Father Inire as Dionysus

David Stockhoff · 23 Oct 2011, 19:55 · from 2011-October.txt.gz

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From: dstockhoff at verizon.net (David Stockhoff)
Date: Sun, 23 Oct 2011 15:55:30 -0400
Subject: (urth) Father Inire as Dionysus
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On 10/23/2011 12:18 AM, Jerry Friedman wrote:
> Well, Talos doesn't have a Nessus address (that we know of).  But he has some sources of ancient information, quite likely books.
>
> Indeed, though, the question of why Carina's narration in /E.&. G./ matches a scene in UotNS is mysterious, like other echoes between the play and future events.  It may mean Dr. T. has some uncanny source of knowledge.  There's plenty of time travel in the books to provide one possible explanation without the need (or possibility?) of any commitment to who the time traveler is.  Another possibility is that Dr. Talos doesn't know anything; instead the woman in UotNS knows about the play, or somebody else does and sets up the scene.  Another is unconscious prescience, like Severian's dream of the puppet fight.  As Talos himself tells us, stories in the future can inspire those in the past.  I'm not seeing other possibilities at the moment, but maybe some people will (or have).

I'm betting there were delivery vans full of books running back and 
forth all the time!

Seriously, I think it's likely that we are to imagine Sev's book in 
Ultan's library---there are enough hints that this library is like 
Borges' infinite library, and it had to go somewhere. If that is 
possible, then it's a very small leap to the information it contains 
being available. However, as you say there are other pathways.

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