(urth) "been teaching literature for over 35 years"

[Jerry Friedman]

> From: Jeff Wilson <jwilson at clueland.com>


> But they have
> (or so it suits the translator G.W. to use) different works for mountain
> and volcano, and the crater lake of the averns is distinguished in kind
> from the mountain lake Diuturna, which seems off for such a living
> langauge to make plain if this is distinction found in a prehistoric
> detail of natural history.

We have words for geological features caused by glaciers, though the people who use those words aren't expecting another Ice Age any time soon.  Also, Severian doesn't bother to specify "extinct volcano", which I think he'd do if he believed there were active volcanoes around.

[next post]

> Aha! When Severian is struck by the Jailers' weapon, Urth trembles and the
> curtain wall section falls to match its place in his native time. His
> survival is attributed to the earthquake knocking him out of the line of
> fire or otherwise spoiling the gunner's aim, and everyone goes about their
> business. Ergo, earthquakes are known in Typhon's time and common enough
> in the area of Nessus that the inhabitants have become accustomed to them.
> 
> This is all described in URTH,

So it's irrelevant to Cook.  I imagine most here will take it as evidence, though.  Then an interesting question, as I said in my previous post, is how it makes the book better for Severian (or his source, Master Malrubius) to be lying or mistaken.

If TBotNS takes place a mere million years after (the analog of) our time, which Michael Andre-Driussi suggests is around an upper limit, I agree that there's no time for plate tectonics to come to a complete stop naturally.  As Sergei Soloviev says, the question is why it happened.  We might speculatively blame whoever put the black hole in the sun.

> however, and may indeed be a belated patch
> on previous BOTNS continuity as I expect the entire cyclic time thing is,
> unless we can find something in the first four volumes. The crooked
> sundial in Valeria's courtyard might be evidence....

On the other hand, abandoned buildings in Nessus and giant humanoid sun-facing statues seem to last indefinitely.
 
> Anyone recall any stuck doors or such mentioned?

Do earthquakes cause doors to get stuck?

Jerry Friedman