On Pedophilia and Homosexuality

Lee Berman · 22 Jul 2010, 03:18 · from 2010-July.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Wed, 21 Jul 2010 23:18:00 -0400
Subject: (urth) On Pedophilia and Homosexuality
Message-ID: <SNT123-W4250E7A14D6715A41E62FFCFA20 at phx.gbl>

Here are the suspicious circumstances to me on this issue in BotNS-

1. Conspicuously absent is mention of homosexual activities among the
members of the guild.From prisons to Greek armies to British boarding
schools, such behavior is rather well-known in such isolated all-male
settings but it is not mentioned here.

If this was Lord Of The Flies (1954) leaving such a thing in subtext
but unspoken would be understandable. But this story describes some 
pretty bizarre sexual situations, from grandmotherly incest to sex 
with alien beings. Why avoid all mention of this thing?

Severian would have us believe he had no sexual thoughts or activities
before age 20 and his meeting of Thecla, the House Azure, etc. I wonder
about a few mentioned items, such as the fear the apprentices have of
the Witches Tower and how Master Gurloes fears he will not be able to 
perform when ordered to sexually abuse a woman. Severian suggests the 
beast handler guild is similar to his own, and they each take an animal
in marriage. What do the torturers do? I don't get the impression
Master Gurloes frequents the House Azure.

2. Severian becomes sure the Old Leech has a pedophilic interest in his
13 year old assistant because of an unsolicited denial of it.

3. Severian gives us an unsolicited denial of sexual play between himself
and Little Severian. I always think to myself at that part, "actually, 
Severian, I never considered the possibility....until you brought it up".

4. Also odd is Severian's conversation with a Pelerine about the lonliness
of soldiers and their need for a sense of authority.

Pelerine- "Some, of course, form bonds with others in the ranks.  Sometimes 
several share a single woman or a man who is like a woman.  Some make pets
of animals, and some befriend children left homeless by the struggle"

Severian- "Remembering Casdoe's son, I said, 'I can see why you object to 
that'. 

Pelerine- "We do not object- most certainly not to that, and not to things
vastly less natural".

Severian is known as an unreliable narrator, but on this topic I think he
could be especially unreliable. 		 	   		  
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