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<DIV style="font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=severiansola@hotmail.com
href="mailto:severiansola@hotmail.com">Lee Berman</A> </DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV>
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<DIV><BR>> > Gerry Quinn: As for Inire as the old boatman, I really don’t
understand why <BR>> > people take such ideas seriously.<BR><BR>>
What's wrong with taking it seriously because an intelligent reader who
is<BR>> highly familiar with BotNS sees it? Perhaps you consider me
stupid?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>That’s why I’m asking the question. I can’t understand why such a
person finds this and similar ideas sufficiently attractive to persist with it,
for the reasons I gave. That is to say, it seems to me that ‘Fr. Inire as
boatman’ offers little in the way of explaining anything, it poses a lot of very
obvious questions that are very hard to answer, and it seems to obliterate the
character and storyline of a major character, Dorcas, as we have understood
them. Hence my question:<BR><BR> <BR>> >So tell me.
Where’s all this ‘Inire is the boatman stuff’ getting us?<BR>> >Can
somebody explain how they understand Dorcas’ character and story in this
<BR>> >picture?<BR> <BR>> Who exactly is "us"? Why not say "me"?
Is trying to herd everyone here into<BR>> one gelatinous, like-thinking,
single minded clusterfuck really your idea of <BR>> "getting
somewhere"?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I asked merely asked for *somebody* to explain it. Ryan, I think,
came up with the example.<BR><BR> <BR>> Gerry, if you don't find any
merit in my posts, I don't think you should read them <BR>> or respond to
them. Instead you incessantly, relentlessly respond to them and are <BR>> now
seem to be calling for a vote to have them banned from discussion.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Noting their consequences and asking a question about them is hardly
calling for them to be banned from discussion.<BR><BR><BR>> Anyway, if you
read the text with care you will find much about the character Dorcas<BR>>
which is mysterious and unexplained. Likewise with Severian. For me,
idenfifying<BR>> Father Inire as inhabiting key places in the story solves
these mysteries and <BR>> explains the unexplained. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Excellent! So what is the new understanding of Dorcas’ character and
storyline that the theory of Father Inire as boatman gives
us?<BR><BR> <BR>> If this doesn't work for you then don't read my posts.
Or come up with your own theories.<BR>> Or just be quiet for a while. Why try
to nudge this forum away from a particular topic? <BR>> If you don't like it
simply don't participate.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I’m merely asking a question about the topic. Is that against your
rules?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>- Gerry Quinn</DIV>
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