Father Inire Theory cont.

Lee Berman · 10 Dec 2010, 18:31 · from 2010-December.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2010 13:31:15 -0500
Subject: (urth) Father Inire Theory cont.
Message-ID: <SNT123-W164D73548CC2BCEE8BABFBCF2F0 at phx.gbl>

>David Stockhoff- The Rolling Stones' Devil is no Devil, but rather human greed and weakness; 
>their Devil is a transparent metaphor.

What is the deepest secret of the Inhumi?

David, I think you once mentioned being non-religious (same for me). So it makes sense for you
to see Devil references as metaphors. You don't believe in the Devil (or God). But that is not
the question here. The question is, "what does Gene Wolfe believe?" Isn't it? It is for me. My
own worldview means nothing (I hope) as I interpret BotNS.

In a way you are asking the religious philosophical question of the centuries: What would it take
for you to believe in God/The Devil?  What would you need to see?

I am hoping you will answer that question for BotNS and I will wait for it.

In the meantime I'll note that I mention the Inhumi in part because there is a BotNS character
who compares himself to a vampire. There are some other demonic references though you would 
NEVER suspect this guy. I'll need to get my text before I can make that post.

Also in the meantime I think it is important to remember the concept we discussed: "book as 
universe/author as demi-urge". Gene Wolfe is the Great Deceiver. He consciously writes stories
which keep the less-aware fooled and drive the more aware to realizations that we have been duped!
We are not reading the story we thought we were reading. 

BotNS is a hell that he created. We see it through the eyes of one of its residents (Severian) who 
has been trained from birth to see Hell just as the Devil tricks him into seeing it. The universe
lower than Briah is Abaddon, a clear allusion to Hell. But (if you accept the Wolfe interview) if
we in our Earthly universe are a step higher than Briah, what does that make Briah?

>Son of Witz- You just blew my head up! Latro is a werewolf?

That theory is in Borski newer book, The Long and Short of It. Maybe I can post the details later. The
evidence is, of course, skimpy. But it HAS to be, otherwise EVERYONE would have figured it out. I think
the idea is so cool it practically has to be Wolfe-intended, kinda like James Wynn's Typhon as Alexander
theory.

>Dan'l D. Oakes- That can't be right because some scenes of the books take place at night. Can't recall if 
>any take place during a full moon tho.

So The Great Deceiver works! Create a really cool concept and then throw contradicting evidence around to keep 
us off balance. I think you can see why making Latro lose his memory only once a month would be just too 
damn easy to figure out.   

(like making Inire look goat-like would also be too easy...would that have been enough for David to believe? 
So instead we get Faunus->Inuus->monkey)

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