The Two Katherines

Jeff Wilson · 17 Aug 2010, 09:32 · from 2010-August.txt.gz

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From: jwilson at io.com (Jeff Wilson)
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 2010 04:32:13 -0500
Subject: (urth) The Two Katherines
In-Reply-To: <AANLkTimaRTK1+==GK4Xd5iGveApaf=bswfnQQn+705W4 at mail.gmail.com>
References: <AANLkTimaRTK1+==GK4Xd5iGveApaf=bswfnQQn+705W4 at mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <4C6A571D.6040004 at io.com>

On 8/16/2010 7:04 PM, Dave Tallman wrote:
> 10) Sev saw his mother on the Path of Air, about to be sent back to the
> past so he can be born.

My counter-theory is simpler and avoids most time-meddling:

1) Ouen confirms that he had Catherine, who was dark and taken by the 
law for running off from "an order of monials."

2) She is flogged for being a runaway slave of the Pelerines, then 
condemned to the torturers to be fatally excruciated for some greater 
crime, like the attempted theft of a certain relic.

3) She is discovered to be pregnant and given a stay of execution to 
allow the Pelerines to claim the child as compensation.

4) The Pelerines have gone too far to be located, and Catherine is 
execute  but not before her appearance has been imprinted on Severian's 
subconscious.

5) From then on, Severian's attention and sometimes fascination is drawn 
to dark-haired, oval-faced, dark complected women. This includes the 
woman at the Path of Air, whoever the Holy Katharine maid is, the dead 
woman in the necropolis (her lividity and morbidity give the appearance 
of dark skin in the dark), and numerous others.

6) The woman at the Path of Air is being taken to repeat her story of 
having seen the long-lost Severian on the grounds. She reacts to his 
presence from fear born of incomprehension; is he following/haunting her?

-- 
Jeff Wilson - jwilson at io.com
IEEE Student Chapter Blog at
< http://ieeetamut.org >

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