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I can see how you get there, but strongly disagree with that assessment of BotNS. It’s far from an endorsement of torture and abuse. Master Gurloes is a deeply
by smogcutter 6y ago
I can see how you get there, but strongly disagree with that assessment of BotNS.
It’s far from an endorsement of torture and abuse. Master Gurloes is a deeply broken man. Severian’s childhood trauma colors the entire story, especially his relationships with women. Part of Severian’s maturation throughout the books is his slow abandonment of his life and identity as a torturer.
To get anything out of BotNS you need to separate yourself from Severian’s point of view, and Wolfe makes this deliberately difficult. There’s what Severian believes, there’s what he wants us to believe, and there’s what “really” happened. Between those three poles there’s usually a lot of empty space.
- Mediterraneo10 6y agoEven if Severian has become a better man by the end of the BotNS, in the coda to the sequence The Urth of the New Sun he is still keen on bedding the women he comes across. From reviews and fora discussions, it is this constant interest of the male protagonist in casual sex that has turned off many female readers. Sure, the encounters are now consensual, but Severian remains a horndog, and it leads those readers to assume that Wolfe was indulging in puerile fantasies. Compare the similar "eww" reaction to Larry Niven's The Ringworld Throne where the author kept describing the characters' casual sex with the locals of the places they passed through.
- smogcutter 6y agoThat’s a different claim than parent, but I see where you’re coming from. I’d argue that Wolfe’s other work shows that even in Urth that aspect is more about Severian than Wolfe. Long Sun for one certainly takes a very different tone, but you could argue it’s the work of a more mature author.