Severian's family tree

Mark Millman · 18 Aug 2006, 02:51 · from 2006-August.txt.gz

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From: millman at heimdallr.dyndns.org (Mark Millman)
Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2006 22:51:32 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: (urth) Severian's family tree
In-Reply-To: <BAY103-F30A4AE408117C1B36AFB3ED7420 at phx.gbl>
Message-ID: <20060817224252.C650-100000 at heimdallr.dyndns.org>

Dear bsharp:

I believe that the memory of Severian that
you quote (copied below) exemplifies his
habit of slipping into Thecla's personali-
ty without warning.  This happens through-
out BotNS, though less, I think, in _Urth_.

I read it this way:

[Severian] I played again with pebbles
   in the courtyard beside the fallen
   curtain wall, as Thecla dodged
[Thecla overcomes Severian] dodged the
   hooves of my father's mounted guard.

That is, the "mounted guard" is that of
Thecla's father, and not Severian's.  The
doubling of "dodged" above is deliberate,
as it's not clear where the shift of per-
sonalities occurs.  A memory of Severian's
that echoes with one of Thecla's prompts
her personality to appear and briefly to
overtake Severian's.

Best,

Mark Millman

On Thu, 17 Aug 2006, b sharp wrote:

> [snip]
>
> I base my assessment of the Cas-
> tellan as stepfather to Severian
> based on this memory of
> Severian's:
>
> > "I played again with pebbles
> > in the courtyard beside the
> > fallen curtain wall, as
> > Thecla dodged the hooves of
> > my father's mounted guard".
>
> I take this to mean that Severian
> and Thecla shared a childhood in
> the Citadel. . . .
>
> [snip]

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