Wolfe's "New Sun": Severian Unmasked!

Charles Dye · 26 Sep 1995, 03:33 · from sf-lovers.1995.mbox

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From: raster at terra.com (Charles Dye)
Subject: Re: Wolfe's "New Sun": Severian Unmasked!
Date: Tue, 26 Sep 95 03:33:48 GMT
Message-ID: <sflovers-v20-370-8 at digest.sf-lovers>
X-Digest-Issue: SF-LOVERS Digest V20 #370
X-Urthmirror-Source: https://archive.org/details/sf-lovers-digest-vol-20b

manderse at nmsu.edu (Mark Andersen) wrote:
>Who do you believe was Severian's mother? I read a good argument once
>(can't remember where offhand) to the effect that his mother was the
>Autarch. (The Autarch Severian succeeded on the throne is the only Autarch
>mentioned in the story with neither name nor epithet. The Autarch refers
>to Severian as "My son". One could argue that the Autarch androgyny may
>just as well have come about through being deprived of femininity, as
>through being deprived of masculinity.)

Wheeeee...

We do get a fairly detailed picture of her in "Citadel."  Ouen describes a
woman who was dark-haired, religious (perhaps a renegade Pelerine,
therefore possibly highborn), was captured by the authorities and,
suckerpunch, named Catherine.  (Only Gene Wolfe can suckerpunch with a
name!)  Since all torturers are born to torturees, Catherine seems to me a
much better bet than the head of state.

Also, recall that Severian inherits his predecessor's memories ... he
remembers being "unmanned" in Briah, not giving birth to <gulp> himself.

How about Severian's sister?  Wolfe makes it clear that "Severian" is a
twin-name.  Might "Severa" have been given to the witches?  And might they
have changed her name to, say, "Merryn?"

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