From: matthew.malthouse@guardian.co.uk
Subject: Re: (whorl) The Ending; Some Spoilers for _Engine Summer_
Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 14:25:17 +0100



On 12/04/2001 19:10:05 David Lebling wrote:

>> From: Adam Stephanides <adamsteph@earthlink.net>
>> [Re: Merryn] But we did, I think.  Jahlee says she doesn't know who the
>boy [Severian]
>> is, and Merryn says "'He's my brother.  We're brothers and sisters, we
>> witches and the torturers.'" (267)  There's a bit of ambiguity here, as
>her
>> words could be interpreted as meaning only that all torturers are
>"brothers"
>> to all witches; but if that's what she means, her answer is rather
>> unhelpful.
>
>Wolfe is kind enough to preserve some ambiguity here. The obvious reading is
>that their guilds are brother and sister guilds. You may read it otherwise
>if you choose, but don't think Wolfe is going to open his kimono on this
>issue at this late date. He's fluttering his fan at you here.

Another 'I can't quite remember' I'm afraid but is it not said early on that the
boy children of condemned prisoners who could stand under a certain bar were
taken into the torturers guid and the girl children given to the witches? The
ambiguity remains but with the possibility that Merryn and Sev could be
biological brother and sister although if so they should not be aware of it.

Matthew - catching up, being 1/2 way through RttW



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