Close reading: Torturer chapter I

Roy C. Lackey · 05 Sep 2006, 19:52 · from 2006-September.txt.gz

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From: rclackey at stic.net (Roy C. Lackey)
Date: Tue, 5 Sep 2006 14:52:16 -0500
Subject: (urth) Close reading: Torturer chapter I
Message-ID: <000a01c6d124$cd603520$8d3ec6d8 at rclackey.stic.net>

Dan'l quoted and wrote:

>On 9/5/06, Tony Ellis <tonyellis69 at btopenworld.com> wrote:
>> The implication is that the guard has been bribed to make himself
>> scarce by Vodalus and co. I have it in my head that we're told this
>> somewhere, but that could be my imagination.
>
>We're given another explanation for the missing guard in the
>BOOK OF THE SHORT SUN.

Yeah, that theory was put forth some years ago. It's one of those theories
that is so neat it *ought* to be true. But it can't be.

Severian and his pals were swimming in the Gyoll, so the weather was still
warm enough for swimming. As b sharp recently noted, "It is icy winter when
Severian encounters Triskele and Valeria."

Sev was outside trying to unclog a frozen drain pipe the day he found
Triskele. The dog ran away a week later, and Sev met Valeria. There was snow
on the ground that day. It was winter when Sev had the dog. There is no way
that Sev went swimming that week, and there is no indication in IGJ that it
was winter when Silkhorn saw the dog.

-Roy

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