# Severian's Lies *The Urth list — 6 messages, 5 voices, 17 Dec 1998* > Exported from an unofficial mirror of a public mailing list. Copyright > in each message remains with the person who wrote it. > Email addresses are obscured as `user at host`, the form the original > archive published. This file was rebuilt from parsed fields rather than > retained headers, so it is faithful in content but not byte-exact. --- ### David_Lebling *17 Dec 1998, 08:59* Another one. After describing his near drowning on the day he rescued Vodalus, he says "I never went back" to the river. Yet a few chapters later, ("The Last Year", I think) he describes taking the apprentices down to swim in the river, "though I could never dive in deep water without fear." Dave Lebling (aka vizcacha) (david_lebling at avid.com) --- ### m.driussi *17 Dec 1998, 16:25 · follows David_Lebling* Viscacha, You've missed one already--what are you trying to do, cover for Severian? One of Greg Feeley's list of "Severian's lies" is in chapter four, when Valeria mentions the Tower of Torment "where all who enter die in agony." Quote Severian: "I told her that, at least, was a fable." Then again, Feeley was flexible enough to note that the lie was based on the technicallity that the torturers themselves entered (and exited) on a daily basis without dying in agony. FWIW! =mantis= --- ### Kevin J. Maroney *17 Dec 1998, 14:20 · follows m.driussi* > At 04:25 PM 12/17/98 GMT, Mantis wrote: > One of Greg Feeley's list of "Severian's lies" is in chapter four, > when Valeria mentions the Tower of Torment "where all who enter die > in agony." > > Quote Severian: "I told her that, at least, was a fable." > > Then again, Feeley was flexible enough to note that the lie was based > on the technicallity that the torturers themselves entered (and > exited) on a daily basis without dying in agony. FWIW! Alternately, doesn't Severian state that occasionally prisoners die of natural causes while awaiting their sentences? Wombat, a.k.a. Kevin Maroney kmaroney at crossover.com Kitchen Staff Supervisor, New York Review of Science Fiction http://ebbs.english.vt.edu/olp/nyrsf/nyrsf.html --- ### Michael Straight *17 Dec 1998, 15:07 · follows Kevin J. Maroney* > On Thu, 17 Dec 1998 m.driussi at genie.com wrote: > One of Greg Feeley's list of "Severian's lies" is in chapter four, > when Valeria mentions the Tower of Torment "where all who enter die > in agony." > > Quote Severian: "I told her that, at least, was a fable." > > Then again, Feeley was flexible enough to note that the lie was based > on the technicallity that the torturers themselves entered (and > exited) on a daily basis without dying in agony. FWIW! Forgive me if I'm misremembering and the "Tower of Torment" refers specifically to the execution wing of the torturer's building, but aren't there a lot of "clients" whose sentence includes some form of torture but not death? -Rostrum --- ### Derek Bell *18 Dec 1998, 22:08 · follows Michael Straight* In message <199812171401.GAA28091 at lists1.best.com>, David_Lebling at avid.com writ es: > Another one. After describing his near drowning on the day he rescued > Vodalus, he says "I never went back" to the river. Yet a few chapters > later, ("The Last Year", I think) he describes taking the apprentices down > to swim in the river, "though I could never dive in deep water without > fear." I'm not sure if that's a lie or just an inconsistency caused by Severian writing at different times. (I think there's a comment by Severian that says that there might be a long time between two words in the same sentence being written.) Then again, that comment could be a lie to cover up other lies! Derek --- ### Derek Bell *18 Dec 1998, 22:14 · follows Derek Bell* In message <199812171923.LAA05547 at lists1.best.com>, "Kevin J. Maroney" writes: > At 04:25 PM 12/17/98 GMT, Mantis wrote: >> One of Greg Feeley's list of "Severian's lies" is in chapter four, >> when Valeria mentions the Tower of Torment "where all who enter die >> in agony." >> >> Quote Severian: "I told her that, at least, was a fable." >> >> Then again, Feeley was flexible enough to note that the lie was based >> on the technicallity that the torturers themselves entered (and >> exited) on a daily basis without dying in agony. FWIW! > Alternately, doesn't Severian state that occasionally prisoners die of > natural causes while awaiting their sentences? Possibly some forms of suicide could also account for this.[1] (I've just had this image of Severian singing the theme from M*A*S*H - I've a strange sense of humour!) BTW, a quick search has just revealed this URL: http://www.statslab.cam.ac.uk/~djw1005/Personal/Quotes/newsun.html Derek [1]I don't know enough about medicine to tell if Thecla's death could have been painless. ---