Is Agia a Robot?

brunians at brunians.org · 17 Jun 2010, 22:24 · from 2010-June.txt.gz

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From: brunians at brunians.org (brunians at brunians.org)
Date: Thu, 17 Jun 2010 18:24:23 -0400
Subject: (urth) Is Agia a Robot?
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It would be a boring World if everyone agreed with me.

.


> The word "robot" should probably be abandoned completely. Wolfe's
> characters are simply either made or born, although there's probably an
> important distinction between cloned and manufactured. And the
> Translator tells us that the word "metal" doesn't always mean metal.
>
> Would Severian know the difference?
>
> However, I agree that Agilus, when slaughtered, appears to be flesh and
> blood---a lot of blood. Even if chems have blood, it would smell and
> flow differently. Severian would notice.
>
> Perhaps Agilus and Agia are false names and they are not twins at all,
> one a chem and one a human. This is not as neat as if they were indeed
> twins, but it's plausible---they are deceptive people.
>
> brunians at brunians.org wrote:
>> And your point?
>>
>> Chems.
>>
>> Not mechs.
>>
>> .
>>
>>
>>
>>>> From: David Stockhoff <dstockhoff at verizon.net>
>>>>
>>> [...]
>>>
>>>
>>>> Are Agila and Agia sex robots?
>>>>
>>> Severian failed to notice (or say anything about) any unusual features
>>> revealed by decapitating Agilus.  He mentions blood, though.
>>>
>>> And since Agilus is presumably not a robot, it seems very strange Agia
>>> looks so much like him, unless they're human brother and sister.
>>>
>>> Also, Agia is capable of turning pale (beginning of Ch. XXIII of
>>> /Shadow/).  That would be real attention to detail in a robot.
>>>
>>> People suggest below that Agia is Hethor's lost paracoita.  However,
>>> Severian doesn't mention the purple eyes that Hethor describes.
>>>
>>> Ryan Dunn wrote:
>>>
>>>> Could explain her single-mindedness and the lengths she went to. She
>>>> IS
>>>> responsible for much of Severian's story arc early in the story, no?
>>>>
>>>> ...ryan
>>>>
>>>> On Jun 17, 2010, at 1:56 PM, Paul B <pb.stuff at gmail.com
>>>> <mailto:pb.stuff at gmail.com>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> I suppose a relevant backdrop to this entire discussion might be
>>>>> "even
>>>>> if she were, what does it matter?"   The calde of Saltus /could/ be a
>>>>> clone of Typhon living out his life in blissful ignorance - but does
>>>>> that change anything as far as the story is concerned? My sense is
>>>>> that
>>>>> it doesn't - Agia can be a robot, a vampire slug, even a Hierodule if
>>>>> you really want her to be.  It's the behavior of the characters
>>>>> that's
>>>>> important, not their creature type.  That only seems to matter
>>>>> insofar
>>>>> as it might help explain their behavior - does her being a robot
>>>>> explain anything?  I don't think so.
>>>>>
>>>>> Paul
>>>>>
>>>>> On Thu, Jun 17, 2010 at 1:46 PM, Dan'l Danehy-Oakes <danldo at gmail.com
>>>>> <mailto:danldo at gmail.com>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>     Hethor's paracoita. I am not convinced of this but could be.
>>>>>
>>>>>     On Thu, Jun 17, 2010 at 10:39 AM, John Watkins
>>>>>     <john.watkins04 at gmail.com <mailto:john.watkins04 at gmail.com>>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>     > I'm lost.  The girl in the box?
>>>>>     >
>>>>>     > On Thu, Jun 17, 2010 at 1:38 PM, <brunians at brunians.org
>>>>>     <mailto:brunians at brunians.org>> wrote:
>>>>>     >>
>>>>>     >> Not only is Hethor attracted to robots.
>>>>>     >>
>>>>>     >> Agia was the girl in the box.
>>>>>
>>>
>>>
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