Shadow of the Torturer chapters nine to twelve
Severian spends more time with Thecla. He becomes a journeyman amongst the torturers. After a long delay, orders come for Thecla's particular mode of torture. Severian passes her a knife with which to end her own life and then goes to confess his betrayal of the guild.
Comments
And that brief synopsis misses out lots of fascinating things. For me there's:
I think both your summaries are very fair It is odd, though probably a good assessment of human character, that clients go to the brothel to fulfil a fantasy of sex with one of the nobility, and how appropriate that Severian, who has actually met one of the actual noble women, once he sees through the charade, is repelled by it.
It was very tempting to read on and find out what happens concerning his act of mercy. Strange also, now I think about it, that although this particular gruesome device is hardly ever used, he knows all about what it wil do over a period of time. You've gotta wonder about the training he and his fellow students get. Yuk...
Paul, I think your notion about a lack of empathy is spot on. There's just about none in any of the torturers. They have no empathy for their "clients", none for the armiger, and precious little for each other. But at the same time, none of the clients really attempt to plead their way out of their predicament: they have a fatalistic acceptance of their fate.
The feast, and the pointless ceremony surrounding it, reinforce the notion of a decadent society moving on inertia. The whole rationale for the elaborate ceremony is purely because someone, unknown and unseen, might be observing it and appearances have to be kept up!
Hmmm. No empathy. Yes and no. I think they love their clients, but in a very cold, dispassionate, objective (being redundant for emphasis here) manner. I am reminded of this quote from earlier:
Wolfe, Gene. Shadow & Claw: The First Half of 'The Book of the New Sun' (p. 32). Kindle Edition.
Rings somewhat true for me... though there is also self-delusion.
This food sculpture is amazing?!
Oh, just to point out: in a contrast to the previous chapters, something actually happened in this week! Long may it continue!
What do we make of this idea that Severian may be unstuck in time? In his dreams he visits the chapel from many ages past and sees the blue sky (as opposed to the near-black sky of present day). Then he is visited by a person long dead.
[...]
Very much reminds me of Kafka's In the Penal Colony. A worthy short story to read if you have the time.
Some of this mix of SF and fantasy reminds me of Silverberg's [EDIT: I meant Zelazny's] Lord of Light as well.
The torture device is interesting. A super bright light that causes you to conjure up a psychological demon (born of guilt?) that turns your body against itself? Horrible and complex. It's very "hands off" in a way. And I like how the torturers absolve themself of guilt by "just carrying out orders ... no more, no less." Very much reminds me of some of the excuses that captured Nazi's used after WWII.
Ooops. YES. Zelazny's.
To be fair, I think one artifact of a slow read is that in some weeks you will happen to read only "set up" chapters. Surprisingly, I felt like that only happened once or twice in all of The Lord of the Rings. That book/trilogy is way "tighter" than people give it credit for being.
That's a very good point. The torturers see themselves as reasonable agents in the system, but with no responsibility for what they do. The language of "client" adds to that: the guild is just providing a service to the people in its cells. Orders may come from above, but the language hints at a thinking that torture is something the clients chose to have done to them.
I need to revisit the "unstuck in time" notion, but we're moving into looking ahead/spoiler territory for me to properly give my thoughts. I've made a note...
The torturers just carrying out orders is an excellent point.
The client choose to become clients by working against the system. The torturers are not allowed to judge, so they can only carry out the sentences given by those who judge, so they must assume that the clients are indeed working against the system.
BTW, this society is a dark mirror of the society in my last-designed game. Interesting.
@clash_bowley How so?
@Apocryphal - I meant that the societies were extremely similar, but where in the game this is done to be a morally better society, in the book nobody seems to care, and it's done because that is the way things are done. In either case they are suffocating and static. Then again, this could be the far future of that world, where they used to care, but that just eventually rotted out, leaving only the forms.
Interesting.
Not really interesting, I think. Just a funny coincidence.
“... on them. Strong people what they wish to believe, forcing that to be real. What is the Autarch but a man who believes himself Autarch and makes others believe by the strength of it.” The characters questioning/challenging what they observe in daily life has been very interesting. There is a deep philosophical tone to this work.
“I spoke of something else until she laughed and said, “You are so intellectual, Severian. When you’re made a journeyman, you’ll be the most cerebral torturer in history—a frightful thought” Indeed a frightful thought but also a reveal that he is not like others in his guild.
“I knew that a vast world lay outside the walls of the Citadel—indeed, outside the walls of our tower. But I could not imagine that I could ever have any place in it. Faced with a choice between slavery and the emptiness of freedom, I added, “I have been reared in our guild,” for fear they would answer my question.
“Yes,” Master Gurloes said in his most formal manner. “But you are no torturer yet. You have not put on fuligin.” This is interesting that the formal joining of the guild is a choice and with it some real searching. Severian’s thoughts are both conflicted and fascinating.
LEXICON
Only a small one, this section.
Paphian: a prostitute, from Greek Paphos, the mythical birthplace of the goddess of love on the island of Cyprus.
A peccary is a wild pig. In Arizona they have wild pigs called javelinas, which I think are peccaries. Not sure if they have them in the San Diego area. I've seen peccaries in Belize and in Costa Rica. Also saw Capybaras in Belize and an Agouti in Costa Rica, both of which are Central American animals. They had Agoutis on the island of Dominica, too.
Limers: Two meanings, and I'm guessing the second is what is meant, here. (1) A kind of dog kept on a lead; a bloodhound; a mongrel, or (2) (West Indies) Someone who hangs around the streets; someone hanging out. A limer might also be someone who washes with lime, but that doesn't seem to fit.
Pardine: Panther-like.
So, "I pursued the peccary with pardine limers" sounds like an expression = "I sought sex with people slinking in the street?"
Matrosses: (from Wikipedia) A matross was a soldier of artillery, who ranked next below a gunner.
The duty of a matross was to assist the gunners in loading, firing and sponging the guns. They were provided with firelocks, and marched with the store-wagons, acting as guards. In the United States Army, a matross ranked as a private of artillery.
The word is probably derived from French matelot, or from German Matrose, both of which refer to a sailor or seaman.
"Pursued the peccary with pardine limers" could more probably mean "hunted Javelinas with a pantherish dog", especially given we know they have genetically modified animals.
Could be, though I have to say that "I danced and hunted boar" sounds a lot less probable to me than "I danced and flirted with boys". 'Pursued the peccary' sounds a lot like 'pursued the pecker', after all.