Who's Right

Ryan Dunn · 03 Dec 2010, 20:27 · from 2010-December.txt.gz

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From: ryan at liftingfaces.com (Ryan Dunn)
Date: Fri, 3 Dec 2010 15:27:42 -0500
Subject: (urth) Who's Right
In-Reply-To: <3ABE16A40B1B495F9B91F48E2ACB322E@jill>
References: <SNT123-W3FD773CA84F6E35FA5BDBCF280 at phx.gbl>
	<3ABE16A40B1B495F9B91F48E2ACB322E@jill>
Message-ID: <ADB4A254-C032-4F32-BBD0-0BA853D206B7 at liftingfaces.com>

On Dec 3, 2010, at 3:07 PM, Gerry Quinn wrote:

> From: "Lee Berman" <severiansola at hotmail.com>
>> 
>>> Ryan Dunn- My perception of the BotNS, in my readings, leads me more down the "we're watching you,"
>>> premise, where others may not feel that is as central to the story.
>> 
>> I'm with you on that Ryan. My Father Inire ideas can be rendered silly by focusing on the ephemera
>> like monkeys and hair color and ignoring the central theme which is that Severian is being watched and
>> steered. It is a common debator's trick.
> 
> And if I question theories in which two and two do not make four, I suppose it is only because I am a mathematician.
> 
> I mentioned monkeys, but I also pointed out what I consider to be the flaw in your five main reasons for believing in the Inire theory.

In my own defense, I vehemently represent my assertations as my own viewing of the text. It does nothing to judge or argue for or against someone else's. It does, however, acknowledge that others indeed do take a different "world view" of the book and how it is read.

I am curious -- instead of people just rejecting a certain line of thought and then belittling that stance (not you in particular) -- what you, Gerry, might make of the presence of monkeys throughout the BotNS; not just monkey men in caves or apes in the canopy, but of the several blatant descriptions of characters and objects as monkey-like throughout BotNS, which includes, amongst others, Father Inire.

Latro, for instance, has no monkey-like descriptions of humans, if I remember correctly. I find it hard to believe that they are just coincidences for how Wolfe chose to describe a character.

...ryan
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