# Catherine the Weal *The Urth list — 2 messages, 2 voices, 21 Jan 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. --- ### Wesley Parsons (7065) *21 Jan 1998, 10:52* Andre, Didn't you write an essay, "The Death of Catherine the Weal"? Does this bear on Clute's theory about Severian's mother? Would you care to post your essay? Wes Parsons --- ### m.driussi *22 Jan 1998, 03:41 · follows Wesley Parsons (7065)* Reply: Item #3642999 from URTH at LISTS.BEST.COM@INET03# Wes Parsons, Ah-hem, er, why yes, I =did= write an essay called, "The Death of Catherine the Weal and Other Stories," in direct response to Clute's essay and a similar one by Feeley in "NYRSF" #31 and #32 (1991). It is slated for Clute's book of Wolfe related essays by various people, to be published sometime in the future. Said book has essays by Peter Wright, Jeremy Crampton, Feeley (presumably), and Clute (I hope!), among others. While it is an interesting thought experiment to consider posting the essay, I won't actually post it. For one thing, we have had independent analysis that proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that the essay is difficult to follow on its own; that it presupposes familiarity not only with TBOTNS but also Clute's essay. And I am unanimous in agreeing with that verdict. I really do like Clute's essay. It knocked my socks off and I was under its spell for a while until little cracks began to appear and I determined that I didn't believe it entirely. So I wrote the response. It is a far better thing to come up with a dazzling theory, however flawed, than it is to pick apart someone else's dazzler. Everyone should read Clute's essay. =mantis= ---