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I still think a discussion of actual racial features is wrong-headed in a discussion of Ascians. I think the issue is diversity. North America, especially Wolfe's beloved USA has a…
21 Jan 2011, 20:41
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Actually, Witz, I think you are on the right track with this. I went through much of the same thought processes you have, though a sticking point was always that I had an intuition…
21 Jan 2011, 13:01
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Agreed. In fact I'll go so far as to say the sexual morals in most of Gene wolfe's work mirror that of the society Gene WOlfe actually lives in. I don't say this to mean that Gene…
21 Jan 2011, 03:16
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No, that's okay. Feel free to single me out. Lightning rod is a part of my chosen role. So true. But perhaps control is not the goal. Well, actually that was Witz. But your p…
21 Jan 2011, 02:36
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Wow, interesting re-interpretation. I wonder what Marc will think of it. I generally think that connections on the Whorl are more likely to be electronic where they are biological…
20 Jan 2011, 21:07
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They would be. And I think (based on the descriptions) we can be secure in thinking this doesn't mean Native Americans. Moreover Agia is repulsed by the appearance of Ascians and s…
20 Jan 2011, 20:54
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Liar. ;- )…
20 Jan 2011, 20:21
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They do. But my continued point is that these are not people. They are creations with a purpose in everything they say and do. With all the praise that has been heaped upon Gene …
20 Jan 2011, 20:18
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Marc Aramini: ."very frustrating" These are discouraging, frustrating words to hear. I understand the psychology. Criticizing theories provides much more adrenaline to thos…
20 Jan 2011, 19:57
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Agreed on all accounts (except I think Son O' Witz also contributed good points). The only defense I'll raise for my Agia=assassin theory goes back to Fifth Head of Cerberus. As …
20 Jan 2011, 19:38
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Heh. Would you be true to yourself if you always did? I suspect not. It is! This place would suck without any gatekeepers. But it can go too far. And I think it often has. That'…
20 Jan 2011, 18:23
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I agree that Hethor babbles on too much about his poppet for it to be meaningless. And nobody else has come up with anything approaching a plausible theory about the subject. You a…
20 Jan 2011, 18:08
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This makes both human psychological sense and Wolfean sense. If a woman finds herself revived and unaged after many years and encounters an adult son or other descendent who resemb…
20 Jan 2011, 16:42
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I would say no. Because even at the end of CotA, we know Severian's true fulfillment is not as autarch but as something higher. As we see in UotNS that fulfillment is found on the …
20 Jan 2011, 16:04
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I like a lot of Jeff's ideas, often very deep and insightful. But not this one. My feeling of his summation of Agia is: well, she's just some girl. Kind of emotional, has some unr…
20 Jan 2011, 06:10
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Crap. Sorry. Forgot to put a subject on my last post. Again.…
20 Jan 2011, 04:02
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I've played an advocate in this thread but it was a position role. I quite highly respect the opinions of all who contributed and I think all are correct and valid. Jeff, thanks fo…
20 Jan 2011, 03:15
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Does dream travel count as a psychic ability? Does the ability to appear blond-haired count?…
19 Jan 2011, 21:53
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I will continue to play angel's advocate and note that you are playing with nations as though they were playing cards, assigning generic group value without recognition of the ind…
19 Jan 2011, 21:49
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Part of the mystery of Agia is that she is NOT relentless in seeking revenge. She and the green man rescue Severian from the Ascians (and Vodalus). Severian wonders why she didn't…
19 Jan 2011, 21:21
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Yes, my question pertained to practical reasons. Even if there is debate on the original appearance of this family (I tend to think Cilinia gave rise to great Scylla), the questio…
19 Jan 2011, 20:34
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Ah yes. :-) This seems like a very congenial approach to discussion. Sorry I didn't see this before my previous post. I do that sort of thing too- take a theory I don't necessary…
19 Jan 2011, 20:05
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I certainly allow it, if I am permitted to take Angel's advocate role for a minute. It is a simplistic, cruel view of life to say that if an enemy Emperor orders the genocide of hi…
19 Jan 2011, 19:55
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Heh. Just because Silk is "the main character" for us readers does not mean he is the main character in every character's life. There were many unmentioned cities on the whorl. Who…
19 Jan 2011, 19:35
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I think the mythological comparison gains relevance if it is clarified that the one who killed and dismembered Osiris was his brother, Typhon-Set. In a cognate Greek story, Typho…
19 Jan 2011, 15:35
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I understand the arguments for why Silk might be derived from Typhon. I understand the arguments for why he might not be. I don't understand the arguments for why it is impossibl…
19 Jan 2011, 15:08
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I should be more careful in my word choice. "Most" does imply a majority and is likely to instigate a call for proof from those who disagree. Given that most of the world lives be…
19 Jan 2011, 14:25
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This question raised another, possibly related question in my mind. Pas appears as two-headed in the window. Kypris is a beauty. Echidna is snake-haired I think. Scylla, snakey too…
19 Jan 2011, 01:42
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No, not purposefully. My apologies if I have done so. I find these two statements to mean the same thing. Gerry, I am left a bit confused on your position: are earth religion …
19 Jan 2011, 01:31
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Sorry Gerry, I should have used better words choice that couldn't be taken as an accusation of lying. My position is that there are subconscious motivations underneath all the supp…
18 Jan 2011, 23:00
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I've noticed a tendency for British types to use the word "black" or "blacks" as a noun more readily than we Americans do in regard to those of african descent. We usually must add…
18 Jan 2011, 22:24
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A good point. High schoolers ought to be intellectually advanced enough to discuss racism, including the word "nigger". If a student asks why it is okay for Mark Twain to use the …
18 Jan 2011, 17:01
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It should be quite clear that absence of hate does not equal "excuse". My own personal philosophy is that encouraging any kind of hate is a sin always worth avoiding. Certainly…
18 Jan 2011, 14:53
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"A Green Man is a sculpture, drawing, or other representation of a face surrounded by or made from leaves. Branches or vines may sprout from the nose, mouth, nostrils or other par…
18 Jan 2011, 14:49
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Excellent, clarifying post Andrew. Thanks.…
18 Jan 2011, 14:26
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Yes. Loss of hearing provides a much greater barrier to speech than losing one's teeth. Yet deaf people have quickly (in evolutionary time) managed to develop a language as nuanced…
18 Jan 2011, 14:22
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I agree. A good point to remember. I shy away from such strong language in regard to interpreting science fiction but I tend to agree. As far as we know, from Horn's account of…
18 Jan 2011, 14:18
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Heh, yep. Unfortunately I would need the help of God to follow that doctrine. Ah, the curse of humanism. I must accept my species as a package deal. ;- ).…
18 Jan 2011, 13:42
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Forgive me for being dense (and not fully following this thread) but are you saying Lemur is, in some fashion, Typhon? Might as well wonder at this point why Wolfe picks all pro-…
18 Jan 2011, 04:30
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I suspect a Celtic, Druidic origin to the name.…
18 Jan 2011, 02:54
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Made me think of Huckleberry Finn and how there is a strong movement to require schools to carry a version which finds a less offensive term than "nigger" (the N-word) which is rep…
18 Jan 2011, 02:50
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Gerry I will take your word that you do not feel delight in criticizing the theories of others but rather feel you are performing a public service. I think if you could be truly ho…
18 Jan 2011, 02:31
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LMAO good one Jeff! I really did laugh thinking of the green man giving some green woman the sexy smile on a date (being careful not to ruin things with that pesky alzabo laugh).…
18 Jan 2011, 01:57
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Tick weave, like tussah and chenille, can be considered a form of silk. I think the name grouping you are looking for might be found there. I suspect Roy doesn't but actually I …
18 Jan 2011, 01:47
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I think perhaps alternatives are disturbing. After all, the sky is only blue to those who choose to view it exclusively during daylight hours and from ground level. Alternate vie…
17 Jan 2011, 23:03
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I'm hoping it can be a starting point of further, more detailed insight. Good fishing! :- )…
17 Jan 2011, 20:30
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It is my understanding that early Christianity had some gnostic sects which interpreted things in a way that allowed for a demiurge. Other sects of Christianity got the upper hand …
17 Jan 2011, 20:27
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Gerry Quinn: > > I think the more obscure clues can often be pointers to the Why do you feel this way, Gerry? Your perception and wisdom are appreciated, Jerry.…
17 Jan 2011, 20:12
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I know of Fomalhaut but was a star named Rana (frog genus) mentioned in BotNS? James, your eye for detail on human-sized characters is great as is your astronomical knowledge. An…
17 Jan 2011, 14:21
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Adding the thoughts of you guys together seems to be clawing to the heart of the mystery. I'll mention again that a remora is a fish that latches onto a bigger fish in hopes of eat…
17 Jan 2011, 13:56
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