Rereading this book with the slow-read after having blown through it is a great experience. Both because the excerpts are so much less mysterious (though not much less, in some cases), and because I still missed so much! I didn't realize the painting was of an astronaut on the moon - though of course now you say it I can see it.
I find I love the off-kilter feeling of not having all the details of a scene quite right. I'm one who sees pictures in my head as I read, so they all feel like Dali paintings - dreamlike, with weird gaps. Triskele as a dog but also not a dog. Objects have placeholder-images I hope will become more clear later.
It's interesting that Severian describes the world, fractal-like, as a reflection of the guild, followed by his mistreatment at the hands of the armigers. It makes me wonder, with every person he meets: How does your piece of society reflect the torturers? Even early on, Severian would make these very bold claims about what the world is like and I find myself desperate to trust him (because who else is there?) and also constantly weighing what he says against what he observes. His memory might be perfect but his impulsivity and often post-hoc justifications for what he does mean his understanding of events can still be biased. And the mix of Severian's personality, Severian's memory, and the evidence he wittingly or unwittingly drops onto the page is just fascinating to engage with.
In continuing to slow-read this series (I’m about a third of the way into Claw now), while following your write-ups, I notice that I’ve been mentally flagging most of the same things you’ve been. The difference, of course, is that you know, or at least have theories about, what it all might mean, if anything, whereas I can only speculate. It’s fun though, if a bit maddening at times. I’ve recently read about hairy beast men in a sewer (subway system?) and the guild’s use of gigantic iron dildos(?) which Severian straight up tells us he will not explain. He’s not a very likable narrator, is he? Deeply untrustworthy. I’m very curious to see what all this is building up to. Continues to feel very Dark Souls-y to me.
Rereading this book with the slow-read after having blown through it is a great experience. Both because the excerpts are so much less mysterious (though not much less, in some cases), and because I still missed so much! I didn't realize the painting was of an astronaut on the moon - though of course now you say it I can see it.
I find I love the off-kilter feeling of not having all the details of a scene quite right. I'm one who sees pictures in my head as I read, so they all feel like Dali paintings - dreamlike, with weird gaps. Triskele as a dog but also not a dog. Objects have placeholder-images I hope will become more clear later.
It's interesting that Severian describes the world, fractal-like, as a reflection of the guild, followed by his mistreatment at the hands of the armigers. It makes me wonder, with every person he meets: How does your piece of society reflect the torturers? Even early on, Severian would make these very bold claims about what the world is like and I find myself desperate to trust him (because who else is there?) and also constantly weighing what he says against what he observes. His memory might be perfect but his impulsivity and often post-hoc justifications for what he does mean his understanding of events can still be biased. And the mix of Severian's personality, Severian's memory, and the evidence he wittingly or unwittingly drops onto the page is just fascinating to engage with.
In continuing to slow-read this series (I’m about a third of the way into Claw now), while following your write-ups, I notice that I’ve been mentally flagging most of the same things you’ve been. The difference, of course, is that you know, or at least have theories about, what it all might mean, if anything, whereas I can only speculate. It’s fun though, if a bit maddening at times. I’ve recently read about hairy beast men in a sewer (subway system?) and the guild’s use of gigantic iron dildos(?) which Severian straight up tells us he will not explain. He’s not a very likable narrator, is he? Deeply untrustworthy. I’m very curious to see what all this is building up to. Continues to feel very Dark Souls-y to me.
Sharing this timely appreciation of wolfe as a writer here: https://thelampmagazine.com/issues/issue-21/lost-heads
Some thoughts to keep at hand in the read!