Antipolaric brothers

Andrew Mason · 21 Nov 2010, 20:28 · from 2010-November.txt.gz

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From: andrew.mason53 at googlemail.com (Andrew Mason)
Date: Sun, 21 Nov 2010 20:28:24 +0000
Subject: (urth) Antipolaric brothers
Message-ID: <AANLkTi=Bc_OL3M5rZ_wiMkouSmuFSJ0CgVcGVzoZCKjm at mail.gmail.com>

I've just finished reading BOTLS, which has given me a lot to think
about; I'll shortly  be re-reading it, and will no doubt be bringing
up various questions and thoughts that strike me. But while I was
reading it I had general thought about the series.

In SOTT chapter 21, 'The Hut in the Jungle', Severian writes 'If it is
true that each of us has an antipolaric brother somewhere, a bright
twin if we are dark, a dark twin if we are bright...' The immediate
application of this is rather odd - 'that hut was surely such a
changeling to one of our cells'. But I'm wondering if it might in some
way illuminate a series about someone who has a mysterious origin, is
chosen by [a] superhuman being[s] for a significant task, has a
death/resurrection experience, becomes lame, becomes a ruler, etc. -
but is blond, and impossibly high-minded.

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