the prime calcula/his citadel and other quotes

James Wynn · 17 Jan 2011, 21:41 · from 2011-January.txt.gz

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From: crushtv at gmail.com (James Wynn)
Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2011 15:41:57 -0600
Subject: (urth) the prime calcula/his citadel and other quotes
In-Reply-To: <00c201cbb68c$7229a680$b5cf4a0c@rclackey>
References: <609292.90378.qm at web161801.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>
	<00c201cbb68c$7229a680$b5cf4a0c@rclackey>
Message-ID: <4D34B7A5.3060607 at gmail.com>

> Roy C. Lackey-
> One of the two heads she saw was clearly Piaton's, the same idiotic-looking
> fellow who had trouble catching his breath that Severian had seen on Mt.
> Typhon. If the other head she saw had looked like Silk's, she would have
> been shocked silly, but she gave no indication, then or later, that the
> other head looked anything like Silk, so I'm going to stretch my imagination
> and suggest that Silk does not look like Pas, who was Typhon, who was so
> fond of his own face that he had it carved into a mountain.

I don't understand why you think this argument is so convincing.

1)  Typhon told Sev that he kept his face for purely practical reasons. 
Not aesthetic reasons. If one accepts his rationale, he carved his face 
on a mountain in order to TEACH his subjects to obey his face. Not for 
aesthetic reasons. Granted you could argue that Typhon was rationalizing 
his vanity. But shouldn't have confirmation from other text--in the 
books or out of them to back up that supposition?

2) You don't think the rest of the family of Pas actually looked like 
that do you? Tentacles for arms and snakes for hair? Why would you 
assume Pas' image was naturalistic? Because Typhon was egotistical about 
his face? That's circular. I know lots of guys who "look like Jesus". 
When I go to church, I don't look at the stained glass, then at one of 
them, then at the stained glass, and go "Wait a minute!"

u+16b9

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