Subject: (urth) Thea/Vodalus -- who were they digging up?

From: cilluff1 at optonline.net <cilluff1 at optonline.net>
Date: Fri, 11 Oct 2002 14:05:13 +0000

Hello, all!  I have recently joined the list, although I have been reading
the archives and am very impressed with the depth of many list-members'
analysis of Wolfe's works.  Anyway, by way of background, I have read
TBONS/UOTNS and recently finnished the first half of BOTLS -- I started
re-reading BOTNS again while I waited for Epiphany to arrive and, now that
it has, am halfway through Shadow and Claw and can't put it down again.  

Anyway, two things have always puzzled me, and perhaps some listmembers can
shed some insight on them.

First, who were Vodalus and Thea (and Hildegrin) digging up when Severian
first meets them in the Necropolis?  It's a woman, and for some reason I
get the feeling that Thea has some interest in or relation to her, but
otherwise I can't figure it out.

Second, in Sword and Citadel, when Sev is in the lazaret being cared for by
the Pelerines, he meets a slave who tells him a story about meeting
"Journeyman Palemon," and asks Severian to relay a question to Palemon if
ever he meets him again.  Severian, of course, does subsequently meet
Palemon again, but does not (as far as we know) ask Palemon the slave's
question.  Any thoughts as to why?  I cannot believe it simply slipped GW's
mind.  Is the absence of the question supposed to make us ponder what the
real answer is?

Anyway, I hope someone can share their insights with me, and I look forward
to reading everyone's thoughts on other topics as well.

Regards,
Joe (no nickname as of yet! : ) )

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