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Atlas Hugged posted:It's also important to remember that it's entirely plausible that Severian never had sexual relations with any of these women. I doubt he made up the story about raping Jolenta and then also made a bunch of half rear end excuses claiming she totally wanted it. Though I suppose someone who was impotent and trying to hide it might get mixed up in his own lies. Chichevache posted:That is true! Every other autarch is a castrato. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say Severian is as well and has too much pride to admit it. Like the Fisher King, Severian's emasculation is such that he comes to identify as (partially) a woman. And like the Fisher (Sinner) King, his kingdom can only be healed when he atones for his sins.
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Dec 19, 2016 10:19
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Safety Biscuits posted:Correct, it was broken in the flier crash, in chapter 25 which also features Severian describing his memory as "more vividly than I would have thought possible", a nice bit of evidence for my assertion that he does not have perfect memory. You're being a bit literal. He becomes less masculine (is emasculated) when he literally develops a second personality that identifies as a woman. His dick remains physically intact. The Sinner King is healed by the actions of a Holy Fool, whether Percival or whomever, and in this case Severian is kind of both characters, and the prior Autarch is both the elder wounded king (literally castrated) and the whole line of Grail Knights. Other images from various forms of the legend show up at other times in the books, like the flesh or head of a relative/relation served on a platter, the Healing Question, the recurrence of failed trials, and the beautiful castle that becomes a ruin after the Holy Fool sleeps in it. The BotNS is definitely not a point for point retelling of any one version of the Fisher King legend, and elements of the story and characters are woven into Severian, the Autarch, and Vodalus, at least. It's probably best to read these echoes of the story in the context of Severian's revelation about the mythic significance of Baldanders and Dr. Talos.
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Dec 23, 2016 20:44
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SEX HAVER 40000 posted:it's a shame the doctor of death island is kind of a weak story in comparison because the doctor/death/island triptych is otherwise perfect there are four of them, Death of the Island Doctor just isn't in The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories and Other Stories.
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Apr 3, 2024 14:49
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