Subject: (urth) Thecla's Lunatic Irritation

From: Dan'l Danehy-Oakes <ddanehy at siebel.com>
Date: Tue, 05 Mar 2002 17:30:41 +0000

> > Thecla (p. 239) correction, she did not exactly take her own life to
> > avoid another session with the revolutionary, rather, she did so to
> > avoid further torment by the in-dwelling demon summoned by the device. 

> I think that this bears closer examination. Rather than a device that
> literally summons demons (just as the Book contains hierodules rather
> than literal angels), 

... I am thus far in agreement ...

> I think that the Rev is meant to be an electroshock device of fiendish
> refinement that divides the brain by damaging tissue electrically and
> leaves the non-speaking part greatly resentful of the trauma and
> perhaps envious of the speaking part. 
> 	This would agree somewhat with studies of people who have had
> their brains divided by damage or surgical severing of the corpus
> callosum, which GW already used in "The Death of Doctor Island." This
> would explain the image of the demon as having Thecla's face, since it
> is part of herself. 

Alas, it would disagree far more with these studies - while the "two
brains" do indeed appear to have independent "behavior" and possibly
even independent "personalities" (giving rise to a host of questions
for soulists like myself, which have never to date been really 
adequately answered), the "non-speaking" portion does not appear to
resent the "speaking" portion, and certainly neither portion becomes
self-destructive in the way described here. 

I think Mantis's "magical thinking" idea may have some merit, but even
so - what happens to the victims of the Revolutionary isn't merely 
suicidal depression; the "demon" is actively sadistic and seeks to 
make the "host" _suffer_. (Suicidally depressed persons, deprived of
the means of suicide, do not in general begin clawing at their own
skin.) Whatever the Revolutionary does is significantly more complex
than this.

Nonetheless, there is at least some hope for a solution in the 
magical thinking idea. If the Lupiverse contains angel-equivalents
like the hierodules, then magical thinking not only permits but
seems to _require_ that we hypothesize demon-equivalents: and I
see no reason why the Revolutionary might not actually summon one
and instil it into the victim.

	The division of functions is not the same as that in the RL
documented
procedure, but this can be attributed to the refinement of the device by
Urthly science, the general scientific accuracy of the Book, and perhaps
an effort on Wolfe's part to display an internal division within human
nature. The Revolutionary turns one against one's self by separating the
devil already inside from the mitigating moral conscience, or perhaps it
involves original sin.

-- 
Jeff Wilson
How Am I Posting? 1-800-555-6789
"If your SecOp can see you, so can the enemy." -Cpt Law

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From: James Jordan <jbjordan4 at cox.net>
Date: Tue, 05 Mar 2002 23:11:42 +0000

At 11:30 AM 3/5/2002, you wrote:

>--Blattid

Another aspect is that the demon made or called by the Revolutionary 
corresponds to the Vodalus Revolutionary party within the Commonwealth. 
They are bringing about the suicide of Urth, necessitating the New Sun. 
And, in Wolfean (Catholic) thinking, I should think that being a 
"revolutionary" is precisely what Old Adam was at the beginning.
         Thecla's being "born again" (resurrected) in Severian parallels 
the black-holed sun's being born again through Severian, and the death and 
resurrection of Urth. Adam the Revolutionary is saved and regenerated.

Nutria

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From: Jason Ingram <j_ingram at mac.com>
Date: Wed, 06 Mar 2002 03:08:48 +0000

On a slightly different note, I came across a reference to a Saint 
Thecla that I found interesting.  I'm curious how much light it on her 
eventual union with Severian.

The passage is from Durrell's translation and adaptation of _Pope Joan_ 
by Emmanuel Royidis, and occurs in the context of an attempt by  
Frumentius to persuade Joanna to join him as a monk;

"[...] he continued to press her, arguing  with the help of Deuteronomy 
and the opinion of Origen that all women would anyhow be transformed 
into men on the Last Day.  Joanna replied to this that Origen was a 
heretic and, moreover, a eunuch.  Frumentius however reminded her of the 
example of St. Thecla, sister of the Apostle Paul [...] and a host of 
others who had hidden their white bodies like angels' wings in the black 
habits of men and had acquired holiness living with monks." [p.55]

And a footnote: St. Thecla, "though not recorded as the sister of St. 
Paul, is said to have accompanied him on several apostolic missions.  
Described in Butler [...] she early felt the call of god, and broke off 
her engagement with a young man, whose despair turned to hatred.  He 
denounced her to the authorities and she was condemned to be torn to 
pieces by wild animals."  According to this story, she lived "to a ripe 
old age"  [p.155]. I haven't checked any sources, but even if Royidis or 
Durrell were fabricating the history, it resonates well.

Sepia

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