Severian's Sexuality

brunians at brunians.org · 07 Jun 2008, 15:56 · from 2008-June.txt.gz

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From: brunians at brunians.org (brunians at brunians.org)
Date: Sat, 7 Jun 2008 11:56:18 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: (urth) Severian's Sexuality
In-Reply-To: <BAY103-W43C1DB8D452D9B8A7FB74FD7B60 at phx.gbl>
References: <BAY103-W43C1DB8D452D9B8A7FB74FD7B60 at phx.gbl>
Message-ID: <3493.72.171.0.147.1212854178.squirrel at brunians.org>

I am extremely skeptical about all of this.

If Wolfe intended any of it, there would be better and more solid clues,
like the ones linking Severian, Ouen and Dorcas.




.

> Brunian asks:
>
>>Jolenta is his sister? Cyriaca is his aunt? Agia and Agilus are his
>> cousins?
>
>>Is there any evidence for any of this in the book?
>
> I don't know!!! I think so. And I'm not alone in that.  But maybe that's
> just
>  because I/ we were looking for evidence. From my first readings of this
> series
> I felt we were meant to identify members of Severian's family. For those
> who don't
> perceive that challenge the evidence will seem circumstantial or even
> manufactured.  And Wolfe ain't tellin'.
>
> Few debate the conclusion that Ouen is Severian's father and Dorcas
> his grandmother. But it is never stated openly in the book.
>
> I think maybe it was Clute who deduced that the maid who plays St.
> Katharine is Severian's mother Catherine, whose face looks like a pool of
> still
> water (mirror) to Severian.
>
> As far as I know it was Borski who figured Agia and Agilus to be his
> cousins.
> He makes a good case that Dorcas died in childbirth long after Ouen was
> born,
> gving Severian an aunt or uncle, so why not cousins.  Severian is a twin
> so
> perhaps his cousins are also.  The incest between Agia and Agilus might
> connect
>  them to Severian and Dorcas' family. Perhaps the sexual attraction
> between
> Agia and Severian also. The golden aureole Wolfe keeps giving A and A
> could be
> a connection to Dorcas.
>
> Borski sees the prisoner who nails children's feet to the floor as
> Severian's aunt.
> I think Cyriaca is a much better candidate.  She is the right age and
> height.
> She shares a dark aureole of hair and an oval face with Catherine. They
> both
> escaped from the Pelerines.  The Oedipal incest theme ties in nicely.
> Moreover,
> Cyriaca is comfortable escapingto Nessus, where she can cook and sew
> (Agia and Agilus ran a used clothing shop in Nessus their mother had
> owned).
> Agia possesses knowledge and acoutrements (scarlet cape and misericorde)
> associated with the Pelerines.
>
> Jolenta might be the best candidate for his sister, Severa because
> SOMEBODY has
> to be Severa. She is the right age and height. She has hair color like
> Dorcas, but
> that and her real name are suspiciously hidden when Severian first meets
> her. There
> is the incest tie-in.  Jolenta could have been a witch who left her guild
> like Severian
> (though perhaps Merryn and the Cumaean would have mentioned it..or maybe
> not).
>
> There is evidence for other family members as well, but where do you draw
> the line
> of skepticism? Wolfe leaves things in a way which allows a reader the
> range from
> dismissing even Dorcas as a family member through accepting the possiblily
> of even more
> than I've mentioned.
> (I could hint at [grand] Father Inire but perhaps we need not have that
> can of worms opened ;-).
>
>
> -bsharp
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