Valeria

John Watkins · 18 Jul 2008, 03:42 · from 2008-July.txt.gz

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From: john.watkins04 at gmail.com (John Watkins)
Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:42:28 -0400
Subject: (urth) Valeria
In-Reply-To: <BAY103-W147ABF3D5F3B3DEF346DE4D7890 at phx.gbl>
References: <BAY103-W147ABF3D5F3B3DEF346DE4D7890 at phx.gbl>
Message-ID: <93d4039f0807172042x273d33d5lc0bed297f87d5fd at mail.gmail.com>

Could it just be Wolfe saying that if you're married to someone for
long enough, their personality imprints onto your mind?



On 7/17/08, b sharp <bsharporflat at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> As with the end of CotA, the end of UotNS is rather densely packed with
> explanations.
> I just noticed a passage I hadn't ever noticed before (perhaps Roy will know
> if it was
> discussed before):
>
> Severian has discovered he is an eidolon and says:
>>"I felt as real as I ever have; and when I searched among my memories, I
>> found
>>Valeria there still, and Thecla and old Autarch, and the boy Severian (who
>> had been
>>Severian only).
>
> Valeria, with her home in the tower near the Atrium of Time is a pretty
> mysterious
> character. Some have guessed she is Severian's mother, daughter, sister. But
> why is
> she included in the select company of those who have been grafted onto
> Severian's
> memory, chemically?
>
> Racking my brain for the past day or two produced only two weak answers:
>
> 1. The assassin's blade had an alzabo extract on it and when it pierced
> Valeria, then
> Severian's chest, her memories were implanted.
>
> 2. Valeria symbolizes Wolfe's wife and he wanted to honor her and their long
> marriage
> (though his avatar Severian) by including her, in literary form, as a
> permanent part of
> Severian's memory. (I suspect Thecla and old Autarch also represent
> important people
> in Gene Wolfe's life).
>
> But I'm hoping someone can come up with explanations better than these :-).
>
>
> -bsharp
>
>
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