Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 23:25:44 -0500
From: Jeff Wilson 
Subject: Re:(urth) miracle of Apu-punchau, past

> From:
> maa32 

> The miracle of Apu-punchau.  What does he do at the end of Claw of the 
> Conciliator?  He calls the future Severian and the whole city back in time.  
> He doesn't go forward: Severian goes back.  That's the miracle of Apu-Punchau.
> To hide the sun, he creates a huge eclipse.  He swaps the moon ... for the 
> future Urth.  He calls the Urth back in time, and instead of bringing a New 
> Sun, Severian has simply called the whole Urth back to the past where the Sun 
> is still New.  


> Well, I don't know if I believe this at all. But there is that weird scene in 
> Citadel of the Autarch where Severian feels like he is being doubled and 
> leaves from his own ear into an alternate universe when he is praying to the 
> Pelerines, and the idea that the future of Urth is our past that is brought up 
> by Wolfe in an interview, which I always thought was entirely contrary to the 
> book.  I don't know.  It places a lot of importance on Apu-Punchau's "Miracle" 
> as the solution to everything instead of the white fountain, but I don't think 
> it jives with the hierodules' explanations at all.

Perhaps the White Fountain is bright-era sun seen through the time 
tunnel sent by Apu Punchau to fetch the other-era earth. I like the 
idea, and it validates my time-twisted journey theory also, without 
making it a hackneyed Planet of the Apes riff.


-- 
Jeff Wilson - http://www.io.com/~jwilson




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