<html><head><style type="text/css"><!-- DIV {margin:0px;} --></style></head><body><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:12pt"><DIV><FONT face=Tahoma><FONT size=2><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">From:</SPAN></B> Mark Millman <A href="mailto:markjmillman@gmail.com">markjmillman@gmail.com</A><BR><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"></SPAN><STRONG>...</STRONG></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=2 face=Tahoma></FONT></STRONG><BR>LB> If there is a Dionysian deity popping up in<BR>LB> various guises throughout Severian's story,<BR><BR>> That seems to be a big if, except in so far as Wolfe imitates<BR>> classical models. Remember, Nessus and the Commonwealth are Byzantium<BR>> and its empire.</DIV>
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<DIV>[snip interesting comments, including useful reminder of origin of Master Ash's name]</DIV>
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<DIV>I think it's going too far to say that the Commonwealth /is/ Byzantium. It's modeled on Byzantium, but there are many obvious differences. However, I'd be interested if people who know more history would mention any similarities in detail. Did members of the upper classes challenge people to duels by giving them stones? Did commoners praise the emperor every time they mentioned him? Were parts of Byzantium abandoned to omophagists?</DIV>
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<DIV>Jerry Friedman</DIV></div><br>
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