academic commentary

Lee Berman · 29 Nov 2010, 12:16 · from 2010-November.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2010 07:16:44 -0500
Subject: (urth) academic commentary
Message-ID: <SNT123-W90C362128623D2A57C5AACF240 at phx.gbl>

>Jeff WIlson- He effectively says the "evil does the work of the Increate, too" meme 
>was planted by the Yesodis?

Yeah, that's my gathering. I think Wright analyzes BotNS from an atheistic perspective.
So there is no truly higher spiritual power involved. Just some highly advanced aliens
who play Severian and humanity like a fiddle.

Jane I think I remember which short paragraph it was in which "the relationship & balance 
of power between Tzadkiel and Severian are both subverted - turned upon their heads 
indeed". Is it where Tzadkiel confesses to being an acolyte to Severian in a different
universe or something like that?

Sort of similar to the reversal we see where Barbatus and Famulimus, so tall and beautiful 
and from a giant spaceship, take a knee and bow before scruffy Severian.

My impression is that Wright interprets BotNS from an atheist point of view because he is,
himself a devout atheist and perhaps unwilling to acknowledge spirituality in the work of
an author he so admires, despite awareness of Wolfe's religious leanings.

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