The Katharine maid

Jeff Wilson · 27 Oct 2006, 03:36 · from 2006-October.txt.gz

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From: jwilson at io.com (Jeff Wilson)
Date: Thu, 26 Oct 2006 22:36:23 -0500
Subject: (urth) The Katharine maid
In-Reply-To: <001901c6f934$7b086080$cb3ec6d8 at rclackey.stic.net>
References: <001901c6f934$7b086080$cb3ec6d8 at rclackey.stic.net>
Message-ID: <45417EB7.1040303 at io.com>

Roy C. Lackey wrote:
> Both quotes cannot be true. The sentence, "My mother certainly, for the
> children the torturers take know no breasts." is either a pointless lie or
> another example of Wolfe being forced to change his mind about some things
> when he came to write the sequel. I can't think of any way to reconcile the
> two passages.

I don't think it is necessarily a contradiction.  Since we are reading a 
translation, "take" may variously mean surgical removal as well as 
induction into the guild, either both at once or separately on different 
occasions. His mother may have been merely confined for a time, as 
Thecla was, and so nursed him in her cell. Later, she was executed and 
the apparent orphan kept as an apprentice-to-be. She may even have given 
birth during the time of confinement, and the Brothers did not open her 
to take the baby because there was the technical possibility she would 
be reprieved. Likely the c-section only takes place proximal to death 
while in custody.

-- 
Jeff Wilson - jwilson at io.com
< http://www.io.com/~jwilson >

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