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<DIV style="font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=dstockhoff@verizon.net
href="mailto:dstockhoff@verizon.net">David Stockhoff</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, October 12, 2011 3:35 PM</DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=urth@lists.urth.net
href="mailto:urth@lists.urth.net">The Urth Mailing List</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> [BGSpam]Re: (urth) Typhon's nature</DIV>
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style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">> </FONT>On 10/12/2011 9:03 AM, Gerry Quinn
wrote:<BR><BR><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">> </FONT>> But if we
look at the Ascians, the coin, Typhon etc., what I think we <BR><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">> </FONT>> see is a deliberate blurring
of the boundaries between powers of <BR><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">> </FONT>> charisma, force of
personality etc., and powers which we would <BR><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">> </FONT>> consider telepathic. Mucor’s
telepathic abilities, apparently the <BR><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">> </FONT>> result of brain modification,
suggest to me that in Wolfe’s world some <BR><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">> </FONT>> elements of telepathy exist
in everyone, but are stronger in some, and <BR><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">> </FONT>> probably trainable (c.f.
Decuman and the village of sorcerers). Typhon <BR><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">> </FONT>> probably does have some
telepathic powers which enhance his already <BR><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">> </FONT>> great powers of charisma etc.
It is a not uncommon trope in sf/fantasy.<BR><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">> </FONT>> Severian (and other
narrators) are not delusional about the existence <BR><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">> </FONT>> of such powers, but the
powers are not of any special significance to <BR><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">> </FONT>> the story.<BR><BR><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">> </FONT>Downplaying mental magic seems
pointless if such magic serves the <BR><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">> </FONT>narrative, which it obviously
does. There's no question that telepathy <BR><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">> </FONT>is a classic pulp trope that
simply must appear in TBotNS, and therefore <BR><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">> </FONT>it appears. Typhon's powers, great
or little, came up in a discussion of <BR><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">> </FONT>cloning and Silk---THAT is their
critical significance. (Note: Mucor’s <BR><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">> </FONT>telepathic abilities are NOT the
result of brain modification but of <BR><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">> </FONT>genetic modification, since they
are present in embryo and such embryos <BR><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">> </FONT>are very special.) But there is
more.<BR></DIV></DIV>
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<DIV
style="FONT-STYLE: normal; DISPLAY: inline; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000; FONT-SIZE: small; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; TEXT-DECORATION: none">I
don’t mean it is downplayed as such, I just think it is not an element of
special significance.</DIV></DIV>
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<DIV
style="FONT-STYLE: normal; DISPLAY: inline; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000; FONT-SIZE: small; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; TEXT-DECORATION: none">As
for Mucor, I agree that the engineering is probably genetic, although there are
other possibilities. What I meant was that the intended and actual result
of the embryological tinkering was to cause her brain to develop in an unusual
fashion, which somehow endowed her with phenomenal psyschic powers.</DIV></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt tahoma; BACKGROUND: #f5f5f5"><BR><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">> </FONT>I see Typhon's role in TBotNS as a
sort of hyper-anti-Autarch, a Satan <BR><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">> </FONT>to Severian's parallel/opposite
Christ figure, who demands that Severian <BR><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">> </FONT>kneel and accept him as his lord.
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt tahoma; BACKGROUND: #f5f5f5"><FONT size=3
face=Calibri></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt tahoma; BACKGROUND: #f5f5f5"><FONT size=3 face=Calibri>I
agree, though his role seems more nuanced in the later series. Speaking of
psychic powers, it seems possible that in BotNS it is something that is
associated with evil, devil worship, the dark side who oppose Severian (though
perhaps are not all wholly averse to the coming of Ushas). The ‘good’
characters do not seem to have such powers, at least not in fashions similar to
Typhon, Decuman, Abaia etc. Perhaps it is the old trope of misusing such
powers for personal gain.</FONT></DIV>
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face=Calibri></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt tahoma; BACKGROUND: #f5f5f5"><FONT size=3
face=Calibri></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt tahoma; BACKGROUND: #f5f5f5"><FONT size=3
face=Calibri>> Se</FONT>v is practically just out of the <BR><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">> </FONT>womb of the Tower and has left the
guild for good when he meets Typhon <BR><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">> </FONT>and is at a very low point. So
what's the first thing Typhon does? He <BR><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">> </FONT>feeds Severian and demands an oath
of loyalty.<BR><BR><FONT face=Calibri><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">> </FONT></FONT>What is
wrong with this oath? The more unique Typhon is, the more that <BR><FONT
face=Calibri><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">>
</FONT></FONT>oath would be to his person and less to his throne. Typhon is all
<BR><FONT face=Calibri><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">> </FONT></FONT>arrogance
and denial of love and death. His military prowess is implied <BR><FONT
face=Calibri><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">>
</FONT></FONT>at best, but hints are dropped, in the context of the very SF
tradition <BR><FONT face=Calibri><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">> </FONT></FONT>you call
"not uncommon," as to his unique mental powers. What good does <BR><FONT
face=Calibri><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">>
</FONT></FONT>it do to drop fake hints? They can mislead or provoke thought or
lead to <BR><FONT face=Calibri><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">> </FONT></FONT>other
points, but they should not confuse.</DIV>
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face=Calibri></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>For me they are not confusing because I do not find it very important what
exact mix of technological, personality, and psychic powers is possessed by
Typhon. Whether he has sent his thoughts into far places by telepathy or
by logging onto still extant computer databases is something we are simply not
told, and Severian, if he knew, would probably find both possibilities equally
astounding.</DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3 face=Calibri></FONT><FONT size=3
face=Calibri></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f5f5f5">- Gerry Quinn</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f5f5f5"></FONT> </DIV>
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