(urth) Five Severians - Severian-as-Clone‏

[Lee]

>Antonio Pedro Marques: My impression is that it serves some thematic or decorative, 
>rather than plot, purpose. 

I can agree somewhat, while recognizing that speculation on specifics is part of the fun
of participating on this board for many of us.

Wolfe has stated that there are mysteries in his work for which there is no intended
answer provided. To the most science-minded, this begs the question- "Then why put it 
in?"

But for the more literary minded, there is an understanding that in the arts there
can be the intention of reaching past logic and reason and making an appeal directly 
to the sub-conscious or emotional level of the reader. Sometimes it is the question
not the answer which has the meaning.

Given the subliminal emotional content which may be found in mausoleums, coffins and
family crests, it may have been Wolfe's only intention with this section to appeal
to the part of his reader's psyche which responds to such imagery.

On the other hand, as I mentioned in another post, at the end of RTTW, the characters
not only visit Urth and Severian, they visit a mausoleum in the necropolis. I suppose 
it could be explained as purely decorative bookends for 12 volume series. 

But I find this RTTW episode to be a personal message from Wolfe that there is significant, 
previously unsolved meaning to Severian's mausoleum, much as UotNS provides us a Ship, an
Angel and a Flood to explain previously unsolved hints in the first four books.