interview questions

Lee Berman · 30 Dec 2010, 19:05 · from 2010-December.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2010 14:05:28 -0500
Subject: (urth) interview questions
Message-ID: <SNT123-W407F5D365B5D76F9788514CF030 at phx.gbl>

Jordon, (and Witz) excellent post! You cut quite to the heart of things, imho.
Please keep in mind (and I admit this often) I am playing a role here. A counter-
balance role that I find necessary. From what I could see, the sting (and fear) of 
criticism was turning this List from a lively interchange of ideas to a moribund place 
destined to become a frickn' cemetery.

If the stultifying "skeptics" contributions had instead been a string of theories 
based on gorgonzola cheese and oil derricks over the past 6 years I assure you I'd be 
the one jumping in as text police trying to keep the ideas closer to the book and the
author's intentions. (in fact I do fill that role on some other message boards).

I truly do appreciate all efforts to keep me from trying to wedge pieces too forcefully
where they don't smoothly fit. Still my current philosophy is that if a picture is to be 
tossed out, a better picture should be submitted in its place. Much as we'd like to pretend we 
are all inhumanly objective academicians, I find us all too human. The license to toss other
people's ideas to the trash heap without replacement is just too easy a stimulation of
some of our baser animal instincts, like territoriality and dominance. (I've mentioned
how politely my ideas were treated during a time period the List thought I was female).

Okay, so...

>Jordan Flato: If the Hierogrammates wanted a hybrid to be the epitome of earth, they could have 
>chosen Baldanders, who is certainly a monstrous hybrid of his own creation.

There is the implication that Baldanders WAS a candidate. Why else the attention that B, F and O
pay him? He throws The Claw in part due to jealousy that Severian is the "victor" and honored by 
the hierodules. WHY would he be a candidate though? My view is that he is a man who simply 
appeared on the shore of a lake one day. No history, no known parentage, much like Severian and his
appearance with the Torturers. I don't think just anyone can go from human to Monster on Urth. 
ONly special people with special ancestry. Like Scylla. And Baldanders. And Severian? (he'd 
need a new name).

>Severian matters because he IS a man, the epitome of man.  Unlike many, I think Severian's journey 
>and transformation shows him to be a man increasingly good, increasingly willing to give up his own 
>petty will to thegreater will of the increate.  He is also a man who carries other men and women around 
>inside of himself.  Monsters have tried to get in on the game, and steer him one way or the other, but 
>this MAN stays the straight path to the end.

This is good food for thought. It makes conceptual sense in a "big picture" sort of way. But, against it
I have found much evidence that there is alien Inire in Severian's ancestry. I wonder about exultants also 
(like Thecla within him) and how human they are. They were the most recent humans to arrive on Urth. They 
(like Jolenta, witch-sister?) are willing to submit themselves to de-humanizing processes like beautification, 
cloning for blood-sharing and beauty and, of course, eating dead people.

So, I'm thinking...

So, the Hierogrammates wanted permission from a true human to Flood the planet Urth and extinguish an entire race 
of people (who would mostly have been saved to other planets in the Ragnarok future according to Ash). Why?
And why would a true human agree to this? If humanity was corrupted as I argue, by your logic, they would need a 
corrupted human to speak for it. (the half-breed Conciliator really is a recurring theme in human legend)

Why do Hierogrammates want to Flood Urth? In part, to assure their own creation. What does a Flood have to do with
that? Allowing humans to evolve into Hieros? Considering the aquatic nature/origin of Abaia, undines, and the 
hierodules...well...I dunno it is just suspicious. The Hieros treated the ancestors of Hierogrammates cruelly to 
create them.Yet from this cruelty comes the ultimate in angelic goodness and justice? I just don't know..

Well, as I dwell on it, I really appreciate the food for thought. Talking with other people (in pleasant fashion)
is really what gets my mind working the best. Thanks!

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