(urth) Typhon's nature

[Jerry Friedman]

> From: Lee Berman <severiansola at hotmail.com>

>> David Stockhoff: I agree that various technologies are deliberately blurred, 
> as is 
>> (famously) the line between technology and magic.

An interesting exercise for some might be to consider all the mind control and telepathy in the Sun books.  There's a lot, from the revolutionary, shown as purely technological, to Decuman's spell, which Severian speculates on in pure black-magic terms, with all kinds of others, often not explained at all.  They could then decides which examples throw light on which others.

>> This seems to be both a stylistic approach and a philosophy.
> 
> Yes. I think this cuts to the crux of the debate. For some readers, Wolfe's 
> work seems
> to be a collection of rippingly good yarns. Any perception of an overarching 
> philosophy 
> and use of sub-text to convey it is seen as a distraction and diminishing of the 
> story.
> These different approaches create a difficult platform for discussion between 
> parties.
...

As do caricatures such as the one above.  I'll leave the caricature of the opposite approach as an exercise.

Jerry Friedman