the points of it all

Alex David Groce · 10 Nov 1999, 12:06 · from urth-v0028.mbox · original

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From: Alex David Groce <Alex_Groce at gs246.sp.cs.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: (urth) the points of it all
Date: Wed, 10 Nov 1999 12:06:46
Message-ID: <urth-v0028-0449 at digest.urth.net>
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Clifford Drane wrote:

>I see your point, and I think our ideas can co-exist. Yes, Sev promises to=20
>record the stories (and we are reading them, so he came through on his=20
>promise). But I'm not sure his promise was anything but a reaction to the=20
>area being decimated and everyone waiting for his judgment being killed. I=
f=20
>they had lived, I think he would have judged (nice little sub-thread maybe=
 -=20
>who would he have chosen?). What strikes me is that they were all so caugh=
t=20
>up in the storytelling, the consequences of the judgment to come - they ha=
d=20
>alot invested in the whole thing - And it didn't truly matter due to the=20
>attack. I think it shows us that nothing we care about, love, hate, etc. c=
an=20
>stop fate or chance (whichever way you prefer to look at it). Things can=20
>irreprerably change or *prevent* an outcome - what's the phrase... coitus=20
>interruptus? I could be struck dead by a meteor while typing this, just as=20
>they were struck dead before the conclusion of the contest. The cosmos jus=
t=20
>doesn't care.

Ah, but whether this is true or not, I think it's not at all consistent with
the theme of BOTNS--the judgement in URTH shows that all of the "loves, hat=
es,
etc." we've seen in NEW SUN are, in fact, of cosmic importance--I think Wol=
fe
is one of the few science-fiction writers who personalizes the universe whi=
le
maintaining grandness of scale.  Wolfe has few Big Dumb Objects, but some=20
amazing Big Smart Objects (Tzad's ship, Yesod itself).  Severian is special,
but he's also something of an Everyman character--the fact that his actions
are truly significant is, I suspect, meant to grant all human actions
significance.  Wolfe's stories tend to take place in an almost frighteningly
"caring" cosmos--"The Death of the Island Doctor" is a good example of this.
It is impossible for the characters in Wolfe's work to escape responsibility
and judgement by claiming indifference on the part of fate/the universe.

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32
--
Alex David Groce (agroce+ at cs.cmu.edu)
Ph.D. Student, Carnegie Mellon University - Computer Science Department
8112 Wean Hall (412)-268-3066
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~agroce

*More Wolfe info & archive of this list at http://www.urth.net/urth/

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