Thecla and Thea

Lee Berman · 09 Jan 2011, 03:16 · from 2011-January.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Sat, 8 Jan 2011 22:16:48 -0500
Subject: (urth) Thecla and Thea
Message-ID: <SNT123-w28D13EC63CB6E488B8AAF2CF0D0 at phx.gbl>

>Jeff Wilson: In other words, a completely different woman than the one named was 
>strangled?

I don't claim to "know". But that's the question of identity which is being raised, I think-
is a clone a "completely different woman"? The face of all these Catherine-versions
seem to tear at Severian's heart. Valeria's too. Make of that what you will.

>Catamites have been popular subjects of excruciations over the ages, 
Master Malrubius probably mentioned them during school.

Nah, even the Pelerines don't frown on the frequent man-boy love they observe among the troops.

What's weird is that Severian refuses to acknowlege his own likely experience, even providing 
unsolicited denials to his readers and to the Pelerine. I think the answer is that Severian,
(at his deepest core) is an avatar of Gene WOlfe. And Gene WOlfe has 20th century middle class
American values rather than the medieval, male-guild raised values we'd expect Severian to have.

>It's the odd bits of common observation that Severian seems to know despite being 
>raised in the tower, even before he gets Thecla's memories, that puzzle me.

I agree with this. My answer is generally that we don't know whether Severian is interpreting
his adventurers as a boy apprentice or as the later autarch-author. Seems like he switches back
and forth a bit.

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