Jordan Interview

Marc Aramini · 22 Oct 2011, 23:16 · from 2011-October.txt.gz

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From: marcaramini at yahoo.com (Marc Aramini)
Date: Sat, 22 Oct 2011 16:16:57 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: (urth) Jordan Interview
In-Reply-To: <4EA33444.7090208 at verizon.net>
Message-ID: <1319325417.18934.YahooMailClassic at web161802.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>

--- On Sat, 10/22/11, David Stockhoff <dstockhoff at verizon.net> wrote:

>> > 
> 
> I think it's a pretty big deal that at least three of us
> here agree that Wolfe offers a critique of his adopted
> religion in the Briah series. I've argued for it before:
> that I would extend the critique to Severian himself in
> terms of certain darker episodes in the Catholic Church's
> past. Just sayin'.

But ... but ... while certainly there are catholic ceremonies and celibate echoes of the priesthood in both all the Sun novels, it is tradition perverted.  This is the religion Wolfe has chosen as an adult.

I don't think it's a critique so much as a use of the familiar tropes of his faith.  Wolfe is not like Luther.  You can find a critique if you are looking for it, but Pas' church is NOT the catholic church no matter how much it may be based upon it, and his attempts to deify himself through that institution actually made him SERVE the will of the Outsider in the final analysis - if you steal the Outsider's means, he will transform you or steal them back somehow to serve His purpose.

I think this "critique" is one of those eye of the beholder things - is he criticizing his church or its transformation and subborning into something "other"?  As a Catholic myself, you know what I would say to that question, but I do think Wolfe's religious stance is one of the trickiest in sci fi, if not in all of literature.

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