a lurker asks a question

Gwern Branwen · 03 Oct 2008, 20:02 · from 2008-October.txt.gz

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From: gwern0 at gmail.com (Gwern Branwen)
Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2008 16:02:00 -0400
Subject: (urth) a lurker asks a question
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On 2008.10.01 16:27:51 -0400, Bruce Hayles <brucehayles at gmail.com> scribbled 4.7K characters:
>    Gwern mentioned an interview with Gene Wolfe saying that Severian is an intellectual that
>    doesn't know he is an intellectual. "It's a pity you are a torturer, " Ultan said. "You might
>    have been a philosopher..." on pg 47. Reading Severian's narrative, I can't help but think he
>    is an intellectual; but his narrative never really reveals that he thinks of himself as such
>    (consistent with the quote from Wolfe). I don't recall specific instances, but Severian does
>    think of himself as dense. For example, when he cannot explain why the claw only heals at
>    certain times he thinks himself slow. So maybe this chapter serves to validate the idea that
>    Severian is an intellectual by showing that other people (Ultan) think so.
>
>    Along the same line, the chapter points out of incongruity of Severian as a torturer. We are
>    forced to compare Cyby and Severian. On pg 45 Ultan describes the process whereby apprentices
>    are selected. "He hesistated, and though I could discern no expression on his face, I received
>    the impression that he feared what he was about to say might cause Cyby pain." And afterwards,
>    when Severian says that the guild takes such children as they can, Ultan mutters, "We do the
>    same." The implication seems to be that Cyby is a less than ideal apprentice. This combined
>    with Ultan's previous observation of Severian's intellectualism seems to suggest an alternate
>    reality in which Severian was an apprentice to the librarian. I would like to draw this out
>    further by saying that Cyby is incurious and would make a good torturer, but I do not see any
>    evidence for it in the text (perhaps I missed it.)
...

Hm, but how would this Librarian-past work? The librarians only take young children who read so much they find the Book of Gold; so would this past be one in which Severian was not taken by the torturers and in which he lived in the citadel regardless? Or could he still have been taken by the torturers but found his way to the Book of Gold and then taken by the librarians?

--
gwern
Armani rounds World 7NL Medco Bunny Consul TECS ssor SBI
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