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Monday, August 9, 2010

The Symbolic Nature of Bridges in Literature

Coleridge called it Symbol, Blake called it Imagination. The purpose of symbolism and the closely related device of allegory engage the reader in deciphering meaning. The quote below, by French anthropologist and historian, Jean-Pierre Vernant sums up the symbolic value of the bridge in fiction writing.

To cross a bridge, a river or a border is to leave behind the familiar, personal and
comfortable and enter the unknown, a different and strange world where, faced
with another reality, we may well find ourselves bereft of home and identity.
—Jean-Pierre Vernant

Perhaps, nowhere can this be more evident than in Wordsworth’s poem, Composed upon Westminster Bridge, 1803. Leaving behind the familiar landscapes of the past; the rural way of life, in favour of the industrialised city. It is perhaps quite fitting that Wordsworth captured not only the social change, but an entire movement to the unfamiliar reality. The creation of an entirely new social/cultural identity.

The bridge itself, can be actual or abstract. It can be used as a literary device to show the reader there will be some crossing; a journey --  between the earth and the sky or a sentimental link between people. The bridge is also used to depict life and death, usually from suicidal intentions, by jumping off, or hanging from. To digress momentarily from literature to film. It’s insightful to watch how film-makers utilise landscape features, bridges, or lack of a bridge, to convey the story premise or create an atmosphere in a particular scene. With the written word, describing a bridge and its role in the story, or placing it within the character’s life creates dramatic tension.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Composed upon Westminster Bridge (1803)

This post is the first in a series of symbolism in literature. It's not so much about finding meaning in the words, but of grasping the entire picture, of being caught up in a web of interactions between the social, political, cultural and economic debates of the world from which the words are written - in short, I suppose it can be described as symbolism in context.


Wordsworth composed this sonnet after being overwhelmed by the sight from Westminster bridge when a coach he was travelling on paused while passing over. It's worth bearing in mind that the view of London's skyline would have been very different from that of today. Not least because from here, Wordsworth would have been able to see where the sprawling city buildings ended, and the countryside began - fusing the old ways of living with the industrialization of the city. Encapsulated beautifully in this work is his struggle to comprehend the social transition that occurred at this time; from natural landscape, to a city that contained so much abject poverty among the dirt and grime of the streets.


It's also worthy to note that it was written early in the morning, before the hustle and bustle of the day began in earnest.


Westminster Bridge
(1803)


  EARTH has not anything to show more fair:
    Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
    A sight so touching in its majesty:
    This City now doth, like a garment, wear
    The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,
    Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie
    Open unto the fields, and to the sky;
    All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.
    Never did sun more beautifully steep
    In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;
    Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!
    The river glideth at his own sweet will:
    Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;
    And all that mighty heart is lying still!






Monday, July 19, 2010

Knowing your story



Know the story before you fall in love with your first sentence. If you don’t know the story before you begin the story, what kind of a storyteller are you? Just an ordinary kind, just a mediocre kind – making it up as you go along, like a common liar.
JOHN IRVING



The task of learning, rediscovering and writing

Today, I picked up a short story I wrote about four years ago. It was perhaps one of the first short stories I wrote. At the time, I didn't like it very much - in fact, I didn't like much of what I wrote - but there were people who did see something in it, even if it wasn't perfect, and their comments helped shape the story into something that was more ordered.

Re-visiting the story and the critiques it received, helped me to figure out that I was missing some steps in creating what is called the story: That it takes far more than a little creativity to craft and hone words into something that is readable and structured in a way that is admissible as a story. (In my rather humble opinion, Katherine Mansfield could do it, where Woolf couldn't).

What I learnt from looking over it from such a distance - four years is a long time, after all - is just how much I have continued to learn about what actually makes a successful story; how to structure and plot, and that even when writing shorts, the same basic principles of storycraft still apply. In other words, there is no short-cut to writing a story.

Now. The task at hand is to re-write a long-forgotten story using these newly discovered writing tools. 




Thursday, July 15, 2010

How to Live a Better Story

This absolutely wonderful post at Simple Mom, is an inspiration; a breath of fresh air and a challenge to blow off the old, dusty cobwebs to think about the way life works, or indeed how it happens to some people and not to others. The challenge is to think about your life in terms of the type of story you are currently living and the life you would like to be fashioning for yourself.  The beginning is all about asking the right questions, and in preparation for this, a dream list of whatifs. Here's my list of five:

What if I sold my house and traveled the world for a year
What if I took life a little less seriously
What if I found one fact or object every day to be astonished at/by
What if I worked harder at my daily writing routine
What if I could never be hurt by the words and actions of others

The original article is well worth visiting. I love it.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

The World of Words - religion

I love the way people use words, and all the more fascinating if it's a off-beat usage. When I came across a quote by the Dalai Lama, I couldn't resist exploring the word 'religion'.

It's a word that conjures up images of extreme opinion, of having faith in something that isn't seen, an inner world of peace, a higher order, the reading and interpretation of words that cause people to disagree with passion. 

a. Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.
b. A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.
2. The life or condition of a person in a religious order.
3. A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader.
4. A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion


The quote below is a reminder that religion needn't necessarily denote spirituality. It's something you carry around without belief in fastidious wordsmithery; it's an intrinsic part of the person you are. It can be used to describe an ability, a characteristic of personality, and therefore something that empowers you.

“My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.”
Dalai Lama


Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Kafkaesque: from the novelist Kafka: Kafka-like

Kafkaesque

Resembling situations from the writings of Franz Kafka, marked by a disorienting, senseless and often menacing complexity (1883-1924), German-speaking Jewish novelist born in Prague, Austria-Hungary.
His most enduring works include The Metamorphosis; a story about a travelling salesman, George Samsa, who wakes to find himself transformed into a giant fly-type insect.  Kafka talks to the reader in terms of nightmarish visions, via a dream-like state where anything could happen for no apparent reason: the chaos theory of literature.

Possibly my favourite of his novels is The Trial. It's here we see the precursor to the Orwell's 1984. The protagonist in this hell is arrested, but has no idea why or even, by whom. The sense of disorientation is perhaps best illustrated in this scene when he visits the painter, Titorelli;
“…he rushed after her, seized her by the skirts, whirled her once around her head and then set her down before the door among the other girls…”
As far as sense and understanding goes, it flies out of the window. We are in the same dream-like state that Kafka has created, and the laws by which he is writing are transcended for the greater good of this fictive dream, and does it work? Hell, yes. What Kafka does is place the reader squarely in the nightmare reality of Joseph K, to feel his confusion, his isolation, as he finds himself at the mercy of totalitarian rule. Reading the novel isn't a light undertaking, this is no Alice in Wonderland. Upon entering the dream, the reader is immediately filled with a sense of unease, not least because it touches our most basic humanistic fears.



Reading a Kafka novel is the equivalent of finding the normative from the chaos that is M C Escher's Relativity



Monday, July 12, 2010

The Art of the Multi-tasker

While planning for my new project, I realised that the first part is relatively easy. You have ideas for two or three characters in your head, they have names, faces, characteristics. Heck, something even happens (this, the inciting incident on the plot chart), and then it takes a bit more effort to think of something beyond what it was that demanded your attention in the first place.

The plot arc looks lop-sided, with one-third scribbled on and the other four-fifths blank, that's how much logic you're left with when the imagination takes over! But it feels like there's nothing else to write about. The mind goes suddenly blank, and then you think...

Then what!

When the question is supposed to be

What if?


Today, the answer seemed to be to write what is already known about the story - the introduction. I knew that I had a cracking opening sequence, and wanted to get it onto paper. I wrote a few hundred words that exploded onto the page, introducing the main characters and their reaction to the inciting incident, whilst creating a book full of questions. And now, I had a bit more substance to progress with the initial goal of the day: The planning process.

Perhaps writing and planning aren't meant to be tasks undertaken in isolation, but carried out simultaneously.

Writing tip



Quickly write your first draft, understanding it's only a starting point, and  not a polished piece of faultless prose that's being created - it's the beginning of a journey.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Brainstorming

I was ready to create an adult world where love and romance is hot and steamy, but it didn't materialise. Instead, I came up with ideas for a YA novel, and so, this is the story that I'm going to go with - call it gut instinct or whatever else you like, but if that's the story that arrives in your head, and knocks to be let in, it must, at least be given some worthy consideration.

Brainstorming is a funny old pastime.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Grounding the Plot

At the moment, I'm at the plotting stage of a new writing project. I always find the beginning very difficult to navigate. There are too many possibilities wandering around; the imagination becomes something that is wild and untameable. Some ideas are far too fanciful, some breathtaking with no real substance, some meandering forever, going nowhere at all. It seems a gigantic task to pluck several beings, with given characteristics and house them in their settlements, whether colourful and exotic lands, watching them soar the skies, ramble through forests and over mountains, or make them urban creatures living in squalid accommodation, allowing them to walk along dark, creepy alleys and dull-lit streets, drinking in lowly pubs and visit seedy motels.

Sounds like being a kid in a candy store, but it can become overwhelming. In trying to impose some order on the chaos, I have my plot graph already lined up, and a to-do list for when the brainstorming session dies down.

1. Outline story in two or three paragraphs.
2. Plot five point arc: -
  • Inciting incident
  • Primary incident
  • Midpoint
  • Climactic Event
  • Resolution

* I am also re-visiting a favourite book:



Tuesday, February 23, 2010

The Notebook

Just watched The Notebook. What a beautiful, moving story it was. It made me think about how beauty of emotion is created. Visually, it worked well with actors being emotive, but I'd now like to read the novel upon which it's based, to see how it's done through words - even if watching first and reading second is doing things the wrong way around.

This quote from the film, sums up its premise. 

"I love you. I am who I am because of you. You are every reason,every hope, and every dream I've ever had, and no matter what happens to us in the future, every day we are together is the greatest day of my life. I will always be yours." 

What does it teach us about writing, or story-telling in general?

That a story needn't be over-complicated to be poignant and meaningful.  Keep it simple and let your characters live through their emotions.

Another passage:
"I am nothing special, of this I am sure. I am a common man with common thoughts and I’ve led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but I've loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough."    

Can be likened to a lasting tribute to the story premise, where the beginning and ending fuses, melding into one. The story becomes symmetrical, and finding that symmetry in writing is extremely satisfying and emotive if we've bought into the characters and the issues they've faced, the mountains they've climbed and the hurdles they've overcome.








 Nope. I'm not a movie critic. Just a casual observer.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Building characters

I love quotes. Those we come across that mean something to us normally stick because we see grains of truth in them. This line struck me as a shiny nugget in a pile of coal.

Lying is done with words and also with silence ~ Adrienne Rich ~
When people lie using words, it's easy enough to look for motivation and to pass judgement on their sense of integrity, but lies that are 'told' with silence take on a new meaning: deception.

How does this transfigure into the realm of writing?

It's all about character and character development. Imagine that your main character tells a lie at the beginning of the book, and then goes merrily on their way, building a life and even a successful career from their lie, imagine that this lie destroyed the career paths of several of their colleagues in the process - the message is that it's a dog eat dog world. We may not like the main character, but we would portray them in a way that shows the harsh realities of life, and they would be ruthless - to say the least.

Taking the same character, who merely withhold information that will mean them succeeding in favour of their colleagues. This is deceit, which shows them to be cowardly. However, let's give the main character a background of growing up in a deprived area. They worked really hard to get to a stage where they could be really successful, and they don't want anything to stand in their way. Maybe, we get some empathy going. And to finish this character off, let's just give them a conscience, and at the moment when they could speak up, but choose not to, they keep their heads down, clasp their sweating palms together and refuse to make eye contact. They may win an achievement award for their success, but as they make their acceptance speech, you can see in their eyes they are uncomfortable. They see an old colleague in the room, and the colleague knows about their deception - now you have major conflict, because the deceptive liar will go to any lengths not to be found out. Could murder be their only defense?

This is what the quote meant to me, not just in terms of the words that create meaning, but on the depth of the verb, 'to lie', and the effect of such actions on character beyond the words: actions give words meaning in  context. People who are being deceptive are often more dangerous than the out and out liar. The wordless deceiver expects to get away with not saying anything incriminating, even though their thoughts creep through in their actions.

And just like writing fiction, words and actions gives character to people we meet in our real world.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Friday, February 5, 2010

Belief and Love: Literature

Because it's February and Valentine's Day is creeping upon us, I want to quote part of a poem I studied in Literature classes. It's a love poem written as a script, but it makes for interesting dissecting, as there are also many references to madness. The poem is called Fragments of an Angel, and is over three thousand words in length with many sub-headings (like acts).

The part I've chosen to post here is called The Questions of Faithful Truth, which asks about the depth of feeling love. It happens a little after there is some conscious meeting between the two parts,(whether they are two souls or two fragments of the same mind/soul). They ask questions about how they fit together. On one level it seems to be about love for another person but, perhaps more significantly, there are hints that it is about belief in oneself.



The Questions of faithful truth

Angel.
If I can't see you.
Does it mean I am blinded by your love?
Guardian: It only means my love for you is blinded by such sorrow.

Angel.
If I don't hear what you're saying.
Does it mean I am deaf?
Guardian: You are deafened only by the pounding of my heart.

Angel.
If I can't sense your presence
Does it mean I am surrounded by naught?
Guardian: Bounded by air that is our fire: floating alone in the bubble of life.

Angel.
If I can't feel your desire
Does it mean I am numb?
Guardian: Sensual pressures trigger much warmth. We are never undone, or outwith desire.

Angel.
If I can't touch you
Does it mean we are apart?
Guardian: With my soul and my heart.

Angel.
If we were parted, how would we breathe?

Guardian:
We would learn to respond
Just as mere water
Departs from the ground,
Released from its earthly grave,
Soft rain will spill again;
Beat upon beat.


The play on words is sometimes illusive. For example, 'If I can't touch you, does it mean we are apart?' is answered with 'soul' and 'heart', which cannot be touched in a literal sense, but can be in the figurative - see what I mean, deep.

What I love about this part of the poem is the last verse, the despondent tone that is given to the emotion of love, or the need to be together as one - a theme that is repeated throughout the entire piece. The allegory of raindrops to the beating of the heart turns words and meaning on its head by suggesting that 'beat upon beat,' is not only life, but death as in 'soft rain will spill again;' like tears, or like blood, a rather subtle allusion to the soul 'released from its earthly grave.'

Lastly, I love the sheer magnitude of the pain at being parted, whether forever or temporary.

Stuff

I thought about calling this blog 'Just Another Day,' to sum up the myriad daily thoughts that fly through the mind and I wondered if it might be realistic to catch some of them and make them less fleeting. Then I exchanged the notion of short-lived whims for something more permanent: Language, letters and words; dreams, aspirations and goals.