From: Peter Westlake <peter@harlequin.co.uk>
Subject: Re: (urth) Constellations
Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1999 13:33:14 +0000

At 13:05 1999-03-31 +0000, Matthew Malthouse wrote:
>Mitchell A. Bailey wrote:
..
>> Well, the conclusion is inescapable, given this many examples of
>> constellations of our time still recognized by Severian, that Urth's sky
>> as described in BNS is not consistent with the theory that Sev's time
>> lies in a "far future" millions or tens of millions of years hence.
>
>I've seen this discussed more than once but remain unhappy with the "sooner
>rather than later" conclusion.
>
>How can this be reconciled with:
> 1: The mining industry of Saltus
> 2: The cliff face Sev decends to Cas' cottage
> 3: The 'sharp' peaks of mountains thrust up after those older ones carved
>inbto the likenesses of Autarchs?
>
>I can't avoid the conclusion that geological ages have passed since our epoch.
>Yet other thing otherwise (which is presumably the function of others. :))

I've wondered about this too. The problem is that the constellations, fauna,
and (arguably) the geography are quite like those of our time. The people
even drink matte still. The only answer I can think of, which is that this
is a different cycle of the universe to our own and that the similarities
are only repetitions and not identities, so that they don't have to occur
at the same time or even at all, is hardly satisfying.

On the subject of geography: I've seen references to a passage where
Vodalus says that the Earth (or its magnetic field) has flipped over,
but I can't find it anywhere. Does anyone have a chapter reference?
It would help bolster my theory about where Gyoll is, how events in
the north-east are visible from Typhon's right eye, and why Severian
keeps getting lost all the time.

SBear.


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