Thais the countessa

Jennifer Van Goethem · 29 Jul 2002, 16:37 · from urth-v0207.mbox · original

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From: Jennifer Van Goethem <screeminwillie at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: (urth) Thais the countessa
Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2002 09:37:01 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <urth-v0207-1470 at digest.urth.net>
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--- Michael Andre-Driussi <mantis at siriusfiction.com>
wrote:
> Recent talk of Thais as being Severian's daughter,
> and/or a sailor . . .
>=20
> I thought that Thais was the best candidate for the
> character "the
> countessa" in "Eschatology and Genesis."   In that
> play, the character
> speaks of having been accompanied by Praetorian
> Guards when she saw a
> strange man on the Road of Air in the House Absolute
> (II, 228) . . . in
> URTH, Severian enters the House Absolute, and on the
> Path of Air he looks
> down to see a lovely woman with black hair, weeping
> while surrounded by
> Praetorian Guards (293).
>=20
> Even if this is true, Severian does not mention that
> Thais is that woman he
> saw.
>=20
> =3Dmantis=3D

Interesting.  I can see the connection of this "raven
haired", "olive skinned woman" to the play.  If she is
Thais, however, it does seem Severian would recognize
her later on the boat.

I had always thought of this weeping woman surrounded
by Praetorians as a Katherine of the torturers, mother
of Severian.  I bit of a limb walk, I know, but the
view is cool.

I do like the idea of Thais being a coutesan/contessa.
 The name certainly supports that, if there is
anything to the "Th" saint names used for Thecla and
her sister.

Thais does have something to hide, which is quite
intriguing.  She reveals nothing about herself on the
boat other than her name. A fact that Odillo points
out with some consternation somewhere in that
sequence.  A woman of mystery, that Thais.

J=20

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--=20

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