/lit/ - Literature

>>22818272
I don't like this interpretation because it undercuts the importance of God in these books. One of the biggest overarching themes in the Solar Cycle is how everything is orchestrated by the Pancreator, the Outsider, etc. How even seemingly "evil" creatures are still doing his will whether they know it or not. How seemingly coincidental or random events weave together into a higher meaning. The concept of Deus Ex Machina as it's used in theater is specifically mentioned by Malrubius, and all of New Sun is styled in a very meta theatrical way. Severian's home tower is named after the Matachin dance, which is a spanish theatric sword dance. Severian's guild itself is very theatrical as well, with their ceremonial masks and showy executions. Severian's journeyman ceremony is a mock execution acted out like a little play. Severian's final trial is a mock execution with a foregone conclusion, it's all theater. All in all it doesn't feel right to not take the literal interpretation of a real Deus Ex Machina pulling the strings behind this cosmic play.

>>22154764
>it doesn't really matter who Severian's mother is
Speaking of, I don't like the theory that Sev's mother is the woman who played the part of Saint Catherine in the initiation ritual. Rereading that part after reading Long Sun it becomes blindingly obvious that she's a chem.
>doesn't age despite doing the ceremony every year for decades, looks the same every time
>when Severian takes part in the ceremony he swears he actually feels resistance when bringing the blade down on her neck
It makes more sense that she's literally just a prop that gets pulled out of tower storage every once in a while to be used on holidays, and Severian just ignorantly assumes to know how the magic trick with the execution happens.