The Best Introduction to the Mountains

James Jordan · 30 Jan 2002, 16:45 · from urth-v0202.mbox · original

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From: James Jordan <jbjordan4 at home.com>
Subject: Re: (urth) The Best Introduction to the Mountains
Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2002 10:45:00 -0600
Message-ID: <urth-v0202-15 at digest.urth.net>
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Hartshorn wrote:

>In LITTLE,BIG, John Crowley hypothesised that the Holy Roman Empire had,
>through a process of amalgamation, extension, and withdrawal, moved to beo=
me
>the contemporarty USA.
>
>I wonder if Wolfe sees his Commonwealth as the Holy Roman Empire, extended
>yet furthur into the future?

The Commonwealth is Byzantium.

Rostrum wrote:

"That other stuff about unity-in-disunity you must be getting from
somewhere else in the book."

         I do think it is there. I had the impression, which being years=20
away from reading the books twice I cannot support directly, that the=20
Vodalus part and the Autarch exist in a kind of tension, perhaps both set=20
up by Severian the Conciliator. I think (think!) Wolfe is saying (a) every=20
society needs diversity of leadership; thus the Autarch and the Aristocrats=20
and also the Rebels; a (b) no society before the end of history will be=20
perfect, so there will always be underground dissenters.
         Look at it sacramentally. The Autarchy is a kind of Established=20
Church, with the Pope eating the memories of his predecessors via the=20
alzabo. Vodalus's band is a kind of Sect Church, gathering in little groups=20
to partake of the alzabo sacrament. That's not all there is, of course, but=20
it seems to be part of it.

Rostrum also wrote:

"And, to return to the original point, how on Urth does any of this
constitute Gene Wolfe expressing the opinion that rebelling against
tyranny is wrong?!?"

         Does he? In "Hour of Trust" (*Island of Dr. Death etc.*) Wolfe=20
himself joins a rebellion reciting the Lord's Prayer.

Nutria

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