From: Derek Bell <dbell@maths.tcd.ie>
Subject: Re: (urth) Severian's Lies
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1998 22:14:37 +0000

In message <199812171923.LAA05547@lists1.best.com>, "Kevin J. Maroney" writes:
>At 04:25 PM 12/17/98 GMT, Mantis wrote:
>>One of Greg Feeley's list of "Severian's lies" is in chapter four,
>>when Valeria mentions the Tower of Torment "where all who enter die
>>in agony."
>>
>>Quote Severian: "I told her that, at least, was a fable."
>>
>>Then again, Feeley was flexible enough to note that the lie was based
>>on the technicallity that the torturers themselves entered (and
>>exited) on a daily basis without dying in agony.  FWIW!
>
>Alternately, doesn't Severian state that occasionally prisoners die of
>natural causes while awaiting their sentences?

	Possibly some forms of suicide could also account for this.[1] (I've
just had this image of Severian singing the theme from M*A*S*H - I've
a strange sense of humour!)

	BTW, a quick search has just revealed this URL:
http://www.statslab.cam.ac.uk/~djw1005/Personal/Quotes/newsun.html

	Derek

[1]I don't know enough about medicine to tell if Thecla's death could
have been painless.

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