Master Ultan's Library

David Stockhoff · 17 Jul 2010, 02:52 · from 2010-July.txt.gz

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From: dstockhoff at verizon.net (David Stockhoff)
Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2010 22:52:42 -0400
Subject: (urth) Master Ultan's Library
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That's exactly my concern: if he throws it into the void, how is it found?

But I agree---there seems to be a Borgesian aspect to the Library, for sure.

Gwern Branwen wrote:
> On Fri, Jul 16, 2010 at 9:04 AM, David Stockhoff <dstockhoff at verizon.net> wrote:
>   
>> Some of my favorite passages in Severian's narration involve commentary on
>> literary style. In Shadow, he compares writing to execution of the
>> condemned.
>>
>> What do you all make of the following mention of Master Ultan's Library?
>>
>> Similarly *you, who will some day delve in Master Ultan's library,* will
>> require of me no long delays; personages who are permitted to speak only
>> briefly yet do it well; certain dramatic pauses which shall signal to you
>> that something of import is about to occur; excitement; and a sating
>> quantity of blood.
>>     
>
> My favored interpretation in this: we all agree that Master Ultan is
> Jorge Luis Borges. What was one of Borges's most famous short stories?
> "The Library of Babel"*, containing all possible books. From a certain
> point of view**, there is no writing or creation, but finding - or
> 'delving' - inside the infinite library.
>
> The Library of Babel contains all libraries, and so any library you or
> I find _The Book of the New Sun_ within is also a finding within
> Borges's/Ultan's library.
>
> (This is an out-of-universe explanation, yes, but I don't think the
> in-universe explanations are tenable, since when Severian writes it,
> doesn't he already plan to set it adrift it the void?)
>
> * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Library_of_Babel
> ** eg. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_of_Control:_The_New_Biology_of_Machines,_Social_Systems,_and_the_Economic_World
>
>

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