Subject: (urth) Fechin

From: b sharp <bsharporflat at hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 30 May 2006 08:17:37 +0000

In a previous post I noted some interesting (largely monkey based) 
connections between Father Inire, Rudesind and Dorcas' husband.  I was 
hoping someone would fill in the blank space since I had mentioned him in my 
list of red headed characters.  Roy came through with  Fechin.

You know, for all his babble about Fechin, Rudesind only mentions one 
painting by him; three girls dressing each other with flowers.  To find out 
more about his artwork we have to go to the old person in Casdoe's house.  
In that person's long story we find that Fechin seems to only have two 
things he likes to draw:  young women (spoiler) and himself.  Naturally this 
calls to mind our old Lewis Carrollian friend Father Inire. But it also 
suggests someone else.

I think only once in this, or maybe it was some other archive, have I seen a 
suggestion that Fechin could be based on artist Nicolai Fechin.  
Russian-born he immigrated to the US and settled in the Southwest.  In this 
online gallery (http://www.erbzine.com/mag3/0349.html) we see that two of 
his favorite subjects are young women and himself.  I couldn't find a 
written physical description of him, but his Russian heritage would 
certainly allow for red hair.  The self-portrait in the lower right, in 
front of the brick wall, could be showing red hair.  Not only was he an 
artist but also....an architect!  I would like to know if the Wolfes ever 
made a trip to the Fechin House in Taos, New Mexico.  I bet it has its 
Secrets (let's hope not an antechamber or white wolves).

-bsharp

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From: Andrew Taumoefolau <zenbot.urth at gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 30 May 2006 11:59:58 +0000

Hi there,

> calls to mind our old Lewis Carrollian friend Father Inire. But it also

I'm at work and sadly didn't bring my novels with me, but off the top
of my head, doesn't Rudesind also mention a Fechin painting of himself
as a younger man (or boy)? I recall him going on for a bit about
cleaning up an image of himself, and about how he wished somebody
would clean him up in the same way.

Also, in the story the old man tells, Fechin draws two pictures, one
on each side of the piece of paper the old man gave him: one of the
girl that he's (presumably) just slept with, and one of the old man.
Where is it mentioned in the text that Fechin has painted himself?

(I hope this goes to the right place, I haven't posted on a mailing
list in years!)

(and also that I'm not completely wrong, heh!)

Cheers,

Andrew Taumoefolau
zenbot at gmail.com

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From: b sharp <bsharporflat at hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 30 May 2006 14:17:12 +0000

>Where is it mentioned in the text that Fechin has painted himself?

Thank you Andrew! No, your memory of the story is quite perfect.  I hinted 
at the solution to one of your objections  in my last post. Actually, I 
thought I had already posted a follow-up which solved the rest of your 
objections but it appears to have gotten lost in cyberspace. I'll try to 
recreate my thoughts though I'm at work also and I can't quote text as I'd 
like (and as I did in the lost post).

I think both your legitimate objections stem from purposeful Gene Wolfe 
misleadings.  First I must explain that I think Rudesind is Fechin.  There 
are monkey-like similarities to the apperance of both.  We know Fechin has 
red hair but we don't know the color of Rudesind's. The name Rudesind might 
be a clue.

Rudesind describes himself as being a gifted child artist.  A "real" artist 
comes to visit him, to see the child's work.  The text then implies that the 
visitor was Fechin and he made a drawing of the child which was sent to the 
House Absolute which becomes a Fechin. BUT (given my suspicion) I think it 
was actually a self-portrait by the child because the child is drawn with a 
tangerine and brushes.  Both were promised to the child on completion of the 
portrait.  But it is the artist who needs brushes near him, not the subject. 
Unless it is a self-portrait.  And the traveller wanted to see examples of 
the child's work.

Moreover both Rudesind and Fechin are described as child artists who don't 
even have paper to draw on.  A set of brushes (and a tangerine) would be a 
fabulous gift from the artist/art collector visiting from the House 
Absolute.

The next objection is the old person living in Casdoe's house.  There is 
something VERY strange about this person.  Unreliable Severian refers to 
this old person as Casdoe's father at one point and Becan's father at 
another.  Casdoe introduces her son to Severian but not the old person. 
Casdoe says only one, unheard thing to the old person during Severian's  24 
hour day with this family.  I am pretty sure Wolfe is trying to hide the use 
of pronouns to hide the fact that Severian has mistaken an old woman for an 
old man.  A hint to this deception might be use of the name Herais for 
Casdoe's mother in Thrax.  In early Christian legend, Herais was a woman who 
had changed into a man in mid-life.  But perhaps the use of Herais is 
accidental by Wolfe (is it?).

I think this deception is used to disguise Severian's family tree, which I 
will get to in a later post, as well as confuse the Rudesind-Fechin issue.

Anyway, the old woman, as I'd like to call her now, talks about Fechin more 
the way a woman would. She admits he looks like a monkey but is so tall and 
"the handsomest boy around".  He could make any girl do anything for him.  
Even share sex partners I think, though of course the old woman doesn't 
admit that part.  Fechin sleeps with another girl (a beautiful, blonde I 
suspect) while (the future) old woman waits downstairs. The beautiful woman 
has been waiting and watching for Fechin in the upstairs window.  There is 
another BotNS charcter whose first memory is sitting in a window, with 
pretty things, trays and a rood.

(BTW, there is another saint who is famous for sitting in a window (to hear 
Paul preach).  But her name is Thecla. Might be a coincidene.. or...)

Anyway  Fechin draws pictures of both of girls (on a rare piece of paper she 
provided). And draws one of himself I think. He keeps all the pictures. The 
old woman also talks about Fechin stealing a copper pan.  He might use it as 
a boat, or might use it as a mirror...presumably to make (another) 
self-portrait.

I hate to stretch things too far but I'll mention that Rudesind describes 
his own, child's eyes in the painting as brown.  Throughout the text Wolfe 
always uses the adjective "dark" for brown eyes, except twice (that I know). 
  First for Rudesind and later in a dream sequence, a Father-like Bull head 
has the only other "brown" eye we see.  This may be a connection for both 
Rudesind and Fechin to Father Inire. Perhaps it should be noted that Saint 
Rudesind was a Benedictine monk, the order founded on the edict called "The 
Benedictine Bull".  But maybe that's....never mind.

-bsharp

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From: Roy C. Lackey <rclackey at stic.net>
Date: Tue, 30 May 2006 19:51:29 +0000

bsharp wrote:
[snip]
>another.

---------------------------------------------------------
Then, for the first time since I had been in the house, the old man spoke.
"Becan, come over here! I want to tell you about Fechin." It was a moment
before I understood that he was addressing me under the impression that I
was his son-in-law. (SWORD, chap. XV)
--------------------------------------------------------
After a time Casdoe, her father, and little Severian emerged. (chap. XVII)
-------------------------------------------------------
I reflected that the old man must be exhausted by now, that it was
surprising that his daughter could still urge him on; (ibid)
------------------------------------------------------

[snip]
>"the handsomest boy around".  He could make any girl do anything for him.

--------------------------------------------------------
"His face wasn't a monkey's face at all. Fechin was handsome the handsomest
around. He could always get food or money from a woman." (chap. XV)
-------------------------------------------------------
I had gone across the room to listen to him, partly because he spoke
indistinctly and partly out of respect, for his aged face reminded me a
little of Master Palaemon's, though he had his natural eyes. "I once met a
man of your age who had posed for Fechin," I said. (ibid)
-----------------------------------------------------

[snip]
>has the only other "brown" eye we see.

-----------------------------------------------------
Rich brown hair spilled down her back. I think I recognized her even before
she turned and I saw the high cheekbones and her long, brown eyes it was
Agia. (ibid)
----------------------------------------------------
She shook her head; the narrow, brown eyes were dancing. (chap. XVI)
----------------------------------------------------

-Roy

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From: b sharp <bsharporflat at hotmail.com>
Date: Wed, 31 May 2006 00:44:44 +0000

Thanks Roy, you are a great resource. How could I forget Agia's eyes!  The 
brown eyes give me another valued piece to the puzzle I had to guess about 
before. Not far to go, now.

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From: Roy C. Lackey <rclackey at stic.net>
Date: Wed, 31 May 2006 04:32:15 +0000

bsharp wrote:

>Thanks Roy, you are a great resource.

You are quite welcome. While I'm thinking about it, there is another small
matter you might want to consider regarding your "Naming Rule 2a". You
wrote:

>>I propose that it wasn't a mistake and that these characters are important
in introducing this 2a. naming rule which is- The name of a kaibit shall be
a derived, diminuative name of the cell donor.

>>Other of the few examples which could fit this naming rule are
Domnicellae
and Domnina and Pelagia and Pega.<<

"Domnicellae" isn't a name; it is a rank among the Pelerines.

-Roy

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From: b sharp <bsharporflat at hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 05 Jun 2006 19:06:15 +0000

bob writes:
>Hmm.  Perhaps y'all knew he was historical, but I confess my own 
>ignorance--absolute and complete.

Bob, I found Nicolai Fechin in a web search too.  I was struck also by the 
fact that this Fechin and Wolfe's Fechin choose young women and themselves 
as favorite subjects.  I've been trying to find out if he had red hair as a 
young man.

Fechin art gallery: http://www.erbzine.com/mag3/0349.html

-bsharp

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From: Dan'l Danehy-Oakes <danldo at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 05 Jun 2006 19:16:20 +0000

Somehow ... I've never been able to take Fechin very seriously. I
suspect after all these years that his resonated in my mind with
Steppin Fetchit.

--Dan'l, embarassed

-- 
I do not fear Satan half so much as I fear those who fear him.
                        -- St Teresa of Avila
http://www.livejournal.com/users/sturgeonslawyer