The Katharine maid

Daniel D Jones · 28 Oct 2006, 12:54 · from 2006-October.txt.gz

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From: ddjones at riddlemaster.org (Daniel D Jones)
Date: Sat, 28 Oct 2006 08:54:07 -0400
Subject: (urth) The Katharine maid
In-Reply-To: <002001c6fa4d$8d626720$fd3ec6d8 at rclackey.stic.net>
References: <002001c6fa4d$8d626720$fd3ec6d8 at rclackey.stic.net>
Message-ID: <200610280854.07988.ddjones at riddlemaster.org>

On Saturday 28 October 2006 00:57, Roy C. Lackey wrote:
> Daniel D Jones quoted and wrote:
> >At some point after his birth (exactly how long after is unclear, but
> >certainly while he was still an infant) she was tortured and killed, and
> >Severian was taken by the torturers to be raised as a member of the Guild.
>
> I guess that what I get for being economical and not repeating myself. <g>
> My "Baby Severian" post of the 18th dealt with much of your argument. Most
> of the criteria for acceptance into the guild are also addressed on the
> second page of the second chapter of SHADOW. Among them is, "None of us
> were born among the torturers, for none are."

I've gone back and reread your 18th post.  Your arguments against Severian 
being born in the tower rests on the sentence "None of us were born among the 
torturers, for none are."  I'd argue that you're misinterpreting that 
sentence as well.  What does it mean to be "born among the torturers?"  I'd 
say it's referring to the torturers taking wives or lovers and raising their 
own children into the guild.  The torturers do not replenish their guild from 
within.  I don't think the sentence means that no children are born among the 
torturers _clients_.  

I don't see any resolution for the apparently contradictory sentences about 
wet nurses and knowing no breasts.  I suspect this was an error on Wolf's 
part.

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