Citadel things: In the crypt and Valeria

b sharp · 28 Aug 2006, 11:16 · from 2006-August.txt.gz

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From: bsharporflat at hotmail.com (b sharp)
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2006 07:16:37 -0400
Subject: (urth) Citadel things: In the crypt and Valeria
Message-ID: <BAY103-F27D068B9D31D5924C7DDDD7380 at phx.gbl>

junk06 asks:
>What is the significance of Valeria? He meets her very soon in the first 
>book, then suddenly goes >off to look for her at the end of the last book 
>as if it were the end of some literary story arc. Is >she mentioned any 
>time in between briefly meeting her and when he goes to find her to marry 
> >her? He met some other women briefly too, but didn't go back to marry 
>them. Why her?

Severian does meet Valeria early on then fails to mention her much until the 
end.  He mentions her after he has collected a few female conquests and then 
starts to replay them in his mind on occasions. It always struck me as 
awkward that a casual afternoon tea suddenly became as significant as 
Severian's relationship with the other women.  I've even thought the few 
remembrances of Valeria seem like post hoc additions to the story by Wolfe 
so Sev's marriage to Valeria won't seem quite so abrupt and strange at the 
end.

Wolfe's (Sev's) descriptions of Valeria are so tender I've always felt there 
was something autobiographical there.  I often think Severian marries 
Valeria because Gene Wolfe married Rosemary (I think that's the name).

Junk06 also asks:
>Does Severian get in the crypt in the citadel?

Just my own theory, but I don't think he does.  Old gods never die, they 
just fade away.

My current view on the mausoleum is that the five coffins invoke the five 
heads of Cerberus and this is Gene Wolfe's way of putting himself in the 
story, recognizing Severian as another (the second) of his literary avatars. 
  The funeral bronze that looks like Severian is really Wolfe's face and 
this is a cameo appearance.

-bsharp

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