(urth) Urth-Earth links

[Lee Berman]

I had recently suggested that I thought Wolfe found Severian's meal of

the old Autarch's brain to be as diabolical as the Thecla meal and some

other examples of consciousness trading in Wolfe stories.

 

However I just found a previously unnoticed Wolfe quote which gainsays 

that idea:

 

 

>James Jordan: Now the climax of that inversion seems to be when Severian 

>actually eats the brains of the preceding autarch. Did you see that as another 

>form of the diabolical communion? Or something that was necessary? It seems to 

>be necessary to the novel.

 

>Gene WOlfe: What I was doing was to say that in order to be a good ruler you 

>must be familiar with the tradition of that rule---of that country and of the people 

>in the past who have administered that rule. No, not diabolical in that case. The 

>diabolical thing is more Vodalus and the graverobbers.

 

>James Jordan: Who are into it just for thrills.

 

>Gene Wolfe: Well, yes they are doing it for trivial reasons. Evil is always a 

>distortion or an exaggeration of something that is good. People don't understand 

>that now.

 

 

I'm not sure if this requires a revamping of my BotNS theory. On the other hand, 

Wolfe's last sentence here fits perfectly with it.