Path of Air

António Marques · 19 Aug 2010, 23:39 · from 2010-August.txt.gz

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From: entonio at gmail.com (=?ISO-8859-1?Q?Ant=F3nio_Marques?=)
Date: Fri, 20 Aug 2010 00:39:18 +0100
Subject: (urth) Path of Air
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On 19 August 2010 04:54, Lee Berman <severiansola at hotmail.com> wrote:

> Severian doesn't mention Valeria much, if at all, after their first
> meeting, for
> three books.

And he doesn't care to mention how he got back to Matachin, though he did
say to Valeria he didn't want to go down to the tunnels again. Let alone how
he could find his way out of them - even his memory can't be much help when
there's no light. Also, while talking to Master Ash he remembers Valeria
because the maze he had to go through *before* finding her. Could mean
nothing, of course.

Then, in Citadel of the Autarch he brings her up rather unexpectedly
> in the first pages, describing her dark, curling hair and dark eyes and
> milk and
> pomegranate skin. "really more beautiful than anyone I've ever seen
> since--more
> lovely even than Jolenta".

In 'a different way'... later on, Jolenta 'is the most beautiful'. But
Valeria is 'lovely'. Mmmm.

> Later he describes Valeria's face as one that "tears at
> his heart". So there is that.
>

Yea, she looks like his mother, and Holy Katharine is the following chapter
to the Atrium of Time.

Further exploration of the Roman empress angle might be to check out
> Valeria's speaking
> Latin phrases to Severian. She may not be the best linguist but she
> translates "dei"
> to mean "New Sun". Severian has to be a bit pleased with that on more than
> one level.
>

The weird part is that I almost get the idea that she knows how her story
will end. All the particulars seem to echo one another.

Her family was to have left Urth with the Autarch of their time - how come?
She's all the sisters and all the sons. And they now wait because there is
nothing left but to wait. And both the first and the last time Severian
meets her, he has to go through tunnels. And after she's killed, he thinks
she's alive somewhere. Could there be alternate Valerias just as there are
Severians?
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