Sev's silence about Catherine

brunians at brunians.org · 24 Jun 2008, 20:47 · from 2008-June.txt.gz

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From: brunians at brunians.org (brunians at brunians.org)
Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2008 16:47:37 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: (urth) Sev's silence about Catherine
In-Reply-To: <ecbb2eb0806241339m78f27c2eg329cb980cdc0439 at mail.gmail.com>
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	<ecbb2eb0806241339m78f27c2eg329cb980cdc0439 at mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <11955.67.142.130.13.1214340457.squirrel at brunians.org>

I think he was in the proper state of mind for performing in an initiatory
drama.

I don't find any of this speculation about the woman in the torturer's
elevation ceremony at all convincing.

I find the logistics of the torturer's guild killing an actress every time
they elevate an apprentice amusing to contemplate.


.


> This is a bit off subject, I know, but it does pertain to Katherine, at
> least the one at Severian's raising ceremony.  It has always seemed to me,
> even the first time I read Shadow, that Severian was deceived into
> thinking that his beheading of Katherine was illusion using a wax head,
> stage blood, fuligin cloth, and a clever device of some sort.  If you read
> the passage (sorry, I am not close to my books just now) in TSotT I am
> speaking of, you will notice that Sev goes out of his way to point out
> that the head is wax and that there is a clever mechanism used to make it
> all appear real.
> What
> strikes me as strange is that Severian has, from his own admission, helped
> to prepare the wheel and other props (one can assume) when he was a
> apprentice, but seems unable to explain how they work (besides the wheel)
> when he is raised.  There is also a short description of his sword meeting
> resistance when it comes into contact with Katherine's neck.  Perhaps
> there
> are other clues, but as I said, I am going from memory here, so...   Any
> thoughts?
>
>
> Aaron Singleton
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