Severian I, Severian II, Severian III, Severian Ad, Nauseum

Son of Witz · 03 Dec 2008, 19:25 · from 2008-December.txt.gz

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From: sonofwitz at butcherbaker.org (Son of Witz)
Date: Wed, 03 Dec 2008 19:25:54 +0000
Subject: (urth) Severian I, Severian II, Severian III, Severian Ad,
	Nauseum
Message-ID: <W3114913231106691228332354@webmail27>


>-----Original Message-----
>From: David Stockhoff [mailto:dstockhoff at verizon.net]
>Sent: Wednesday, December 3, 2008 11:02 AM
>To: urth at lists.urth.net
>Subject: Re: (urth) Severian I, Severian II, Severian III, Severian Ad,	Nauseum
>
>Witz, responses below ...
>
>David
>

>---
>
>
>I have never liked the idea of 2 Severians. It always seemed too simple. As a writer, once you have decided to write a story with such a plot, why bother writing the story at all? Or you could take care of it at novella length. It's childish, and it makes Severian's strivings to be a good man pointless. It's programmed.
>
>And it doesn't explain why the Heiros take such an interest in Severian as they travel backward through time---and it gives them no useful function except to provide lame deus ex machina explanations. I prefer to see them as slowly figuring out their own role as they go, helping where they can. This fits the conversation they have with Severian in the House of Day.
>
>Finally, this would separate questions of how-many-bodies from that of how-many-Severians. Neither is important, after all, and they are easier questions when separated. I count at least 3 "bodies" and "one" Severian, with many branchings that could have happened from the perspective of page 1, book 1, but by the end of TUotNS could not have happened---are erased, like Ash in his tower, from Severian's past and the Heiros' future.
>
>
>---

>
>I like this reading! And Severian is constantly learning and relearning (he is a slow learner) that he doesn't need the Claw to be the Conciliator. Perhaps Tzadkiel felt a lesson was in order.
>

Cool,
I just thought that out this morning right before typing it out, so it may be a bit muddled.

>
>
>The Heiros explain to Severian that when he took food into his body, he gradually became solid. Of course this is absurd, because you have to be solid to digest. But that's the explanation given.


I just posted about that, while you were posting it seems.  

ah, work calls me.
~witz

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