{
  "export": {
    "source": "https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/urth/4215",
    "note": "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.",
    "addresses": "obscured as 'user at host'"
  },
  "archive": "urth",
  "thread": {
    "id": 4215,
    "subject": "more on Wolfe females",
    "messages": 1,
    "voices": 1,
    "first": "2003-09-10T06:03:03+00:00",
    "last": "2003-09-10T06:03:03+00:00"
  },
  "messages": [
    {
      "message_id": "<urth-v0309-4092@digest.urth.net>",
      "from": {
        "name": "maa32",
        "address": "maa32 at dana.ucc.nau.edu"
      },
      "date": "2003-09-10T06:03:03+00:00",
      "subject": "(urth) more on Wolfe females",
      "in_reply_to": null,
      "reply_link": null,
      "blocks": [
        {
          "kind": "text",
          "depth": 0,
          "text": "Interestingly enough, I was just talking with my girlfriend the other day \nabout Wolfe's portrayal of women.  She says that Thecla influences how \nSeverian treats (and writes about!) Dorcas and Agia, casting Agia (who \nSeverian actually likes) as a villainous wench and Dorcas as little miss \nperfect.  My girlfriend went on to say that the only good woman character that \nWolfe has written was Agia. She says girls really think like that, and that \nWolfe finally got the \"shame\" aspect of it right (re - breast hanging out in \nBotanic Gardens).  She said Thecla was too idealized, but I rationalized that \naway by claiming that Thecla IS the narrator and that the idealization is a \ndistorted self-image.\n\nShe doesn't like Mint, but thinks Chenille is OK.\n\nFrankly, all this talk of Severian not being a good guy is disheartening.  \nHe's ok.  He helps children with pustules on their faces and only hesitates a \nlittle bit when saving women from rabid animal-people, and then only because \nhe has no reason to help the lady.  Another interesting thing is that Chrissy \n(my girlfriend) claims that Severian's care for little Severian was exactly \nThecla's feelings for Big Severian coming through (or at least her maternal \ninstincts).  Chrissy also said that perhaps Severian's misogyny comes in large \npart from Thecla herself, who is a jealous lover.  Severian is in control of \nhis body, but he can't engage his emotions.  When he thinks that Dorcas and \nJolenta were lesbians, it is because his woman self is looking back at the \nmemory of coupling and categorizing them as homosexuals.\n\nAlso, it was my opinion that perhaps Severian's narrative insistence on \nVodalus as an influence on his life could have been \"highlighted\" and made \nmore important by Thecla-as-narrator.  She obviously had allegiance for \nVodalus, since she used all his buzzwords.\n\nIn any case, Chrissy claims that the only interesting relationship between \nSeverian and a woman is the one with Agia, and they don't even get it on.\n\nWhile we are on the subject of unreliable narration, there is a scene in Lake \nof the Long Sun where Gulo talks to Remora about meeting Silk, Chenille and \nAuk in the arbor of the manteion when he first goes to spy on them.  His \nversion of the meeting is NOT like the real version 30 pages previously. He \nsays that Silk was talking about Gulo when Gulo himself came up, and there is \nno indication that he says this to Chenille in the actual text. Is this meant \nto cast doubt on the validity of the rest of the narrative?  What can we do \nwithout external evidence?  Not too much, I think.\n\nOh well.  Enough for now.\nMarc Aramini"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}