Agia: Thief?

Alex David Groce · 16 Oct 1998, 13:45 · from urth-v0020.mbox · original

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From: "Alex David Groce" <adgroce at eos.ncsu.edu>
Subject: Re: (urth) Agia: Thief?
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1998 13:45:57
Message-ID: <urth-v0020-0042 at digest.urth.net>
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Hmm...  Rereading that and the section of the theft, I'm now doubtful that =
Agia
did steal the Claw--I'm not sure what she was groping for in the cell, but I
think there's a strong suggestion that the Claw may have "stolen itself" or
something of the kind.  Severian's failure may, in fact, be that he has fai=
led
to attribute his possession of the Claw to the proper agency.  I think it's
clear that Severian thinks Agia took it, and that at first the reader is me=
ant
to concur; but I'm not so sure it's actually the case now.

On Oct 16, 12:00pm, Robert Borski wrote:
> Subject: (urth) Agia: Thief?
> raster having written:=20
>=20
> "But it occurs to me that your theory can still be salvaged.  If
> Agia isn't trying to filch the Claw, then she must be after the
> keys.  We know S. has the door keys; where else would he carry them
> but his sabretache?  Agia doubtless assumes that he has the key to
> Agilus's chains as well."
>=20
> Actually, I like this notion rather well. And I don't think the coins
> theory can be totally discounted either, since Agia takes the orichalk Sev
> tosses her.
>=20
> Re Agia as the Claw's thief. I've already stated I find this difficult to
> accept, and wonder what mantis or other proponents of the Agia-as-thief
> theory make of the following scene in SWORD. Sev wants the Claw back from
> the cacogens, and Barbatus asks, "If it is yours, where did you get it?"
> Sev lays his Agia theory on him, but Barbatus seems almost incensed by
> this. "All this is speculation. You did not see this jewel upon the altar,
> nor did you feel the woman's hand when she gave it to you, if in fact she
> did. _Where did you get it?_" (p. 271, and these are Wolfe's italics, not
> mine.)
>=20
> Baldander's answer to the same question--'I got it from the drawer in a
> table'--also does not seem to satisfy Barbatus, and not much later
> Famulimus says to Sev, as they're walking to their timeship, "Though you
> did not now pass our test..."
>=20
> It seems to me that passing "the test" somehow involves correctly answeri=
ng
> the question, "Where did you get it?" What think you?
>=20
> Re: EMPIRES OF FOLIAGE AND FLOWERS. I have a copy of the non-deluxe editi=
on
> I'll let go for $175.00. It is a nice book, but perhaps too much so--I'm
> afraid to handle it, fearing fingerprints or drool may soil it.
>=20
> Robert Borski=20
>=20
> *More Wolfe info & archive of this list at http://www.urth.net/urth/
>=20
>-- End of excerpt from Robert Borski



--=20
"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." - John 8:32
--
Alex David Groce (adgroce at eos.ncsu.edu)
Senior (Computer Science/Multidisciplinary Studies in Technology & Fiction)
'98-99 NCSU AITP Student Chapter President
608 Charleston Road, Apt. 1E (919)-233-7366
http://www4.ncsu.edu/~adgroce

*More Wolfe info & archive of this list at http://www.urth.net/urth/

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