(urth) Severian as reverse Christ (or something)

[Son of Witz]

all interesting points,
Jordon, Joe, John, Craig and David.

I think they all are valid readings, including mine.


I can't speak to any contrast to Silk or Short Sun threads.
I feel if this is a Masterwork, it's all there in the 4 books and reiterated in the 5th.  anything else is cool, but not necessary to these books.

Severian brings about Apocatastasis. a reset to the primordial condition.
I may be way off in thinking that this was one of Christ's expected roles in the 2nd coming.

but if your not admitting my reading as valid, I'll keep building the argument.

By rejecting all false authorities and then aligning himself with the Pelerines (Catholics of sorts) he's set on the Path that will bring the New Sun. what does he do next? Severian brings Master Ash out of the Last House and Ash disappears because his timeline has now been cut off (because Severian WILL bring the New Sun (read New Kingdom)).  Ok. Ash, that's whats left over when the Fire (Soul) is gone. So he's prevented this soulless wasteland. Yet he's also made more possible (I believe 'actual') timeline of the Green Man. What is the Green Man?  A man from a future humanity that has become able to photosynthesize the sun's light and not need to kill animals for sustenance.
ok. Sun's Light is a metaphore for God's light. The humanity of the future kingdom Sev delivers is fed by light, not by murder. What is this but some sort of perfected humanity that has shed it's TORTURER aspect?  What is this if not a vision of the Kingdom of God that Christ is also supposed to bring?
I argue that it is precisely that.

It just gets better and better when you apply this view, IMO.

I really think you can't take Wolfe's interviews as superceding the text.  The man's writing has a LOT to do with subterfuge, misdirection, sneaky clues and obfuscation.  I really think if he came out and said Severian was Christ he'd be shooting himself in the foot.  IT's for the reader to figure out.

don't deny this reading. it's at least as valid as others I've read and of much more interpretive use than anything in Borski's book.  I'm not trying to put myself on a pedestal here, I'm just REALLY caught up in these books right now. I've been focusing on them (to the detriment of other concerns) very closely for the last 3 or 4 months.  

Perhaps you're not denying my interpretation, but it feels that way.
Yet no one has tackled my points that are demonstrated with the text excerpts and symobls. It seems that it's only been countered from Wolfe's interview or from one's own understanding of Christianity.  Let's deal with the actual symbols present in The Book of the New Sun.

(I appologize if I sound like my panties are in a bunch)

~Witz


>-----Original Message-----
>From: Joe Burger [mailto:burger at cnidarianreef.com]
>Sent: Friday, November 21, 2008 01:49 PM
>To: 'The Urth Mailing List'
>Subject: Re: (urth) Severian as reverse Christ (or something)
>
>I've always interpreted Wolfe's comments of Severian being Christian like to mean that he is not a Christian or Christ, but that there are many aspects of Severian that Christians can relate to. But the main theme of the series is not just a Christian one, is it a tying of many mythology's together that's main theme is the path of enlightenment that Severian goes through. It also shows how many different aspects of mythology are very much related and in some cases the same. I think if you have studied Gnosticism, Christianity, Buddhism etc, you will find many clues in the series to make you think you are reading a story that is pulling from one of those religions, but really it is pointing out the universal truths of them. 
>
>Ultimately I do not think Severian is at all supposed to be Christ. The story is about Severian's journey as one who is seeking knowledge and enlightenment, When he is fully enlighten only then can he bring salvation to Urth, represented by the new sun, when Severian finally becomes the Sun God he is able to save humanity. Apu-Punchau is another version of Severian, one who was on the path to enlightenment but never quite made it.
>
>I think the story itself is to be read on a few different levels, Wolfe states this early on in the first book, the literal story is supposed to be readable but IMO  upon further analyses it doesn't make sense in many places, this is to lead you to interpret it at another level where it does makes sense etc.