Marcus Aurelius (re)visited

David Stockhoff · 27 Apr 2012, 12:11 · from 2012-April.txt.gz

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From: dstockhoff at verizon.net (David Stockhoff)
Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2012 08:11:51 -0400
Subject: (urth) Marcus Aurelius (re)visited
In-Reply-To: <SNT123-W65A71617367F9DF1EF870DCF250 at phx.gbl>
References: <SNT123-W65A71617367F9DF1EF870DCF250 at phx.gbl>
Message-ID: <4F9A8D07.10402 at verizon.net>

I thought so.

That, and notice the Criterion, the Test of Truth, and the "ideal Wise 
Man, sufficient unto himself." "He trod the path beaten by his 
predecessors. . . ." "Vulgar vices seem to have no temptation for him. . 
. ."

And of course that "he does not even contemplate that others should read 
what he writes. . . . "

On 4/27/2012 7:11 AM, Lee Berman wrote:
>
>> there are two ways the emperor could have influenced Wolfe's conception of
>> Severian: first, by offering an opposing example of an almost good and
>> thoughtful man, raised as such and groomed to be emperor; second, by
>> similarity, as a dutiful, if not entirely good, man in a bad world who
>> becomes emperor by "accident.".....I
>> do not see Severian as a recreation of Marcus, rather as the result of
>> an experiment in first-person narration inspired by the memoirs of the
>> Roman emperors in general and of Marcus in particular as a unique
>> combination of character, chance of birth, and philosophy.
>
> Interesting comparisons and insights.
>
>> The universe, then, is God, of whom the popular gods are manifestations;
>> while legends and myths are allegorical. The soul of man is thus an
>> emanation from the godhead, into whom it will eventually be re-absorbed.
>
> This is as good a summation as any of the way I see Wolfe presenting Man,
> God and the Sun Series universe. 		 	   		
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