Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 16:34:44 -0600
From: James Jordan 
Subject: (urth) Love, Hyacinth, Valeria

At 02:17 PM 2/20/2003, you wrote:

As for Silk, my memory of TBOTLS is not that good, as I said; but my
>recollection was that the "Hyacinth" Silk loves is largely a creation of his
>imagination.
>
>--Adam

Or perhaps (and rather, I submit) the Hyacinth that Silk loves is her true 
self, which she does not herself see, and constantly abuses. And her 
misperceptions and self-degradations are, horribly, the result of the way 
men have used and abused her.
         Silk loves Hyacinth with "eros," but more with "agape," the love 
of principle that sees into the truth and does not flinch.
         Maybe it's just me, but I myself found the scene where the boy 
Severian meets Valeria to be quite charming. I felt Severian was smitten 
with her, at a childish level, and I was too. Okay, they're not old enough 
for romantic love, and Severian becomes bored with her after 10 years of 
marriage and can't wait to cheat on her. No agape here!
         My point is that, for me anyway, Wolfe is capable of presenting 
rather endearing and affectionate scenes when he wants so. He just doesn't 
very often want to.
         FWIW.

Nutria


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