(urth) Dionysus

[Lee Berman]

>David Stockhoff- Because you are a servant of Erebus?
 
 
Heh, I think you sell me short! Why not Erebus/Abaia himself? I may be a diabolical,manipulative 
monstrosity who breaks off little pieces of himself  in the form of internet posts to serve as agents
for my nefarious purposes, but at least I'm honest about it ;-).
 
Seriously, though, I like this listserve, though I have tended to participate in flurries and spurts
over the past 6 years. Despite (or perhaps partly because of?) its archaic format I wouldn't want to
see it fade away. I actually feel a bit bad that some of the quieter members get their email boxes so 
cluttered sometimes but it seems like a better alternative than the long periods of stasis I sometimes 
see.
 
 
 
>Why, Lee, I've never seen you summarize your [Father Inire] theory so succinctly and directly! ;)
 
Heh, well I try. You have to remember I have various Severians and Tzadkiels working to thwart my goals.
(but which are the oblivious, lovable heroes and which are the Angels of Judgement.....?)
 
That recently posted portion of my theory may be the core.  It is harder to dismiss as as it draws almost 
entirely from the literal text. The other portions draw from the levels of religious, mythological and 
autobiographical subtexts, which are invisible to some and elusive to most all. 
 
David, you invoked the principle of "book as universe; author as god" principle. Have you considered that
Gene WOlfe writes consciously in this format but, given his religious leanings, prefers the variant of:
"book as universe; author as devil/demiurge"?  Obviously I do.  Consider Weer........
 
 
Speaking of Judgement, I absolutely agree with your Meyers-Briggs assessment of this Board. I haven't been 
tested for a while but when I was younger I was an INTP with the strongest leanings toward N and P. Am I 
intuitive? My theory does continue to evolve.
 
>David- It's true that demons, broadly speaking, are generally able to shift shapes, but to say that all aliens 
are shapeshifters.....

>...And he [Father Inire] is not a shapeshifter.
 
Shapeshifting in BotNS seems to be a sticking point for many. Perhaps because, while it is easy to swallow in 
Mythology and Fantasy we expect more from SF in the form of hard science to back the fantasy up. Actually I think 
Gene Wolfe created Tzakiel and the sponge-analogy and the Inhumi especially with those in mind. We get a good look 
at an inhumu with Krait in the pit. We are shown his claws and told his appearance as a human is accomplised in part
by physical flexibility and in part by unspecified powers of illusion.
 
In these examples, I think I see a plea from Gene Wolfe for us to be more open to the presence of shapeshifting in 
certain of  his characters, perhaps Father Inire, trusting that he could provide a more science-based explanation 
if pressed.