(urth) Why so much synchronicity?

[Jesper Svedberg]

2006/8/19, Dan'l Danehy-Oakes <danldo at gmail.com>:
>
> On 8/19/06, junk06 at amalar.com <junk06 at amalar.com> wrote:
> > Why? It smells of ham handedness, as someone mentioned recently.
> > Anyone have theories as to why so many coincidences fill the series?
>
> I have two.
>
> 1. I'm pretty sure Wolfe is an admirer of Dickens. Dickens's plots are
> utterly coincidence-driven. (E.g., the fellow who catches Oliver, but
> not the Dodger, turns out to be his grandfather...) This doesn't bother
> his fans.
>
> 2. These are all signs of Divine Providence (or the guidance of the
> Hier*s, aqastors, etc.) to make sure that Severian fulfills that destiny
> (of which he already had some presentiment)


I would also suggest that it serves to make the narrative seem dream-like.


  // Jesper
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