Religion in the BotNS

Peter Stephenson · 12 Mar 1998, 09:08 · from urth-v0008.mbox · original

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From: Peter Stephenson <pws at ifh.de>
Subject: Re: (urth) Religion in the BotNS
Date: Thu, 12 Mar 1998 10:08:52 +0100
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[Posted from URTH, a mailing list about Gene Wolfe's New Sun and other work=
s]

C R Culver wrote:
> Said Peter S:
> >The part where he goes through Thrax holding the Claw aloft recalls
> > `I am the light of the world'<
>=20
> This section is hard for me to interpret religiously, because Severian do=
es
> release the floodgates, killing the prisoners in the jacal. That is,
> IMHO, not in any way Christlike.

Even if this isn't what happens in this particular episode, it's
certainly striking how quickly Severian `falls off' in any episode
where he is somehow fleetingly put up against Christ...  In the first
example I hazarded, which looked a bit like Christ before Pilate, the
chapter ends with Severian demonstrating his torturing skills on one
of the soldiers (at the lochage's suggestion, it should be said).  In
the last, he ends up by killing Typhon/Piaton (though if he's somehow
the Devil in this episode then my weak theology has run out of
exegetic steam).  These sort of references seem like little pieces in
a mosaic, which is a suitably Byzantine image.

(Which reminds me I've been meaning to ask about some possible
relationships between Wolfe and Yeats...)

Peter

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