Sev's Silence about Catherine

Dave Tallman · 25 Jun 2008, 09:52 · from 2008-June.txt.gz

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From: davetallman at msn.com (Dave Tallman)
Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2008 03:52:32 -0600
Subject: (urth) Sev's Silence about Catherine
In-Reply-To: <BAY103-W515978F1A600665073F319D7A00 at phx.gbl>
References: <BAY103-W515978F1A600665073F319D7A00 at phx.gbl>
Message-ID: <48621560.5060307 at gmail.com>

b sharp wrote:
> But the text doesn't seem very ambiguous in this Elevation scene. Severian says the sword
> is a wooden batten. He calls it a "false blade" as he describes the downstroke. It meets 
> resistance because it hits the "ingenious mechanism" that elevates a wax head.  The wax 
> head and real head coveredin fuligin cloth trick is described in detail. And Catherine would 
> have to have tremendous healing powers to be able to take her severed head, place it back 
> on her neck and have it instantly as good as new.  Only Severian, as Conciliator, is able to do
>  anything close to that and he is limited to restoring withered arms and removing giant tumors. 
> Well, I guess he cures the sick girl in the jacal also but nothing as dramatic as instantly healing 
> and restoring a severed head.
>   
I still think there's something funny going on in that scene. Sev says 
"...I took up the sword. It was vary heavy,"  A little later he says "I 
remember that for a moment I feared it would overbalance me."  Is this 
really a wooden batten no larger than an ordinary headsman's blade?

Her head was in shadow on the block. The sword "thudded into the block, 
which fell into two." That isn't a description of directing the blade to 
one side. I admit he says that was what he was going to do, up to the 
last instant. Perhaps he was hypnotized or controlled in some way. 
Palaemon and Gurloes have to be in on it, because they carry on the 
ceremony as if nothing unusual happened.

"I felt dizzy and tired."  This sometimes happens when he exercises his 
own healing ability. Perhaps this only happened once, at Sev's own 
elevation.  Nevertheless, something seems to have happened that is 
different than what he said would happen. He's lying, but glimpses of 
the truth break through.

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