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On some occasions I believe that Severian changes his mind about what he's going to tell you as he goes along. It seems like he is reticent on the subject of Thecla early on, but…
12 Jul 2003, 19:34
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That's what I meant by the "philosophical" argument for the Library's survival. It's hard to say, given the nature of the Library, whether he ever expected it to be read at all -…
11 Jul 2003, 18:33
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I do not know where to find it exactly, but I believe I got this impression from a passage that indicates that the voices/memories of the autarchs from the most distant past are …
10 Jul 2003, 19:46
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I agree with pretty much all of the comments about The Book as a political document, there are a large number of independent factors that all work against The Book being effectiv…
10 Jul 2003, 19:31
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This is true, though the fact that they come to life within him seems unique to Sev (regardless of which concoction he uses) rather than characteristic of the autarch's drug. If …
09 Jul 2003, 18:09
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I think this is practically explicit in the text, though I don't recall if it's been brought up here. It also fits in neatly with the qabbalistic references Wolfe uses (though I …
09 Jul 2003, 17:53
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I'm completely willing to entertain the concept of BotNS as a piece of propaganda, but in practical terms I just can't see it as beneficial to Severian's position *politically*. …
09 Jul 2003, 17:42
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Chris makes a flailing attempt to help: All I can say regarding Horn is that I didn't read anything he said in Short Sun to be a categorical statement of perfect memory. When he …
09 Jul 2003, 02:03
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Ash and the Green Man are only mutually exclusive beyond a certain critical point of... for lack of something better to call it, the "event tree". The discussion Severian has wit…
08 Jul 2003, 20:47
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I always felt the reason Severian - at the time of his writing the BotNS - felt as if there had been another one before him was actually quite straightforward, and I am surprised…
08 Jul 2003, 20:29
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One thing that seems uncertain to me about the Pausanius speculation is the original reading of Diana's words, specifically what is meant by "this queen" and "my queen". I though…
24 Jun 2003, 17:04
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Another: Why does the god of war need wrestling lessons from Heracles? Latro is meant, I believe, to be a "hero" in the full greek sense. If anything I think it may weaken the st…
23 Jun 2003, 02:31
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Hmm. This, combined with some other posts, made me wonder about languages. Our Lucius was fairly fluent in Greek (even if his memory problem leads to some strange interpretation)…
19 Jun 2003, 04:16
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I don't have the book on hand to reference as someone else did, but I remember a passage in Herodotus that explicitly says that traders were looked down on in Greece, more in som…
16 Jun 2003, 14:55
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Greetings, It's implied (I think) that Latro slew Leonidas at Thermopylae. The blood is Leonidas', and if I recall correctly Latro feels guilt, and tries to hide the blood (whic…
27 May 2003, 17:42
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This kind of thing was a staple with Lovecraftian fiction. The device might go way further back than that, but it seems to me that just about every Cthulhu story I've seen consis…
15 May 2003, 23:08
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I have to say that I was perplexed by the ending myself, but this is exactly the point I was going to make. This chapter, aside from the narrator claiming to be Daisy from the be…
13 May 2003, 16:30
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From Blattid's excellent, intelligent, and well-written post I pick out only the part I think I disagree with: I would say that this is not to be taken for granted. Philosophical…
24 Apr 2003, 18:32
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I agree that it's Severian himself who makes the charge, though I think he makes it against himself fairly immediately. I also think what's been said about Jolenta is a bit unfai…
21 Apr 2003, 22:28
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Having time only for a "short" reply... To Nutria: No offense taken, at least by me. I just couldn't be sure, and wanted to clarify what was being talked about. re: the question…
21 Apr 2003, 18:39
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This was some time ago, and I realize you may not be responding directly to me, but I feel it's necessary to revisit the comment I originally made which spawned the conversation,…
21 Apr 2003, 16:46
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This reminds me (in a way only loosely connected with what you've said) of something that I find a little disturbing in Wolfe's novels- the frequency of rape committed by his pro…
18 Apr 2003, 18:51
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I also was intrigued by the couple in the Gardens, but I can't place them. As far as the symmetry, it's not that I discount it, it's just that this is one of those rare cases whe…
15 Apr 2003, 05:42
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Posting for Dan'l, only a couple brief comments of my own. Re: both responses, yes, Satan as "role" is more or less what I was getting at. Re: Dan'l's analysis below, I don't th…
13 Mar 2003, 23:11
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Briefly, There's more variation among Christians than you might think, especially among the bad 'uns that read a lot of old books. Whether you call them "variations" or "heresie…
13 Mar 2003, 22:09
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Thanks for passing this on, good post. Dan'l said: I don't know that it trivializes it, but it seems off. I believe that if Wolfe believes in Satan, it's as an archetypal figure…
13 Mar 2003, 21:11
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I tend to agree, though for not quite the same reasons. Christ is essentially what you could call the complete package: the successful integration of all of the messianic attribu…
13 Mar 2003, 06:20
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Chris backpedals: What I don't agree with is that there is a Herod-Typhon connection, and I agree strongly with most of what you just said. I also wouldn't go so far as to say th…
10 Mar 2003, 19:56
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Crush says: I have trouble agreeing with this, since Typhon's role with respect to Severian is solidly and beyond question related to Satan's role with Jesus. The resemblance to…
10 Mar 2003, 17:09
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Roy sensibly objected: This is a good point, and I think it points back to an older theory that Silk was an embryo that was intended to be a future body for Typhon/Pas after the…
08 Mar 2003, 19:02
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This has actually been theorized for quite some time. IIRC some scientists were holding on to the idea that there may be enough dark matter in the universe to account for the dif…
14 Feb 2003, 18:24
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I think the quotations from Matthew nail down the reference pretty well, actually. I am convinced that it's a reference intended to relate Horn to Christ in a typically prophetic…
27 Jan 2003, 19:00
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The bit about iron is interesting- while I'd heard that the sidhe had a problem with iron, I never knew there was an underlying reason behind it. Are there any other sources that…
24 Jan 2003, 01:38
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I don't think anyone's disputing that Marc's quotes were incorrect. To use the word "duplicitous" indicates that he intended to mislead, whereas it seems clear that he believed w…
06 Jan 2003, 17:31
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Thank you James, for your comments; I'd never seen the interview you were referring to, and that probably saved me some headaches - though I may try to develop the theory anyway,…
05 Jan 2003, 02:46
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Speaking of myth, I have been toying with an idea which I am hoping someone can put me on the right track with (or off the wrong one). The Learned Ones of this list have certainl…
31 Dec 2002, 19:24
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There is also the general feeling going into it (not to say that it is the sole reason behind what you term "The New Criticism") that the work should stand on its own; the roots …
31 Dec 2002, 17:57
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Just a couple notes on different subjects, but at least on something less general than before: I agree that Graves is very helpful in trying to understand Wolfe's work; of cours…
24 Dec 2002, 06:06
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Roy: I don't disagree with a lot of what you've said, so I won't go point by point. What I feel you've overlooked, though, is that I mentioned *two* types of interpretation, of w…
23 Dec 2002, 17:35
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IMHO, there is never a problem of not having enough clues; the problem is, rather, that the given set of clues can produce a nearly infinite number of internally consistent hypot…
22 Dec 2002, 10:45
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Both seem reasonably compatible, if one looks at it from the perspective that "sequentiality" is a function of our perception of time - a limitation the Outsider does not share. …
17 Dec 2002, 18:18
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Thanks Jerry, this is, essentially, not far from what I proposed in my post as a reasonable alternate explanation, and which Don didn't address in his reply. Basically, the Outsi…
16 Dec 2002, 22:00
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What any of this has to do with the Blushas theory is tenuous at best. Even if you assume the Whorl travelled at the speed of light, this does nothing to help establish the ident…
14 Dec 2002, 23:29
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I don't know about the first (though I have my own theory as to Severian's presentiments, and the apparent Severian/Severian-2 deal). With the second, though, the problem is that…
27 Nov 2002, 17:05
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I don't think he was referring to the same passage I am about to, but I thank you for citing the passage in _Calde_ I had been thinking of but couldn't quite place. All in all, …
23 Nov 2002, 09:28
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You know, since you mention it I have to bring up something that's been nagging at me persistently since I first read it. The easiest and most coherent explanation of what happen…
20 Nov 2002, 22:22
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I don't recall it (the Whorl being in orbit for 30+ years) being mentioned explicitly in the text at all, but I could be mistaken. However, I think Wolfe came out and said it in …
19 Nov 2002, 06:46
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Thanks for the welcome, Roy I agree with your point here, though perhaps for different reasons. The religious aspects are open to a very wide amount of interpretation, and wheth…
17 Nov 2002, 11:30
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And another lurker emerges from the shadows... Greets all, I have been reading the list for a month or four now. I'm very impressed with the quality of discussion here, and the a…
16 Nov 2002, 07:58
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