Undine's nature

Lee Berman · 18 Oct 2011, 02:16 · from 2011-October.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Mon, 17 Oct 2011 22:16:28 -0400
Subject: (urth) Undine's nature
Message-ID: <SNT123-W34D231B3FEF11E134EEC4FCFE50 at phx.gbl>

>Gerry QUinn: Can they reproduce asexually?  I don?t recall that we are told how 

>they reproduce.

Given what we are shown of Tzadkiel, The Mother and Great Scylla I think we can 

deduce it.

>Actually I lean towards the idea that the undines are created by the sea monsters 

>as detachable organs which are used for various functions

Sounds like budding, which is a form of asexual reproduction. Again, we see that

sort of budding of useful detachable parts rather explicitly in Tzadkiel, The Mother 

and Great Scylla. It also sounds like the self-multiplication mythological Pan/Faunus

engages in. Perhaps we are actually in complete agreement on this issue, just using

different terms.

>Jolenta could be a stage name  

>I think the name is probably derived from Jolie ? it suggests someone who has been 

>made beautiful

And since she is only called that name after she has been made beautiful for the stage, 

I think that lends further credence to the idea that Jolenta is a stage name. We are

given the names of many characters less important than the waitress. Then there is the

issue of her hair color....

>she also apparently sleeps with Dorcas, who would be her gran.

Correct. I perceive the incest curse to extend across all members of Severian's family.

This says something about his relationship to Agia and Agilus. (and explains the 

impossible mutual  sexual attraction Severian and Jolenta feel for each other at 

Ctesiphon's Cross)

>Ruling out what most consider the most likely candidate for Severian?s putative sister, 

>simply because he does not note that he is sexually attracted to her, seems a perverse 

>reading in every sense of the word.

This is a perverse story written by a perverse author. If your world/literary view still

directs you to think of WOlfe as a very chaste and sexually virtuous author after 

all these years I think that is to your eternal credit and speaks highly of your own

morally upstanding nature.

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