<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" http-equiv=Content-Type>
<META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 8.00.6001.18999">
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV
style="FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=Sonofwitz@butcherbaker.org
href="mailto:Sonofwitz@butcherbaker.org">Son of Witz</A> </DIV>
<DIV>No no, I'm not condescending. I think so often readers are looking for
everything to be something other than what it seems, while they often overlook
the symbolic import of what it seems. Does that make sense. If it
seems condescending, well, I do feel that the symbolism of Casdoes house and
how it relates to Severian's family (or ideas of family) is quite evident
within a plain reading of the text, and seems, to me, to be a more useful path
to understanding than, say, as to doubting the very identity of a throw away
character. I mean, that next level might be interesting, but I think
what I've described is a more applicable reading.
FWIW.</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>I agree with this. I'm not too sure about the
metaphors with regard to the altitude of Severian's path through the mountains,
but I like your interpretation of Casdoe's house. </FONT><FONT size=2
face=Arial>Another pointer comes before Severian reaches the house:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial><SPAN lang=EN-IE></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial><SPAN lang=EN-IE>"I knew that when I saw the dog
himself he would be like Triskele; and so he was, with four legs instead of
three, somewhat longer and narrower in the skull, and more brown than
lion-colored, but with the same dancing eyes and wagging tail and lolling
tongue."</DIV>
<DIV>
<P></SPAN></FONT><FONT size=2 face=Arial>He identifies the dog as a sort of
counterpart of Triskele, even though clearly the dog is not Triskele. He
is imagining an alternative Severian, a Severian with a family - but there is no
need to appeal to time travel or alternate universes, nor
even to chains of long-lost relatives, to realise why Severian might
have such thoughts.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=2 face=Arial>[The author even adds a personal touch later on,
when the two Severians talk about the Big Wolf and the Little Wolf.]</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=2 face=Arial>- Gerry Quinn</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </P></DIV></BODY></HTML>