Why so much synchronicity?

Bob Miller · 20 Aug 2006, 09:23 · from 2006-August.txt.gz

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From: bob_bageera at hotmail.com (Bob Miller)
Date: Sun, 20 Aug 2006 04:23:04 -0500
Subject: (urth) Why so much synchronicity?
In-Reply-To: <20060820051515.46075.qmail at web32405.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <BAY103-F360A85D0C54D494801470588400 at phx.gbl>

Well, we do know that this type of synchronicity does happen irl as well.  
The most obvious example I rememberis Winston Churchill's memoir of how he 
got into Sandhurst.  When he was taking the entry tests, 19th century of 
course, the applicant had to fill in a map of One of the "countries" 
(colonies?) of the British Empire--random and almost always different each 
year.  The future Sir Winston wrote the names of all applicants on little 
pieces of paper and drew one at random from a hat.  Divine Providence?  Or 
Fortuna's action?  I know what my opinion is. And this is the kind of thing 
Wolfe would know and use.

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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