Thecla/Severian

Alan Lewis · 06 Dec 2004, 20:32 · from 2004-December.txt.gz

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From: alanarc at frontiernet.net (Alan Lewis)
Date: Mon Dec  6 20:32:36 2004
Subject: (urth) Thecla/Severian
References: <20041205210516.CCFF5725F at sitemail.everyone.net>
Message-ID: <00fd01c4dc15$c27ca8b0$a784d2d1@VALUED7B9600FA>

turin wrote:
>
> With Severians acquisition of Thecla's
> Both are examples of communion, though one is profane and the other well 
> if not exactly sacred as in communing with God, it is certainly not evil. 
> I don't think there is anything "mystical" about it, how a drug and a bit 
> of muscle tissue transfer memories or even eating a piece of neocortex is 
> unclear, and how that effects Severian's neurophyisology is unclear, but 
> Wolfe is writing creative neuroscience; however, I think it's safe to 
> assume he means that they are downloading mindware, not only narrative 
> memories but also cognitive processes and sensory memory, which minds he 
> is downloading in full or in part of the model of that person's entire 
> mind.  f Wolfe fails to mention a change in Severian's neural pathways or 
> how it is supported within his body, that's understandable, but I 
> definitely think we are meant to see this as a biological if fantastic 
> process.
>

I can't agree with this, interesting as most of the analysis is.  One may 
argue the line of previous autarchs are within Severian by a purely 
mechanical process, but Thecla within Severian poses us with an entirely 
different situation.  There are many examples, but to name a few: the girl 
in the antechamber believes there is a lady present when Severian is there, 
the Cumaen (sp?) knows there is another entity present at their ritual, 
Thecla takes control of Severian to confront the Autarch, etc.  Later on, 
Severian will say that the Claw brought Thecla back.  At one point Thecla 
even narrates part of the text.  In short, it's clear that the only 
explanation that will seem to suffice is that Thecla's soul is present in 
Severian's body, which is I suppose about as mystical as it can get.  The 
interesting thing is that Severian becomes fully aware of it, but derives no 
comfort from it as his soul does not seem able to interact with Thecla 
directly, just access her memories.  They are 'together', but as two souls 
effectively 'alone.'  I think one explanation for this is that Thecla is 
basically dormant in there, she is the visitor and takes possession only 
when Severian is weak.  The other point is that without Thecla in her own 
body, she cannot be the Thecla that Severian loves.

Though there is no direct evidence for this, note that the 
Thecla-in-Severian references cease in the last part of UotNS, and I like to 
think the reason why is that when Tzadkiel gives Severian his Reward -- a 
night sleeping with a woman he never sees, but knows is Thecla -- Tzadkiel 
has taken Thecla out of Severian and given her another body, in much the 
same way as Severian produces a new one when he needs one.  It's interesting 
that she must disappear from the narrative after this point however, that 
notion that the perfect moment can't last.

Alan

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