(urth) the atmosphere on the bridge

[Jason H]

Thanks for the interesting replies. I agree that the bridge must be some
sort of mall-like bazaar. One particular point that bothered me though was
why this traffic didn't flow over onto the Water Way on the other side.
People and carts are presumably crossing the bridge, so how could the Water
Way remain so deserted?

I think there's a hint of an answer in the text (of course): "Leaving the
lapping tongues of the river, I mounted a flight of broken steps from the
Water Way to the more elevated street of the bridge..." The carriages from
the bridge wouldn't go down a flight of stairs to the Water Way. There's
probably a more populated elevated road, parallel to the Water Way, which
takes on the masses of people leaving the bridge.

-Jason


On Tue, May 17, 2011 at 12:40 AM, Jason H <beet31425 at gmail.com> wrote:

> I'm confused about the atmosphere on the bridge that Severian crosses at
> the very beginning of his exile (Shadow chapter XIV).
>
> Previously he had been walking on the Water Way, and I get the impression
> there are few people about. He says he no longer appeared a torturer "in the
> eyes of the few who passed me"; also, he was able to hear the song from a
> ship, carried by the wind, from a league away.
>
> But when he steps on the bridge, the scene is suddenly crowded: there are
> carriages, there are vendors crying out, and people "thronging" the walkway.
> When he stops to talk to the guard, he is suddenly surrounded by a hundred
> people. All of this in the dead of the night.
>
> Does this make sense? Why would the bridge be so crowded, but the walkway
> on one side of the river be practically deserted? Aren't the throngs of
> people *crossing* the bridge?
>
> It's not a very important point, I'll grant. But I think that one of the
> things that makes Wolfe special is that he tends to think through these
> things carefully beforehand. His scenes feel real because he's taken the
> time to make sure there are no internal contradictions. I'm sure he
> drastically changed the atmosphere on purpose, but I can't make the scene
> work in my mind, because I can't visualize it as really happening. Any
> thoughts on this minor point would be appreciated. Thanks.
>
> -Jason
>
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