Palaemon != Severian; _TBOTNS-1_

David_Lebling · 04 May 1998, 13:31 · from urth-v0010.mbox · original

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From: David_Lebling at avid.com
Subject: (urth) Palaemon != Severian; _TBOTNS-1_
Date: Mon, 4 May 98 13:31:43
Message-ID: <urth-v0010-0081 at digest.urth.net>
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>re: Dan Parmenter, on Palaemon =3D Severian0

I don't think I buy that one.  It's more in the nature of the scene in
the typical coming-of-age story where the older mentor reveals, usually
when the protagonist is in some hot water, that he too had trouble with
the law/guild/church/whatever when he was a sprout.  Of course, being
part of a Wolfe story, it isn't presented quite that straightforwardly.

The plot outline that Wolfe alludes to in _Castle of the Otter_ is
probably the story of Sev1's life, as far as it goes.  Severian himself
gives a few clues as to how Sev1 could have solved his dilemma, though
my strong guess is that in Wolfe's original plot it wouldn't have come
off quite so easily as Sev2 imagines.  Thus, I disagree with mantis; I
think Sev1 indeed met and loved Thecla in his own limited way, but did
not have the, um, benefit of the analeptic alzabo to bring her to life
later in his own mind.  Or, even more probably, as Sev1 didn't have the
Claw, his memories of Thecla wouldn't last, which Wolfe points out later
in the story.  Thecla's direct influence on his mind is important in the
"revisions" that make him succeed at his task.

    --viz
    (david_lebling at avid.com)

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

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