More lies

Matthew Malthouse · 09 Nov 1999, 02:20 · from urth-v0028.mbox · original

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From: Matthew Malthouse <matthew.malthouse at guardian.co.uk>
Subject: Re: (urth) More lies
Date: Tue, 09 Nov 1999 02:20:03 +0000
Message-ID: <urth-v0028-0431 at digest.urth.net>
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"Kevin J. Maroney" wrote:
>=20
> At 04:49 PM 11/8/99 -0600, Roy wrote:
> >Now, these are just a few examples I stumbled across without really tryi=
ng,
> >where Sev is either lying for no good reason that I can see, or, more li=
kely
> >(unless Wolfe is sloppier than I believe), where Wolfe is showing the re=
ader
> >that Sev's memory is less than perfect--or both.
>=20
> Or that Severian slips up. Remember that his memory is not perfectly
> organized; he describes in some detail the difficult process by which he
> reconstructs his memories. Even if his memory is perfect in the way he
> describes, it would not function in such a way as to protect him from
> misstatements like those you listed.

How many Sevs? How many different histories might Sev remember of
himself at different times?

And how many memories may not be his own but conflated from the
alzebo: regardles of when the events take place Sev is recounting
them to us from the position of Autarch, or even re-writing them
abord Tzad's ship. if (and I'm not surre that I do) we accept
multiply dead Sev to produce the right one might not one Sev have
rememberted brown walls and another grey ones? Once never again gone
to the river and another done so?

As for the last time but I knew it not, that we certainly the last
time that Sev as he then was went to the tomb. I'd say that in
litterary terms it was fair comment for even without the
died/recreated stuff Sev the Autarch gojng to the tomb was so
different as to be another person.

Matthew

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