Dorcas' reaction to the Jolenta episode was not 'get away from me you rotten philanderer, I never want to see you again' but rather a kind of mild jealousy and determination to get him back to her own bed. It probably is not shared by the men and women of his own age. So my current speculation is that our reaction to Severian's various intimacies, which I think varies from repugnance to rejection of him as a person, is culturally bound to our own age. After all, when S and C go off to wash they find two women already at the fountain sorting themselves out. They are just having casual sex, and maybe the governor's 'party' was an occasion specifically set up to allow casual liaisons of this kind. Maybe there are different mores about sex which is intended to procreate, but I don't think procreation is anywhere in Severian's mind (nor Dorcas, Jolenta, Cyriaca etc either). It looks to me increasingly as though his society has no taboo against spontaneous sexual hookups. It all made me wonder if we have been judging Severian by our own moral standards (which no doubt vary in minor ways from person to person in the group). However, it's probably important to note that in fact Cyriaca initiated it. We all guessed right about Severian's new liaison. (*) The conversation with Cyriaca is interesting- the rise and fall of AI assistants, and some thoughts about the end of the previous book- but not at particularly illuminating to me. (*) It's interesting that Severian feels he's let the torturers down rather than feeling what he does is defective. (*) But Severian's first action, on deciding he's no longer a torturer, is to heal. (*) Severian's tryst is pretty seedy bearing in mind Dorcas' condition, but at least it's not another Jolenta situation. He returns to the poor home with the sick person, and out of sight of others, sneaks in and uses the Claw to heal. He chooses not to do his job, to no longer consider himself a torturer, and sneaks away. And in what is not altogether a surprise, Severian learns Cyriaca is the one he is to dispatch. He's a bit shifty in conversation with her about Dorcas, but otherwise she doesn't seem to trouble him. Severian goes to the local ruler's party.

Sword of the lictor