Why so much synchronicity?

don doggett · 20 Aug 2006, 05:15 · from 2006-August.txt.gz

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From: kingwukong at yahoo.com (don doggett)
Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2006 22:15:15 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: (urth) Why so much synchronicity?
In-Reply-To: <20060820050514.90623.qmail at web32410.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <20060820051515.46075.qmail at web32405.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

It's worth mentioning that this sort of synchronicity
doesn't happen nearly as much in the Long Sun books,
which are third person, twice as long, and more -
what's the word?- pictorial?
Then when we return to a first person style with Short
Sun, everything becomes claustrophobic and intimate
again. imo, fwiw, lol, etc.

Don

--- don doggett <kingwukong at yahoo.com> wrote:

> An even simpler explanation is that the narrative is
> written in the first person - It is essentially a
> fictional memoir. In "real life" Sev surely meets
> plenty of shmoes not worth mentioning. That's why he
> doesn't mention them. It's selective recording, and
> because Severian is being selective, it is probable
> that he (the character, not Wolfe, though Wolfe also
> of course) is trying to communicate something
> indirectly. What that is is up for what is
> apparently
> eternal debate. :)
> 
> Don
> 
> --- Jesper Svedberg <jsvedberg at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> > 2006/8/19, Dan'l Danehy-Oakes <danldo at gmail.com>:
> > >
> > > On 8/19/06, junk06 at amalar.com
> <junk06 at amalar.com>
> > wrote:
> > > > Why? It smells of ham handedness, as someone
> > mentioned recently.
> > > > Anyone have theories as to why so many
> > coincidences fill the series?
> > >
> > > I have two.
> > >
> > > 1. I'm pretty sure Wolfe is an admirer of
> Dickens.
> > Dickens's plots are
> > > utterly coincidence-driven. (E.g., the fellow
> who
> > catches Oliver, but
> > > not the Dodger, turns out to be his
> > grandfather...) This doesn't bother
> > > his fans.
> > >
> > > 2. These are all signs of Divine Providence (or
> > the guidance of the
> > > Hier*s, aqastors, etc.) to make sure that
> Severian
> > fulfills that destiny
> > > (of which he already had some presentiment)
> > 
> > 
> > I would also suggest that it serves to make the
> > narrative seem dream-like.
> > 
> > 
> >   // Jesper
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