Key to the Universe

Lee Berman · 18 Dec 2010, 16:16 · from 2010-December.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Sat, 18 Dec 2010 11:16:27 -0500
Subject: (urth) Key to the Universe
Message-ID: <SNT123-W487905A3BB7A5E9C2584CACF170 at phx.gbl>

> Also, Master Ultan says that the library houses "books cased in perfumed
> woods shipped across the inconceivable gulf between creations

This sounds so much like description of manvantaras by Malrubius I feel one has
to perform contortions to avoid the connection.

>there's much less interchange between 
>manvantaras than is otherwise suggested between Urth and Earth by G.W.

I could accept this better if I thought Wolfe wrote BotNS primarily to create a 
strange, alien planet so different from our own. Instead this is a planet tightly
allusionally bound to our own so there must be significant connections between the
two planets. It could be that is a result of Urth being future Earth and has nothing 
to do with alternate manvantaras. But if that were true, why would WOlfe dwell on the 
multiple universe theme so strongly? What purpose to make Malrubius' story and UotNS the 
"big reveal" if it reveals nothing about the main story?  

>I don't see any way for Ultan to know about Yesodi-level goings on and yet feel free 
>to share it so casually with someone he can't positively identify.

I do. But this is because I am not willing to default to the assumption that Ultan is just a
throw-away character: show up, reference Borges, then disappear forever in the story.
Weird things are going on with him. Gnostic symbolism, as has recently been discussed. The
woman from the coffin is seen in his face. His hunger for the knowledge of the dead, etc.

We have the example of Cyriaca's "uncle" casually sharing the secrets of the universe with
her (then Cyriaca casually sharing them with Severian and us). As, noted before, I see a thematic
connection between Ultan and this book-loving "uncle" and his Library story. This connects them 
both to a guy who seems to be almost everywhere.

[FWIW, I strongly suspect Cyriaca to be Severian's aunt, sister of Catherine; both dark-haired, 
failed Pelerines. Both sentenced to strangulation for adultery. Thus the resemblance of Ultan to 
the woman in the coffin]

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