The Two Katharines

Lee Berman · 16 Aug 2010, 18:17 · from 2010-August.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2010 14:17:06 -0400
Subject: (urth) The Two Katharines
Message-ID: <SNT123-W50F54820BFBB57D412BCFCCF9B0 at phx.gbl>

>Jeff Wilson: Well, "science fiction" in particular is supposed to appeal to the 
>authority of science to suspend disbelief. In this way, unscientific 
>things are less believable than in the real world, because fiction is 
>supposed to make sense.

I certainly agree with that. A good general truism. Not so applicable to this issue,
though it would be if there was a chance Severian was, at the moment, transported to
an identical planet with a larger, more dense core.

This is a social question. A sword which is supposed to be very light feels very
heavy. The question is, who, if anyone, is being tricked? Perhaps Severian, the younger 
apprentices and us readers. Or perhaps nobody. Who can authoritatively say?

A hero of the torturer guild was able to sucessfully fool and please an entire audience 
at an execution, even though half of them wanted it to turn out one way and half wanted the
other. Severian gives his clients a false cant so that they won't really know when the 
death stroke is coming. Tricking the audience and tricking the client is an honored art 
among the torturers. Who does the tinsel sword trick?

(p.s thanks for the clarification on your wedding nervousness Jeff. Consider my posts 
on the subject to be suitably amended :- ))

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