a false coin

Jordon Flato · 03 Jan 2011, 17:35 · from 2011-January.txt.gz

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From: jordonflatourth at gmail.com (Jordon Flato)
Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2011 09:35:57 -0800
Subject: (urth) a false coin
In-Reply-To: <1525cff49796ec8be292ed48c48ef77f at imap.io.com>
References: <478019.9247.qm at web161808.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>
	<1525cff49796ec8be292ed48c48ef77f at imap.io.com>
Message-ID: <AANLkTikx=Yddyc7PGpRZ2tJDoxiXvuSsG0fD6Ga=YNxL at mail.gmail.com>

I was talking over this exact thing with Witz the other day.  Witz and I are
both of the mind that there is a progressive movement in Severian's
Character toward giving allegiance to a higher and higher source as the book
moves forward, or maybe is shedding layers of earthly allegiance and
discovering a real impulse toward the increate.  I think there are a lot of
examples of this throughout the books.  Early on, Severian receives the
coin, as you say, from Vodalus, whom he internally vows to serve from that
point on.  And arguably that choice sets him on his path toward the throne.
 So no having attained the throne, reached the pinnacle of urthly power,
where many would be more than satisfied, he's given another coin, which
reminds him of that first coin, but which at this point he recognizes (is
told) is counterfeit.  For me, I see this as a final symbol of Severian
being reminded, through symbol, that the Autarchy isn't his final purpose,
that he serves something higher.  I'm running short on time right now, so I
can't go into this more subtly, and I think there is more there to say.

On Mon, Jan 3, 2011 at 8:17 AM, Adam Thornton (IO) <adam at io.com> wrote:

>
> On Mon, 3 Jan 2011 07:35:39 -0800 (PST), Marc Aramini
> <marcaramini at yahoo.com> wrote:
> > Does that fake coin imply the situation of the sun is a conjuror's trick
> > at best, serving a false master and killing an innocent man to pillage
> the
> > remains of Urth?  (ie - is the situation of the fake coin in parrallel
> with
> > the future sun of Urth and the ambiguous Vodalus, what was his title?
> Liege
> > of Leaves?)  Does Sev's musings on the necessity of the high and the
> low at
> > the end of Citadel work against the result in Urth of the New Sun where
> > high and low together are wiped out?
>
> A slightly more hopeful reading would be more along the lines of "we
> become what we imitate."
>
> Adam
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