Pike's ghost

David Stockhoff · 28 Nov 2011, 16:04 · from 2011-November.txt.gz

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From: dstockhoff at verizon.net (David Stockhoff)
Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2011 11:04:42 -0500
Subject: (urth) Pike's ghost
In-Reply-To: <SNT123-W12C47CC10F08747C44D5C3CFB20 at phx.gbl>
References: <SNT123-W12C47CC10F08747C44D5C3CFB20 at phx.gbl>
Message-ID: <4ED3B11A.9070303 at verizon.net>

On 11/28/2011 10:55 AM, Lee Berman wrote:
>> As for the painting, it might well have been an realistic psychological portrait,
>> >but presumably Piaton had but one penis.....Campion?s painting was probably created
>> >at the time the Whorl was being fitted out (it shows bulldozers, referred to as taluses),
>> >and in the Whorl, which is unlikely to be as prone to viral images as our current society,
>> >would have needed some time to become  famous.  The obscene parody, then, was presumably
>> >created much later.
>
> The evidence suggests you have it backwards. The bulldozers are a direct reference to the
> autonomous machines ("wains", iirc) which were used to carve the mountains into Typhon's
> likeness. The orgy is a direct reference to Typhon's demand of Severian, as his regent, to
> provide him tribute of young women and boys. The nursing of erections also a direct
> reference to Severian's experience with Typhon.
>
> Thus the perverted, blasphemous painting, accurately depicting reality on Urth is the
> older and more original painting. Campion's painting is a cleaned up version of it for
> use on The Whorl, where Pas is a cleaned up version of Typhon.
>
> what I think is not well understood or discussed is that the cleanup of Typhon and his
> transformation into the more benign, creative demiurge Pas is the work of the Outsider.
> The mytho-religious aspects of the Outsider explain why He would want to do this. Silk
> and perhaps Tartaros are working to accomplish the goals of the Outsider (which include
> the suppression of Typhon's monstrous family, not to mention the similar, dual-natured
> Ayuntamiento). 	

Lee, that is a great analysis. I have to agree, having never thought 
about it. I am not sure what damage it does to the general point I just 
made, though it weakens the argument I gave. I'm still skeptical that a 
clone of Typhon has to look exactly like an iconic painting of him.

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