Severian forgets a few things ...

Marc Aramini · 06 Aug 2014, 00:47 · from 2014-August.txt.gz

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From: marcaramini at gmail.com (Marc Aramini)
Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2014 17:47:01 -0700
Subject: (urth)  Severian forgets a few things ...
Message-ID: <CAF1072yr_i6YJUrTaievdZOOWL-9NhA2gP=MeLAq435uhzOQ-g at mail.gmail.com>

It's been a long time since I thought about New Sun, but as I am near that
point in Wolfe's career where I am going to have to do some of the short
fiction related to the books, I have to reread it now, and will probably do
a write up sooner or later, but these quotes kind of jumped out at me as I
glanced through the opening sections of shadow of the torturer.

?In the remembered terror of the fight I had forgotten [the coin]?

?I tried to recall what her meal had been ? I could not, though I nearly
burst my brain with the effort.?

The first one is explainable as kind of a passive oblivion, but the second
one he is consciously trying to recollect something and failing to bring
Thecla's food to mind, even though it is revealed that his dinner is
exactly the same as hers, save for Mutton: "Leeks and lentils, bread and
mutton."

"Ah, the torturers get mutton - that's the difference."

So should that be perfect recall until he is distracted by a woman he finds
exotic and attractive?
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