(urth) Father Inire: teratoid

[Gerry Quinn]

  From: Son of Witz 

  Did anyone even notice my recent verticality metaphor? (Foes of the Increate) I don't think anyone has laid that out before, yet it is right there under your nose and doesn't require assembling elusive fragments of perceived clues, and frankly seems to be a huge symbolic reality that the plot is stretched tautly over.  It surprises me that these things remain hidden while we elaborate on whether or not the House Absolute is a crashed ship. It is an interesting exercise but it doesn't really get us any closer to the essence of the work. (which isn't to say good stuff can't come of such thinking.  I'm still reeling over the idea that Latro is a werewolf.
It's interesting - but to what extent can it be explained by the juxtaposition of "Severian travels through a mountainous region" and "Severian meets enemies"?  

Erebus and company, and the Ascians if indeed they count as foes of the Increate, can be explained away by saying that only defeated enemies count. (And Vodalus too, I suppose, although he is defeated in the next book.) And it seems not unreasonable that Typhon should be on top.  The alzabo, however, seems to me to fall in the category of an animal; it is used by foe Vodalus but also by the Autarchy.

So I'm not convinced overall that this is an overarching scheme that the plot is stretched to cover.

- Gerry Quinn
  
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