What is _Urth of the New Sun_ about?

wthyde · 23 Jan 2004, 22:25 · from rec.arts.sf.written.2004.mbox

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From: wthyde at godzilla.acpub.duke.edu
Subject: Re: What is _Urth of the New Sun_ about?
Date: 23 Jan 2004 17:25:55 -0500
Message-ID: <yv7z65f2480c.fsf at godzilla.acpub.duke.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
References: <bss663$593$1 at panix1.panix.com> <Xns946188F9C4513mss2mediaonenet at 130.133.1.4> <qemIb.1404$Is5.488 at bignews4.bellsouth.net> <bteo4e$30n$1 at news01.cit.cornell.edu> <buhgd7$oj3$1 at panix2.panix.com>

> "Ron Henry" <ronhenry at blahblahblah.clarityconnectcom> said:
> 
> > No, really, It's pretty clear from references in both the New Sun
> > and Long Sun series that Severian and the people of the Whorl who
> > come from the same Commonwealth as Severian, were South Americans.
> > (One off the cuff reference I can think of is that they drink
> > maté.)
> 
> How likely is it, though, that the equation "they drink mate' in that
> culture" == "that culture is located in South America" is going to
> remain continuously true for tens of thousands of years?


        Incredibly unlikely.

        Today we might say that the English are known for drinking
        tea and port.  Three hundred years ago they drank neither.
        Three hundred years ago they drank beer for breakfast.
        Few now do.

        Also, Wolfe explicitly tells us that he is using some
        English words to describe objects/concepts that do
        not exist today.  Just because they are said to be
        drinking "mat\'e" doesn't mean they are actually doing
        so.

        We might as well claim they are Armenian, because of
        Severian's name.

William Hyde
EOS Department
Duke University

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