From: matthew.malthouse@guardian.co.uk
Date: Fri, 2 Aug 2002 11:20:54 +0100
Subject: RE: (urth) The Ascian's Shadow




On 01/08/2002 17:47:02 Dan'l Danehy-Oakes wrote:

>Matthew, you wrote:
>
>> As an allusion to the shadow of the torturer it seems inapt or perhaps
>> ironic: the Ascians seem to have no lack of tortuers despite the
>> "perfection" of the rule of the Group of Seventeen.
>
>Correct ... as far as it goes.
>
>But _the_ shadow of _the_ torturer (not _some_ shadow of _some_ torturer)
>does not fall upon them; they are not touched by the salvation Severian
>is to bring.
>
>So much for universalism.

The coming of the New Sun and the cataclysm caused by it's unquiet arrival
can hardly be just for the Commonwealth.  What "salvation" can Severian
bring that would not touch the Ascians?

On 01/08/2002 16:35:47 James Wynn wrote:

>So.... The Ascians are shadowless. They repudiate the "shadow" (i.e. the
>destruction and change) of the New Sun, thus they serve (i.e. are
"under")
>Erebus (the TOTAL Darkness of Death).

Yet their repudiation avails nothing.  They too live on Urth, will not one
survive into Ushas?

Matthew



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