traveling north

brunians at brunians.org · 02 Jun 2010, 23:07 · from 2010-June.txt.gz

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From: brunians at brunians.org (brunians at brunians.org)
Date: Wed, 2 Jun 2010 19:07:44 -0400
Subject: (urth) traveling north
In-Reply-To: <4C06DFE0.3040805 at sky.com>
References: <4C06DFE0.3040805 at sky.com>
Message-ID: <e891f6d8b38c15bd1af1d51a13a4d194.squirrel at brunians.org>

Very good.

I think probably Wolfe made a mistake.

.


> Just a quick question (I hope) it's really late at night where I am :)
>
> There seems to be a general assumption (unless I've read it wrong, which
> would not be the first time of course as some of you have already
> noticed :) - both Borski and Andre-Driussi appear to support the idea)
> that the setting of BOTNS is South America. At one point (sorry I can't
> be more specific without looking stuff up in detail, I don't have time
> right now, I'm sure one of you will know the place) it's stated outright
> by one of these writers that Nessus is 'almost certainly Buenos Aires'.
>
> This would mean that as Severian & co. journey to Thrax & beyond, they
> are moving northward in the southern hemisphere.
>
> However, when Severian takes directions from the pampas herdsman for his
> journey (directions which will lead him straight into the Stone Town of
> course) the herdsman instructs him to travel northwest ... 'with the sun
> over your right shoulder in the morning and in your left eye in the
> evening' or very similar phrasing.
>
> Perfect directions for a journey north-westwards in the *northern*
> hemisphere.
>
> With the current planetary orbit and polar configuration, surely it is
> simply not possible to travel northward in the southern hemisphere with
> the sun *behind* you, which is evidently what Severian is doing.
>
> What is going on here? Many apologies if this is a topic which has been
> done to death in the past btw. My initial reaction is that the usage of
> 'north' and 'south' in Severian's world does not entirely coincide with
> ours, that there has been a magnetic reversal event or similar, and that
> for sure Severian is travelling northwards in *his* southern hemisphere
> ... but that this is not the same as our southern hemisphere. Perhaps
> the Commonwealth is North America or Eurasia after all; and Ascia, South
> America or Africa.
>
> As I've mentioned on list previously I'm currently  part way through my
> first read of this book for fifteen years. Would be most interested to
> hear if there is any further information out there regarding this little
> puzzle (for instance, I have so far taken less notice than I might have
> done of any mention of the positions of stars from Severian's point of
> view - though there is apparently a constellation called the Cross, this
> could as easily refer to our Swan (Cygnus) as to the Southern Cross. Not
> to mention that star positions relative to Urth may not be quite the
> same as they are to our Earth.
>
> got to go, goodnight and thanks for your patience if you have read this.
>
> jd.
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