to which he suc…
17 Jun 2008, 03:01
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Just a few responsive blurbs: Dave Tallman, to clarify, I don't see Urth as being the same as Earth nor Jesus appearing in Severian's universe, Briah. That universal history is …
16 Jun 2008, 19:25
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I like Thalassocrat's post connecting Dorcas and Fechin. Some new wrinkles I hadn't considered. But if Fechin is Dorcas' father then Casdoe's (or Becan's?) father, as an age peer…
16 Jun 2008, 14:23
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Dave Lebling says: I'm pretty convinced that there has never been a Jesus on Urth (and that is a major underlying theme of the series). Hence the Norse name "Urth" and the many a…
16 Jun 2008, 12:55
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At the beginning of UotNS, while on the Ship deck, Severian specifically notes his weight has been reduced by 7/8. So Roy's assertion that the Ship is of planetary size is a bit ex…
12 Jun 2008, 03:45
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I feel the need to tout my interpretation of the eclipse again. By having Severian himself (subconsciously) cause the eclipse, the multiple problems of a ship-caused eclipse are …
11 Jun 2008, 12:35
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I've seen the arguments about the eclipse before. The timing of a black hole or hiero-ship caused eclipse seems too coincidental. Quite a double duty for that event....trans-unive…
10 Jun 2008, 15:05
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Thalassocrat, I am confused. Could you explain who the hiero-dudes are. Not hierodules I guess. Nor Hierogrammates. They are the humans who spread across the galaxy and who in…
10 Jun 2008, 14:44
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Brunian asks: I don't know!!! I think so. And I'm not alone in that. But maybe that's just because I/ we were looking for evidence. From my first readings of this series I felt …
07 Jun 2008, 14:12
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Thalassocrat I don't have strong opinions on the black hole in the sun. I've just seen the point argued in the past. Actually I find the whole hiero-human cognate race concept a b…
07 Jun 2008, 05:31
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I'm in the camp which perceives Severian far more guilty of withholding details of his sexuality rather than embellishing them in his story. Heck, it takes him four books of sprin…
07 Jun 2008, 04:47
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Chris, I think that scene can be attributed to Gene Wolfe playing with the reader's hopes and expectations a bit. When Severian and Typhon first met (in the future, in book 3 of t…
07 Jun 2008, 04:15
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In my post I discuss something of an ethical stance which seems to be presented in a book by Gene Wolfe. I certainly didn't mean to presume to say this reflects Gene Wolfe's person…
06 Jun 2008, 04:11
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In the "Sev the Murderer" thread Dave Tallman notes that Severian is a flawed hero, not a villain as almost everyone would agree. As Thalassocrat points out, almost all humans w…
05 Jun 2008, 16:41
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I think Dave Lebling is closest to being on track. There are Wolfe interviews and texual clues that make it clear that Urth is a twin to Earth, existing in the alternate universe …
01 May 2008, 20:03
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That's how I see it too. Humans came to the planets in several waves. The first ship crashed and the few survivors became the template for some shadow children to become human-like…
15 Apr 2008, 11:45
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Dan'l posts: I thought the Katharine maid thread of last month developed a pretty good theory on this which you might have missed?. Roy suggested Catherine was an exultant and…
02 Nov 2006, 18:31
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Just tossing out a speculative resolution for this problem. On first reading, Wolfe's use of the term "wet nurse" adds to the sense of this being an archaic society from our pas…
01 Nov 2006, 11:51
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Scott K writes: (snips) Some good points are raised. I'll mention that the scene with The Cumaean, at the end of Claw, spells out in rather specific detail what was done to Jole…
31 Oct 2006, 13:47
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