The Wizard

Antonin Scriabin · 06 Mar 2012, 13:46 · from 2012-March.txt.gz

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From: kierkegaurdian at gmail.com (Antonin Scriabin)
Date: Tue, 6 Mar 2012 08:46:40 -0500
Subject: (urth) The Wizard
In-Reply-To: <SNT123-W457935D3BDC7D5A9B64451CF510 at phx.gbl>
References: <SNT123-W457935D3BDC7D5A9B64451CF510 at phx.gbl>
Message-ID: <CAM0v-i5vLrLXpaued2LtKwXMgVMX-GJLwkzH-8yWtE7D3sHMzg at mail.gmail.com>

> Perhaps we can all agree that what we see as "primary" might say more
about who we are

than what is clear in the books.

Couldn't agree more, and I might add that this is one of the reasons I so
enjoy Wolfe.  It is one thing to just stuff a story full of clever
allusions and references, it is quite another to do so and yet create a
world rich with potential, that gets readers to think and conjure up their
own interpretations and inferences.

On Mon, Mar 5, 2012 at 10:01 PM, Lee Berman <severiansola at hotmail.com>wrote:

>
> >Dan'l Danehey-Oakes:  Not to agree with Gerry or anything, but clearly
> the Christian
> >allusions are primary.
>
>
>
> Perhaps we can all agree that what we see as "primary" might say more
> about who we are
>
> than what is clear in the books. Allusions to pagan mythology and
> Christianity are
>
> both there. So which is more important?
>
>
>
> The pagan and gnostic references do seem more primary to me. As I see it,
> the references
>
> to Christianity are about the trappings of the church, not Christ himself.
> There are
>
> roods and gammdions and signs of addition. There are various forms of the
> eucharist and
>
> sermons and confessions and so on.
>
>
>
> There is even a guy who resembles Jesus. But I see no Christ. I see no
> christian salvation
>
> offered by anyone; not Severian, not Silk, not SilkHorn, not even The
> Outsider. All  these
>
> guys seem to offer is material salvation not spiritual. Salvation means
> surviving. Moving
>
> to a different planet or having your planet reformed or something like that
>
>
>
> And that is the differece between, say, Moses and Jesus Christ. And
> perhaps the difference
>
> between the brutal Old Testament demiurge and the forgiving New Testament
> God. Moses led
>
> the chosen to a Promised Land. Christ led (and leads) to an entirely new
> plane of existence.
>
>
>
> Wolfe talks about the Sun Series taking place in an alternate universe
> than our own and I
>
> think this is the reason he needed that device. He could not build a
> futuristic gnostic
>
> monster and horror filled world in a universe where Jesus Christ has
> already appeared.
> Once Christ has been here, that's it. Christian salvation becomes an
> option. An option
>
> seemingly unavailable to anyone in Briah.
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