From: "Dan'l Danehy-Oakes" 
Subject: Re: (urth) Jungle Garden
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2003 20:34:59 -0700

Che,

Thanks for the kind words about my theorizing.


>On a completely tangential matter: Severian's reaction to the aeroplane 
>seems to indicate or at least imply that winged fliers are unknown in his 
>era. If true, then this seems interesting because it implies a couple of 
>things:
>
>1. Maybe "antigravity" is so cheap and easy in this era that wings are 
>utterly obsolete. 2. Possibly they have powerful engines of some kinds, but 
>the idea of powered flight has been erased by thousands of years of lighter 
>than air (anti gravity) flight.

Or (3) Severian is accustomed to "lifting body" style "fliers."

SHADOW, ch. XXI (pp.191-2 in my Timescape h/c):
     Into view came the strangest flier I have ever seen.
     It was winged, as if it had been built by some race
     that had not yet realized that since it would not
     flap its wings like a bird in any case, there was
     no reason its lift, like a kite's, could not come
     from its hull.

Gawsh, I love being able to do my email at home, where I have my
reference materials around me...

--Blattid

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