Father Inire Theory cont.

Lee Berman · 11 Dec 2010, 13:19 · from 2010-December.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 2010 08:19:15 -0500
Subject: (urth) Father Inire Theory cont.
Message-ID: <SNT123-W158248802C6BD716818800CF100 at phx.gbl>

I'll wrap up discussion of my Father Inire theory (which goes beyond just that character of course)
by re-mentioning that its purpose for me is as a way of broadly reversing the total perception of
what is going on and to explain little weird thing that happen in the story.

Most of the little weird things are sexual in nature. I consider that Severian is serving as an avatar
for Gene WOlfe himself. In initial readings I got the impression that Severian is a pretty "normal" 
young man when it comes to 20th century American sexual standards. Heterosexual, gentlemanly but a bit 
opportunistic. Perhaps going a little too far when under the influence, as with Jolenta. But I think
a lot of more alternative sexual experiences occur which can be understood viewing them from the 
perspective of ancient Greeks, their gods and other people not subject to Christian sexual mores.

Severian seems pretty open about his sexual exploits but he is inexplicably coy about his sexual
encounters with Thecla. We know something is going on in the beginning because she tells him to 
put his shirt back on, at one point. But Severian won't openly admit what happened. In fact we get
our best information about the situation from Thecla herself as she takes over Severian's writing
here and there. I think Thecla is implied to be a family member of Severian's, perhaps a cousin,
and incest (even mild) is not something Severian will openly discuss.

This is the reason Severian won't openly reveal that he knows Dorcas is his grandmother. He can't because
he's already admitted sexual contact. Hardly revelatory that this relationship has Oedipal connotaions
but I interpret them less in a psychological way and more mythological. It reveals a modeling of the story
on Greek heroes and Greek family curses. Agilus quite strongly suggests, without being accused, that he 
and his twin Agia are lovers. What purpose does this serve the story? For me it marks the twins as secret
members of Severian's incest-cursed family.

Severian's physical description of Agilus is rather homoerotic in nature. In Severian's descriptions of his 
life in the Torturer's Guild, there is no mention of the pederasty, buggery and sexual dominance games which
would be expected in such a cloistered, all-male society. We are expected to believe Severian's first sexual
experience was at age 20 with a prostitute. He is awkward with the prostitute, as surely it is his first time
with a woman. But the suggestion that Severian used bondage and submission in that encounter hints that he
associates sex with these things. (later, from Thecla he learned gentle side of sex, as she describes)

One thing that always used to befuddle me was why WOlfe has Typhon "nursing an erection" during his encounter
with Severian (the scene is emphasized in Long Sun where a painting of Pas has him nursing two erections; two 
heads? heh). If we see Typhon as modeled after bisexual Alexander (and/or the bisexual Greek gods) it starts to
make sense. We today sometimes think of homosexuality as an effeminate expression. But in ancient days there was
an open Apollonian expression of it which was pure alpha male dominating a submissive partner. Typhon has his
erection as he is about to pummel Severian into submission as his "Second", just as Severian did to Eata
previously.

Perhaps the crowning example of this sort of Wolfean sexual disguise is found in one key sentence- (gr, can't
find it right now but it is something like:)

>"There had been no sexual play between me and the boy [Little Severian] as there had been, I believe between
>Dorcas and Jolenta".

That is quite a bombshell statement. And by hitting us with an unsuspected lesbian relationship, Wolfe misdirects
us from the fact that Severian has just denied pedophilic tendencies when previously few readers would have thought
him capable of them. Severian makes another unsolicited denial of pederasty to a Pelerine, later.

Why does Wolfe make Dorcas and Jolenta lesbians? What does that contribute to the story? We already know Jolenta is 
irresistable to men and many women. But Jolenta herself shows no sexual interest in anyone, (aside from ,perhaps Dr. 
Talos)  Now we have her having sex not only with Severian but also Dorcas. I take this, among other bits of evidence, 
to mean that Jolenta is the stage name of Severian's missing witch sister. The love triange of Severian, Dorcas and 
Jolenta is the fullest expression of their family's incest curse.

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