(urth) Father Inire

[Larry Miller]

Im gonna have to agree with Lee.  Id say that Jolenta a better
candidate for Severa than any other female character in the book.  Yes
the fact that we never know her real name is a clue that Wolfe is
hiding something.  Every other significant character is named.  I cant
recall the injury but I know there is a point where Jolenta is unable
to walk and has to be carried by Severian echoing Severians later
lameness.  I think its also important that Jolenta along with Dorcas
acts in the play (where Severians mother is a character no doubt).
Yeah the incest thing may be irrelevant but take into account that
Wolfe hints that Jolenta and Dorcas may have also had a sexual
relationship.  Dorcas sleeping with both her grandchildren is a kind
of symmetry found elsewhere in the book.

On 12/2/11, Jerry Friedman <jerry_friedman at yahoo.com> wrote:
>>From: Gerry Quinn <gerry at bindweed.com>
>>From: Lee Berman
> ...
>
>>> FWIW, I think Merryn's age, name and lack of height disqualify her as a
>>> candidate for being
>>> Severian's twin. I think Jolenta's height, name and the incest factor
>>> make her a better
>>> candidate. Was she a witch before waitress?
>>
>>If she’s old, she can’t be Severian’s twin, certainly.
>
> There's always time travel.  Is it odd that Severian doesn't consider the
> possibility?
>
> By the way, is there any reason to connect the speculation that there's only
> one Ship with Severian's speculation that there are only two witches?
>
>> Maybe she isn’t really old and her witchy experiments/knowledge age her.
>> Then she would look similar to the Cumaean’s previous acolyte whom
>> Severian met.
>>
>>I don’t think there’s any sensible reason to think Jolenta is Severian’s
>> sister.  We don’t know her name,
>
> Let me see if I have this right.  For some readers, our not knowing her
> original name would suggest that she's Severian's sister, because if we knew
> it, that would give the game away.  Can anyone confirm this?
>
>> and your “incest factor” is meaningless.
>
> I'm inclined to agree there.
>
>> Severian sleeps with countless women of wildly differering backgrounbd and
>> descriptions, so his sleeping with a woman cannot be an indicator of a
>> genetic relationship (why would it be anyway?)
>
> Can we count them?  Thecla, her khaibit, Dorcas, Jolenta, Daria, Pia,
> Valeria, and whatever women and others I've forgotten about in UotNS.  Who
> am I missing?
>
>> I can’t remember her height but it hardly means much.
>
> Jerry Friedman
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