Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2003 00:12:44 -0700
Subject: Re: (urth) Baldanders, Acies Castle & the Citadel
From: Lisa Schaffer-Doggett 


On Monday, July 28, 2003, at 10:24 PM, Chris wrote:

> Baldanders was the Typhon That Could Have Been, this I think is 
> explicitly intended.
>
> All in all, the allegorical element is so strong with Baldanders, 
> Talos, and Jolenta that my first inclination was to treat Severian as 
> I would a "real" historical author: that is, to say that he invented 
> them to make a point.
>
> All in all I think we pay too little attention to the fact that 
> Severian is, among other things, an author. And despite his disavowals 
> he knows all about literary devices and how to use them properly. And 
> consider this: if Wolfe inventing Borges in a novel is inventive, 
> consider how much more so it is to have Severian (a character invented 
> by Wolfe) invent Borges, or Delaney (who I have not read and can add 
> nothing to the discussion of his influence).
>
> So I think it bears some examination. Is the story of Baldanders an 
> allegory of Wolfe's, or of Severian's? It would be easy to say that it 
> made no difference, but I suspect that it does.
>
> Civet
>


Brilliant!  I feel however, that you must soon go mad.  Perhaps then 
you will see that Ymar is the first Severian.  hahahahahahahah...ahem.


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