(urth) Severians Later Appearance (Spoilers)

Tom Hopkins topkins at hotmail.co.uk
Tue Jan 12 10:47:17 PST 2010




I think in some ways it could create some interesting
possibilities. If it really is the Severian from New Sun he meets, then could
it not possible mean everything from Silks initial enlightment to his gaining
the power of astral projection were simply given to him so he could influence
Severian into bringing the New Sun? We already know that the Severian we know
has multiple people who meddle in his timeline to help him bring the New Sun,
what's one more? 



But the main problem I have is that he doesn't mention meeting SilkHorn in New
Sun, which I'm certain he would do. For someone who claims to never forget to
not record something that important to his life, something that inspired the
recording of his life’s work would surely feature heavily in his musing. As we
so often see Severian contemplate a range of ideas, I feel there can be no way
he would leave it out, as seeing an image of a seeming holy man who can shift
the world around him would surely play into his deepening consideration of the
Increate.



Basically it is my view that the Severian included in Short Sun cannot be the
same Severian in New Sun, or rather the same iteration of him; even if it does
heavily hint that it is. I'm sure some could argue that it could be related to
Severian saying in New Sun about how he thought he might be insane, but because
multiple people saw SilkHorn and surely the consequences of his actions would
have been widespread, It seems unlikely that Severian could attribute his
appearance to his sanity. 



The whole meeting between SilkHorn and Severian seems off to me; lots of little
things which are not the way they should be. The fact of Severian and Merryn
which I mentioned earlier, and that she even says, "He is my
brother," and does then go onto clarify that she meant about the relationship
between the torturers and the witches. But after all these years of theories
concerning who Severians sister is, and so little hints,  would Gene Wolfe who is renowned for his
tricksy writing say something as crass as that? For me that seems far too
obvious, so therefore must be misdirection, but to what purpose I'm unsure.



> Date: Tue, 12 Jan 2010 10:06:38 -0800
> From: jerry_friedman at yahoo.com
> To: urth at lists.urth.net
> Subject: Re: (urth) Severians Later Appearance (Spoilers)
> 
> --- On Tue, 1/12/10, Tom Hopkins <topkins at hotmail.co.uk> wrote:
> 
> I agree completely.  Wolfe said that astral projection
> made the possibility of Silkhorn's meeting Severian a
> "gun on the wall", but I've felt since I first read the
> passage that the gun would have been better left
> unfired.
> 
> In addition to your criticisms, I have a superficial one:
> I was disappointed to read that torturers' cloaks have
> red linings.
> 
> Yes, Josh, it made me think, but not in any way that
> helped me enjoy the book.
> 
> Jerry Friedman
> 
> > Sorry If I wasn't clear but I was
> > more asking why he felt
> > the need to add him to the Short Sun books in the first
> > place? As it goes it
> > seems to me to be one of the worst ways to include him in
> > the narrative, as it
> > is in a way that comes close to contradicting the text of
> > the New Sun; and then
> > too explain it all away by saying he neglected to mention
> > it, is either very
> > shoddy writing, (which I highly doubt in Wolfe’s case) or
> > something more.
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > > Date: Tue, 12 Jan 2010 10:38:50 -0500
> > > From: brunians at brunians.org
> > > To: urth at lists.urth.net
> > > CC: urth at urth.net
> > > Subject: Re: (urth) Severians Later Appearance
> > (Spoilers)
> > > 
> > > He hadn't planned it out, Tom.
> > > 
> > > When he wrote the New Sun he had no idea there was
> > going to be a Short Sun.
> > > 
> > > 
> > > .
> > > 
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > One of the main problems I have difficulty
> > understanding is
> > > > why Wolfe felt the need to include Severian in
> > the Short Sun books. I am
> > > > unclear
> > > > on whether this is meant to be the Severian of
> > the New Sun books, or his
> > > > first
> > > > iteration or maybe another. I find I am reluctant
> > to accept that Severian
> > > > did
> > > > not include SilkHorn in the books because no one
> > would believe him as he
> > > > states, because Severian includes many wild
> > adventures which seem even
> > > > less
> > > > likely. Also I think it creates an inconsistency
> > with Merryn appearing in
> > > > the
> > > > New Sun book, surely they would recognise each
> > other to a greater extent
> > > > and I
> > > > can't imagine Severian neglecting to mention
> > something in that regard in
> > > > the
> > > > narrative; especially as he mentions another
> > brief meeting between them as
> > > > a
> > > > child.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > In my mind It simply does not seem to add up, and
> > I am convinced there is
> > > > something I am missing which makes for a more
> > feasible explanation. As at
> > > > the
> > > > momment it comes across to me as shoddy and
> > unneeded yet I feel this must
> > > > be a
> > > > fault with my own understanding of the text,
> > rather than Wolfe’s work.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > So I'd greatly appreciate any thoughts of
> > theories on the matter, even If
> > > > it
> > > > happens to be it is the Severian from New Sun and
> > he just fails to mention
> > > > SilkHorn.
> 
> 
>       
> _______________________________________________
> Urth Mailing List
> To post, write urth at urth.net
> Subscription/information: http://www.urth.net
 		 	   		  
_________________________________________________________________
Send us your Hotmail stories and be featured in our newsletter
http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/195013117/direct/01/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.urth.net/pipermail/urth-urth.net/attachments/20100112/96ee77f1/attachment-0004.htm>


More information about the Urth mailing list