Long Sun Laughs

David Stockhoff · 21 Jan 2009, 20:22 · from 2009-January.txt.gz

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From: dstockhoff at verizon.net (David Stockhoff)
Date: Wed, 21 Jan 2009 15:22:57 -0500
Subject: (urth) Long Sun Laughs
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Message-ID: <49778421.1060102 at verizon.net>

Was that from before or after TUotNS? 

Because certain passages during a healing scene make it pretty clear that Severian (or a part of Severian's consciousness) observes himself as something huge squeezing itself through tiny human senses. That's a god talking.

It may leave room for temporary goddish intervention, but Severian himself observes this as though it is he who is the god, not as though someone else is the god.

Perhaps Wolfe rethought it.

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Message: 8
Date: Wed, 21 Jan 2009 14:31:07 -0500
From: John Watkins <john.watkins04 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: (urth) Long Sun Laughs
To: The Urth Mailing List <urth at lists.urth.net>
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	<93d4039f0901211131p2e4b1902r9cf85672b20e4932 at mail.gmail.com>
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Why is the Jordan interview not the last word on this?  The emphasis is my
own.

"*JJ:* The holy slaves [Heirodules], Famulimus or one of them tells Severian
that he is the center of his race, the savior of his race. That is such
Christlike language you can see why interpreters would say, Well Severian is
a Christ figure. But is there a Christ figure in the book, or is he simply
for this universe?

*GW:* In so far as there is a Christ figure it is Severian. That doesn't
mean he has to be identified with Christ. He is in a position similar to
that of Christ. *But really it is a different position because Christ really
is both God and man. Severian is not*. Severian is a Christian rather than a
Christ. But he has been taken as the representative of humanity by whom
humanity is to be judged. This I think is what has happened perhaps with the
actual human Jesus. He is or was as fully human as you or I and we are saved
by Him. By the fact that he passed. That the corruption did not destroy Him.
I think that St. Paul is absolutely correct when he says that Jesus was
tempted in all the ways that we are tempted. I think that Jesus was tempted
to commit murder or any other sin that you want to name just as the rest of
us are. And the difference is that He did not sin."

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