Serpents and Undines

Lee Berman · 30 Jul 2010, 15:16 · from 2010-July.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Fri, 30 Jul 2010 11:16:00 -0400
Subject: (urth) Serpents and Undines
Message-ID: <SNT123-W60A3BA68B6F64EC2BF06CACFAA0 at phx.gbl>

>Jeff Wilson- I think it's a mistake to strongly link the Cumaean to the leech or 
>Ceryx on the basis of their resurrection fixation - essentially *everyone* and 
>*everything* in the BOTNS - including the title! - is connected to death and 
>resurrection in one way or another half-dozen. Personal resurrection, the 
>resurrection of habits and customs, of races, and of Urth herself.

Perhaps I should have been more clear. I perceive that the story presents two
sorts of resurrection. One is pure and good and is associated with Pelerines and
gems and white (or is it doppler blue?) light and angels and, perhaps, faith.

The other is dark and evil and associated with secret knowledge, potions and 
seances and human body experimentation and so on. I think we are expected to
identify which approach to resurrection the various characters in BotNS gravitate
toward and to recognize the connections. The Cumaean and witches are associated
with Vodalus, as is the Old Leech. We must wonder about the source of the old'
Autarch's alzabo-like pharmacon, also. Baldanders and Typhon appear to rely on
machinery rather than potions and witchcraft to achieve their biological goals
but it seems to be in the same sort of vein of evil to me.

I don't know if this dark stuff is supposed to represent satanism or demon worship
or gnosticism or some amalgam of all of it. Perhaps the religious scholars can make
better sense of that than me.

I guess the fact that Severian seems to need both the dark arts to become Autarch and
the light of the Claw/White Fountain to bring the New Sun means something. Perhaps that
God/The Increate finds both necessary to achieve His goals. But we are still supposed
to choose good whenever possible...aren't we?

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