The Apu-Punchau Eclipse

Eric Ortlund · 10 Jun 2008, 20:22 · from 2008-June.txt.gz

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From: eortlund at briercrest.ca (Eric Ortlund)
Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:22:31 -0600
Subject: (urth) The Apu-Punchau Eclipse
In-Reply-To: <000a01c8cb2f$6b520d20$58cf4a0c at rclackey.stic.net>
References: <000a01c8cb2f$6b520d20$58cf4a0c at rclackey.stic.net>
Message-ID: <4E82554550FE5149AD4B30A4FEA2249201562006 at xchange.briercrest.ca>

Eric Ortlund wrote:

>I hope I'm not going to put my foot in my mouth here . . . but if I'm 
>thinking of the correct scene, my understanding has been that Severian 
>himself causes the eclipse - since he is, in his own body and person, 
>the new sun, his own body is what causes the shadow to fall, since he 
>is standing between the sun and the natives.  That's why they bow down 
>to him.

Even the most ignorant savages can tell the difference between an
eclipse and a man's shadow. Dawn had been delayed by an eclipse. The
natives knew that the sun should have been up, so they feared that what
they had regarded as a boast by Severian -- that he was somehow
connected with the sun and its daily comings and goings -- might be
true. That is the point at which they bowed to him, *then* the sun came
out and cast his shadow over them. (URTH, XLIX, 350)

In a natural eclipse, the sun doesn't come back that quickly. It was a
staged event. The Ship can move out of the way much faster than the
moon, and it did.

-Roy

Hi Roy - 

I think I understand you, but, instead of a difference between an
eclipse and Severian's shadow, I think the two are the same - Severian
is blocking out the sun behind him with his own body.  If that sounds
strange . . . well, he's the new sun!  I think this is a simpler theory
than positing the ship being there right at the same time, and I think
better fits with the way Wolfe hints at us in his own postscript to the
book.  Blessings!

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