Valeria and Catherine

Charles Dye · 09 Oct 1998, 19:58 · from urth-v0019.mbox · original

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From: raster at highfiber.com (Charles Dye)
Subject: (urth) Valeria and Catherine
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1998 19:58:18
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"Robert Borski" <rborski at coredcs.com> writes, among much else:

>I also think it's fairly obvious that Valeria is Catherine's mother
>(meaning Severian has slept with both grandmothers).

This isn't obvious to me a-tall.  Valeria is younger than Catherine
in the time frame in which Severian meets both.  And Valeria's
marriage to D.C. takes place long after Catherine's confinement.  I
assume you're using the Atrium in Tardis mode to save baby Catherine
from the impending deluge.  And that whistling sound is William of
Ockham spinning in his grave.

>Interesting observation. And it may be worth noting that the flower
>valerian has azure-colored petals.

It is also heliotropic, which must surely have been too much for Mr.
Wolfe to pass up.

>My pet theory, however, is that [Catherine] stole the Claw--or more
>appropriately it stole her (the same way it did Severian after the
>fiacre crash), this being the Claw's way of ensuring the Conciliator's
>eventual rebirth.

A wonderful idea -- I truly hate to puncture it.  However, the Pelerine
who examines Severian and Agia after the destruction of the altar says
that "The Claw has not vanished in living memory...." and I imagine
that that sort of thing would be remembered for a long time.  Also,
her entire handling of the scene ("...it would be neither possible nor
permissible for us to stop it") suggests to me that the Pelerines would
not make strenuous efforts to capture a wandering Claw.  Certainly they
wouldn't hand over one of their own to the strong arm of Commonwealth
law.

raster at highfiber.com

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