Autarchs

Lee Berman · 27 Sep 2010, 16:30 · from 2010-September.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2010 12:30:00 -0400
Subject: (urth) Autarchs
Message-ID: <SNT123-W42FF761BA1B1CFE6D228C0CF650 at phx.gbl>

>Andrew Mason: As I understand it, what properly distinguishes an autarch is that he
>rules himself: that is why Ymar and his successors chose that title.

I find it difficult to understand the semantic distinction between an autarch and a
despotic monarch like Typhon.  If anything, the autarch seems to rule him/herself 
less as he/she seems to be somewhat answerable to a powerful exultant class below them
and the dictates of cacogens above them (not to mention Father Inire, wherever he fits
in).

All I can think is that it is a wishful title for the future. An Autarch will eventually
be a self-ruler of the people because he/she will eventually house all the people of
the Commonwealth within his/her consciousness. (that's the goal, obviously it fell far
short of completion; as I see it, just another sham game piece in the cosmic manipulation
of Severian).

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