Severian's family tree

Daniel D Jones · 23 Aug 2006, 21:56 · from 2006-August.txt.gz

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From: ddjones at riddlemaster.org (Daniel D Jones)
Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2006 17:56:03 -0400
Subject: (urth) Severian's family tree
In-Reply-To: <BAY103-F20C82FF9C9D8061D3321BDD7470 at phx.gbl>
References: <BAY103-F20C82FF9C9D8061D3321BDD7470 at phx.gbl>
Message-ID: <200608231756.04081.ddjones at riddlemaster.org>

On Wednesday 23 August 2006 11:05, b sharp wrote:
> Matthew DeLuca asks:
> >Was it ever established that Catherine was Thecla's mother?
>
> Unfortunately for those interested in Severian's family tree, it can't even
> be said that  Dorcas is Severian's grandmother.
>
> I made my guess that Catherine is Thecla's mother based largely on that one
> cryptic passage:
>
> "I played again with pebbles in the courtyard beside the fallen curtain
> wall, as Thecla dodged the hooves of my father's mounted guard."
>
> Mark Millman interprets 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."

I recently moved and my books are still packed, so I can't research this 
myself at the moment, but what's the reason for assuming that Thecla takes 
over mid sentence?  Why can't the entire sentence be read as Thecla's memory:

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

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