(urth) theories

[Ryan Dunn]

On Oct 23, 2011, at 2:18 PM, Sergei SOLOVIEV <soloviev at irit.fr> wrote:

> Dear Ryan,
> 
> I see the flaw in the theory that the boatman is Inire because the
> it was suggested before that Inire has some diabolic aspects
> (the authors of this theory tried to identify him also with the
> "healer" in Vodalus army who drained the boy and indulged
> also in "sadopedophilic" practices with him), and it would mean
> that Severian has, at least partly, diabolic origin. It is this
> theory that reminds me Polyanski and seems not compatible
> with the message of Gene Wolfe. It is not
> the question, whether the boatman reminds me about Polyanski,
> it is the question of the theory that does. And it is not just a question of arbitrary decision
> (my arbitrariness against yours).
> 
> Sergei

So why was the friend of Thecla so frightened by Inire when he shows her his mirrors (a creepily staged scene if ever there was one) if he did not have a somewhat diabolical reputation?

It's not a stretch for me to put Inire in the jungle as the shaman. And I do not feel the recurrence of mysterious old monkey looking men is something we should be so quick to dismiss.

I didn't mean to be derisively truncated with your stance on the boatman, I was just demonstrating that different readers have different reasons for believing different things.

...ryan