Index · 2 messages · 2 voices · 07 Nov 2010

Urth Digest, Vol 75, Issue 7

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Andrew Mason07 Nov 2010, 17:59as archived

↰ answers entonio at gmail.com · by quotation

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Entonio wrote: I must be missing something. Isn't it generally accepted that Severian paid several visits to that time period alone? He at least says he likes to think some of the people who came to help him at the inn were himself - or am I mixing things up?

Well, yes, he says he likes to think that, so we can't be sure it's true. But grant that Severian made other trips to that time; it's still unclear whether he did any conciliating on those trips. It's not as if when our Severian sees the other Severians at the inn they are all being feted as wonder-workers. Of course, it may be that they started working wonders after our Severian left. (If they had been working wonders before he arrived, wouldn't someone have done something to stop it? And would the arrival of our Severian have caused such a stir?) Bear in mind, though, that they must have been considerably older than our Severian (since the Apu-Punchau episode, which takes many years, happened in between) and that they would not have had the Claw. (I know the Claw doesn't really matter. But people thought it mattered.)

António Pedro Marques07 Nov 2010, 20:47as archived

↳ in reply to Andrew Mason

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Andrew Mason wrote: Entonio wrote:

I must be missing something. Isn't it generally accepted that Severian paid several visits to that time period alone? He at least says he likes to think some of the people who came to help him at the inn were himself - or am I mixing things up?

Well, yes, he says he likes to think that, so we can't be sure it's true. But grant that Severian made other trips to that time; it's still unclear whether he did any conciliating on those trips.

My view regrding that is that he can't help conciliating, his powers are there.

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It's not as if when our Severian sees the other Severians at the inn they are all being feted as wonder-workers.

Knowing the episode, they might have opted to come in disguise and generally walking unnoticed at that particular time and place.

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Of course, it may be that they started working wonders after our Severian left. (If they had been working wonders before he arrived, wouldn't someone have done something to stop it? And would the arrival of our Severian have caused such a stir?) Bear in mind, though, that they must have been considerably older than our Severian (since the Apu-Punchau episode, which takes many years, happened in between) and that they would not have had the Claw. (I know the Claw doesn't really matter. But people thought it mattered.)

Good point. It's unclear to me why people did think so.

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