(urth) a lurker asks a question

[Gwern Branwen]

On 2008.09.29 09:03:48 -0700, Matt Teel <adeodatus43 at yahoo.com> scribbled 4.4K characters:
>    Thanks Adam.
>
>    I did find those things in the archives (the reference to Borges is especially interesting to
>    me).  But I'm thinking all of that is pretty self-referential, and that surely there is some
>    reason from *within the story* for the existence of this scene: some plot piece put into
>    place, for example, that I'm missing.
>
>    Every scene in a book generally has a number of things going on.  While Wolfe's own
>    Hitchcock-like appearance, and the reference to Borges, are interesting, I have a hunch they
>    aren't the *reason* for the scene.  And that's what's really got me stumped.
>
>    Thanks again!  I appreciate your taking the time.
>
>    Matt

I've always taken this scene as serving several purposes.

For starters, it is just absolutely awesome & gorgeous writing for me, some of the best in the tetralogy. The whole reason I first came to care about Gene Wolfe's fiction was because I happened to pick up _Shadow of the Torturer_ in the library and read through the beginning to the Ultan scene. When I finished it, I closed the book and silently added it and all the other Wolfe books there to my pile of check-outs.

Besides being brilliant, it also hammers in the Dying Earth theme, which is certainly useful.

The third justification is that I believe this scene is necessary to explain how Severian obtains _The Wonders of Urth and Sky_ (and we all know how Gene loves to be consistent and logical with the small things); _Wonders_ is going to be a useful plot device for conversations and inserted fables/short-stories (each of which has multiple justifications, and are topics in and of themselves), so it might as well be early on where it supports Thecla's interest in intellectual matters.

As it happens, I am currently reading the collection of Wolfe interviews _Shadows of the New Sun_, and in it Wolfe says something along the lines of 'Severian is an intellectual who doesn't know he's an intellectual', which accords with Thecla and Severian's conversations.

(Wolfe also mentions Borges as a favorite writer 3 or 4 times, and I think twice explicitly says Ultan was a nod to him.)

--
gwern
Montenegro Glock ISI Sayeret CBOT BATF chameleon Visa/BCC IACIS UPI
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