Fechin

Roy C. Lackey · 30 May 2006, 19:51 · from 2006-May.txt.gz

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From: rclackey at stic.net (Roy C. Lackey)
Date: Tue, 30 May 2006 14:51:29 -0500
Subject: (urth) Fechin
Message-ID: <000e01c68422$7681a440$5b3dc6d8 at rclackey.stic.net>

bsharp wrote:
[snip]
>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.

---------------------------------------------------------
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]
>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.

--------------------------------------------------------
"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]
>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.

-----------------------------------------------------
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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