Wolfe and Noah

Russell Wodell · 08 Jul 2008, 21:05 · from 2008-July.txt.gz

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From: wrustle at gmail.com (Russell Wodell)
Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2008 14:05:40 -0700
Subject: (urth) Wolfe and Noah
Message-ID: <43960c850807081405m67c7c12ai3e050c272abe4eff at mail.gmail.com>

May I ask a simple? possibly very naive ? question about the climax of "The
Urth of the New Sun"?

If I understand correctly, the New Sun melts Urth's encroaching
glaciation, flooding at least Nessus and part of the Commonwealth, if not
most of the planet, washing away Urth and creating Ushas.

I have always assumed this was a strategic victory for Abaia and his
attendant undines, whose underwater domain is thus greatly enlarged, and a
defeat for Erebus (who as I recall lived under one of Urth's poles, and
presumably wanted an ice age). It is of course difficult to assign motives
to off-stage monsters, but wasn't it for just this reason that the undine
saves Severian from drowning as an apprentice? That it gives Urth over to
Abaia and his minions, plus those like Baldanders who seek immortality
through extended youth, which means unlimited physical growth, which
necessitates living in the oceans (though we are also told they can swim
among the stars).

Now Wolfe is anything but a simplistic Catholic -- indeed, I have the
impression, through hints in his interviews, that some of his philosophical
ideas might seem heretical. But isn't it basic Christian doctrine, Catholic
or Protestant alike, that God promised Noah He would never again destroy
humanity through a great flood, and set the rainbow in this heavens as a
pledge of this promise?

Try as I may, I can't see how Sev and his fellow survivors from the House
Absolute could possibly be identified with Noah and his family.

-- 
Russell Wodell

"Quanti canicula ille in fenestra"
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