(urth) Theories

[Ryan Dunn]

On Oct 23, 2011, at 3:01 PM, Andrew Mason wrote:

> What I think worries Gerry and Sergei, and me, is the thought (which
> people may not be intending to imply, but is the sense that I often
> get from some theories) that the _entire_ story is a puzzle; that
> everything is below the surface, and a straightforward reading will
> just give us no idea of what is going on. This is worrying, because it
> seems to imply that 99.9% of readers of Wolfe's works have no idea
> what they are about. Moreover, it suggests that those of us who think
> that quite a large part of the story is visible on the surface are
> reading in an inadequate way; I have more than once seen the
> suggestion that we are treating it as a 'ripping yarn'; whereas I
> think that the visible stories often have real depth, which  theories
> of hidden meaning sometimes detract from.


Andrew,

I have to disagree again. I think that the story functions on a few levels. There is clearly the hero quest which is most accessible on the surface. The page turning element, if you will. Nobody disputes the fact that there is a torturer's apprentice who becomes the next Autarch and eventually becomes bringer of the New Sun.

However, on the second level, there is the context of the story, which Gene has quite a lot of fun subverting through the subjectivity of his narrator. The Citadel being an old ship yard, the soldier with a staff being an astronaut on the moon. The fact that you feel like you're reading a medieval story fraught with baroque imagery and guilds and masters and sneaky wizards wielding shifty magic; when in fact this is a distant future on a future cycle of a similar universe.

Then there is a third level, which re-evaluates just what exactly is going on with Severian. Who is he? What machinations are luring around the corner? Who might be pulling the strings? What's with all of the mysterious actions and appearances of characters? Why are people guiding and spying on him?

I think this third element is extremely valid and highly informative to how to interact with the story. Of course, you can leave it alone after a first reading satisfied, or read it a second time with a wry smile as you see things that he was hiding in plain sight the first time around. Nobody suggests otherwise. But it is hard to dispute the reality that "nothing is what it seems" is something Wolfe is interested in here and in other works.

Anyhow, that is my interpretation. And I have a feeling that (like Peter Weir's Truman Show), there is much more string pulling going on than some people might think. The hiero's have a vested interest in Severian's success, and would likely go to any length to ensure resotration of the New Sun. If you believe this, then turn Severian's whole life into one big puppet show, you have a very interesting and very valid way to reinterpret the going's on.

...ryan
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