Appian

Rex Lycanthrosaurus · 28 Aug 2006, 20:01 · from 2006-August.txt.gz

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From: lycanthrosaurus at fastmail.fm (Rex Lycanthrosaurus)
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2006 15:01:51 -0500
Subject: (urth) Appian
In-Reply-To: <000001c6caca$44f7c190$6401a8c0@cthulhu>
References: <000001c6caca$44f7c190$6401a8c0@cthulhu>
Message-ID: <1156795311.22199.269598888 at webmail.messagingengine.com>

On Mon, 28 Aug 2006 18:49:11 +0100, "Tony Ellis"
<tonyellis69 at btopenworld.com> said:

> It seems a little strange that Severian can describe
> 'his' Autarch as almost like 'a plump woman of 40' and not wonder how
> someone who has been doing the job for at least 62 years could look so
> young.

Stranger still that the penultimate autarch, who looks like "a plump
woman of forty," can have been trained in his duties as honey steward
over fifty years ago, which, depending on his age when he started (5-12,
which even you agree with), would make him at least fifty-five, if not
in his early sixties. So "he" obviously cannot be forty. 

> It seems a little unusual that a ten-year-old Autarch should *not* be
> remarked upon.

Who besides Sev in tBotNS remarks that Typhon has two heads? Surely,
however, he's one of a kind! Whereas boy-emperors have been common
throughout history, whether in Asia, Europe or Africa, and probably not
considered altogether unusual back in the day. Moreover, in the
Commonwealth, it's Father Inire who wields the real power, no matter how
old the autarch is.

Wolfe, as I believe is commonly acknowledged, often leaves it to his
readers to figure out the names of certain characters he specifically
does not identify, and as a perusal of the archives will show,
apparently you yourself were surprised that Number Five's real name in
Fifth Head turned out to be Gene Wolfe. (See
http://urth.net/urth/archives/v0008/0692.shtml) So it doesn't
particularly astonish me that for excess of a -"p", you don't believe
that someone who has been trained as a honey steward, worked in the
kitchens of the House Absolute, is sterile like a bee, and has a name
that is nearly identical with 'apian' can be the penultimate autarch.

Plus your argument also begs this additional question. If the
penultimate autarch's name is *not* Appian, then what is it? And if it's
indeterminable, why, in a book that has hundred of named characters,
often who play only a very minor or marginal role (indeed, there are
dozens who never even appear on-stage), does he leave in forfeit the
name of this most noble man, the would-be saviour of Urth, who attempts
to bring back the New Sun, but comes home a castrado? 
-- 
  Rex Lycanthrosaurus
  lycanthrosaurus at fastmail.fm

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