Small World- Part Two

In the words of Cogsworth, from the classic Disney piece Beauty and The Beast, "If it's not Baroque, don't fix it!" Therefore, I will write this blog in the style of my other recent blogs, that being a summary of some things that I noticed in the text.

The first thing that strikes me when reading the second part is the state of disrepair that the English Literature world is in. I noticed this more in this part than in the first part, even though there are many references to it in part one. In the second part this disrepair is characterized primarily through physical appearance. Lodge does not cast any of his characters that are established English professors as being attractive in any way. At the beginning of this part the reader is introduced to Rodney Wainwright, a balding, overweight, and disproportionate English professor. Furthermore, Lodge blames Wainwright's appearance on his occupation. He writes:

"The effects of twenty years' dedication to the life of the mind are all too evident when he puts on a pair of swimming trunks..."

This insinuates that Wainwright's life of academia has lead to degradation, and that the true degradation is present in the study of English itself.

Another reference to this idea comes from Lodge's description of Zapp's tongue:

"It resembles, this tongue, the dried out bed of a badly polluted river. Too much alcohol and too many cigars last night. And every night."

In this passage is where Lodge's true message really shines through. Earlier in the year we spoke about the tongues significance, and how it is a conveyor and symbol of knowledge. Seeing as Zapp is really the "head professor" in the story, the fact that his tongue is malformed is quite important. Lodge isn't mincing words when he says that Zapp's tongue represents a polluted river bed. In his view, the study of English has been polluted and destroyed, and all that remains is Zapp's decaying views.

Small World- Part One

While the prologue in the beginning of Small World serves to demonstrate everything that a good conference should embody, it also serves to inform the reader of all the things that Persse's conference will not have. When the list is examined, it really becomes clear that this is a utopian view of the modern English conference. It is really quite absurd to expect that every conference is filled with captivating speakers, exquisite meals and cocktail hours, and perfect weather. I find this to be both a reference to and a commentary on medieval chivalry. The prologue references chivalry in the form that Chretien viewed it. While it seems as if it is a great and profound institution, in reality it is completely defunct. Just as Persse's real life conference lacked all the luster of the "ideal conference", chivalry lacked the charitable and good nature that it was alleged to have.

I also see the prologue as a commentary on the absurdity of the idealized chivalry. It is quite foolish to believe that men who traverse the length and breadth of England seeking fights are charitable, respectful, and good. Lodge parallels this by suggesting that conferences can be all the things that he outlines, and then at the end of the prologue he foreshadows the truth.

Perceval- Part 3

When Perceval goes to repent to the hermit, I think it is safe to say that his self image is in a state of utter disarray. The story says that Perceval spent five years wandering around performing all sorts of adventurous feats, but in doing so, forgot who God was. I do not think that this statement is without flaws, however. In fact, I would question whether or not Perceval ever truly knew God. I think he did not. Furthermore, I do not think that Perceval ever knew himself. Throughout the story Perceval has been trying to develop a personality and an identity of his own, but he has yet to achieve this. The Bible says that God created man in his image. Therefore, if Perceval does not know who he is, he can never know God.

This fatal flaw is one that is seen in a much earlier story about a similar young man. In Ovid's Narcissus, Narcissus disdains all those who love him. This action has been seen all throughout the story of Perceval, but most clearly in the case of Perceval's mother. It is interesting to note that his mother represents true charity at the highest level. When Perceval goes to the hermit he learns that his mother really sacrificed herself for him, and that the only thing that has allowed him to live for so long was her prayer. I also find it interesting that Perceval's resurrection is initiated by a holy man, and that this was the only masculine advice that was given by someone who was not a knight.

Perceval- Part 2

While reading this portion of the story, I first became aware of the things that Perceval gave up in order to become a knight. Prime among these, in my opinion, is his ability to learn. This sacrifice is seen best when Perceval is staying at the castle of the Fish King. Here he sees many interesting and mysterious things, yet he does not ask what the meaning of these are.

The reason for Perceval's silence derives from the advice given to him by Gordemant of Gohort. Gordemant told him not to speak in excess or to gossip, and Perceval took this advice to heart. He did so to his detriment, however. In the beginning of the story, Perceval's curiosity brought him only good things. Even though he was seen as a fool for the entire first part (and even now) he never hesitated in trying to learn what he did not know. This lead him to become a knight, and was one of the traits praised by Gordemant. It is only after Perceval stops questioning the unknown that bad things happen to him. When this occurs, a deluge of misfortune falls upon him. He learns his mother is dead, he is cursed by the Fish King's niece, and he learns that he failed to save the Fish King from his injury.

I think that this is Chretien's way of denouncing several of the evils of knighthood. By arranging the story in this way, he shows the difference between what knighthood should be, and what knighthood actually was. Gordemant is representative of a true knight. He is kind, just, and charitable. He tries to give Perceval good advice by warning him not to engage in gossip or talk about such things too much, but Perceval misunderstands him. Instead, Perceval adopts the ways of the common knight by willfully stopping the learning process and being content with ignorance.

Perceval- Part 1

One of the things that first caught my eye in this piece was the numerous parallels to masonry and masonic rituals. While the establishment of Freemasonry does not come about until the 16th or 17th century, many of the rituals date to much earlier times.

The first potentially masonic reference that I noticed was the fact that Perceval is the son of a widow. This made me recall the (somewhat) famous masonic phrase "Oh Lord my God, is there no help for the widow's son?" Seeing as this story predates the advent of Freemasonry, I felt compelled to research earlier significances of a widows son. My research turned up rather interesting results.

One early belief was that the mother represented the soul and the father represented the instructor. This sentiment holds true to this day. I know that in my family my father took on the responsibility of instructing me on how to do many things, whereas my mother was always a more compassionate and comforting influence. When the man reached adulthood, it was believed that the father (instructor) did not live on within the man, and that the mother (soul) remained. This effectively "widowed" the mother, and turned the son into the widows son.

This information greatly supports my theory of a premasonic influence in Chretien's writing. From the beginning Chretien makes it clear that this is to be a coming of age story. I do not think that his use of seeds as a metaphor is a mistake. Neither is the fact that the story commences in the spring and that Perceval initiates his journey of discovery en route to checking on the planters. All of these things are symbols of a new beginning, in this case, a new beginning, or perhaps the true beginning, of Perceval's life.

The fact that Perceval's father died when Perceval was quite young also supports this theory. It can be assumed that his father was somewhat successful in educating his children, seeing as we know that Perceval's older brothers were knights. Therefore, Perceval's ignorance can be traced to the absence of his fathers presence, and as such, the absence of an instructor.

At this point, the connection to Freemasonry can be made complete. Freemasonry is an organization that claims to exist to promote learning and understanding of individual spirituality. This is something that masons believe is learned through allegory and experience. It is common knowledge that the masons use rituals and tests to teach and initiate their members into different ranks. This is exactly what Perceval needs to do. He questions those who he doesn't understand, and he proves himself by defeating the Red Knight. The phrase "...is there no help for the widow's son?" is designed to show that a mason is in distress, but I think that this meaning can be broadened to mean that a man needs help in learning about himself or others, and this is the kind of help that Perceval needs.

That Obscure Object of Desire

In Bunuel's film, I believe it is fairly clear that Conchita is meant to represent the "obscure object of desire". This is evident because everything about her character is somehow obscured or hidden. The most blatant of these obscurities is the fact that she is played by two characters. The transience and amorphousness of this does much to obscure her character. Another device used to obscure her person is the fact that she holds no steady job. In fact, nothing about her remains static. She moves from job to job, house to house, and not even her reactions to Matthieu are congruous. The only constant that we know of is her love for dancing. She even says that this is the only thing that interests her.

I find dancing to be an appropriate act to represent desire, and as such, Conchita. Desire is essentially a longing for something. It is not the actual act of attaining or having said object. Actually, once the object desired is attained, the desire no longer exists. Dancing, especially some Spanish dances, is a good example of this. When the couples are dancing, it is easy to see the sexual tension that can build between them. Some dances even include motions that have sexual connotations. Despite all of this, intercourse is never achieved. Depending on the couple, passion and desire are clearly evident, yet no resolution is found. Conchita's solo dancing also demonstrates this. She dances for tourists (which are by nature transient) who clearly want and desire her body, yet she never (as far as we can see) gives herself to them.

Celestina- Day 5

At the end of the novel, one thing that becomes clear is Pleberio's lack of love for his daughter. While he makes it seem like he loved Melibea, it is clear that he doesn't truly love her. First, had he loved her, much of this story would be different. He would have known Melibea better and the whole affair between her and Calisto wouldn't have happened. His lack of love was also manifested in his speech at the end of the book. In this speech he mourns the loss of Melibea, but only in its relationship to him. He doesn't seem to care about the pain that she went through or her suffering, but he does care about his. This can clearly be seen in his last sentence:

"Why did you afflict me and leave me sad and alone in this vale of tears?"

If Pleberio didn't love Melibea to begin with though, it raises the question as to why he is mourning her loss. I think that the reason has something to do with the world Pleberio tried to create. Melibea killing herself is merely proof that his patriarchal society is defunct. He tried to protect her by raising both physical and metaphorical barriers, but it shows that passion will break through the toughest bonds. I think that the other reason for his sadness is the fact that her suicide will bring shame and dishonor to him. This will come not only from her suicide, which was quite frowned upon by the Church and society, but also from the fact that her and Calisto's story will most likely be circulated through the city.

Celestina- Day 4

The existence of Pleberio's male dominated world and Celestina's female dominated world can be likened to one of those books that have a clear plastic page over a paper page. Bits of the paper show through in the gaps where there is no printing, but the majority of the image comes from the ink on the plastic. In Celestina, Pleberio's world is like the plastic, and Celestina's is the paper. On the surface, everything appears prim and proper. Melibea seems to be a young virgin, Pleberio thinks he and Alisa are in control of Melibea's destiny, and their household seems impervious to the outside world. While all of this is true, parts of Celestina's world show through. Celestina and Calisto manage to enter their house, and Alisia warns Melibea of Celestina's true nature.

Once the page is turned, however, it is easy to see how Pleberio's utopia is merely a facade. Celestina's influence extends farther into Pleberio's world than he would ever imagine. Melibea is no longer a virgin, and in reality, her parents do not even know her. Alisia believes that Melibea doesn't even know about the existence of sex, and this lulls the parents into a false sense of security. Celestina knows Melibea better though. While Melibea's parent's are clueless about their daughter's thoughts and emotions, Celestina knows exactly what Melibea wants, and how to make sure she gets it.

To stick with this metaphor, the situation in Celestina reminds me of one such book that I had as a child. The book was a picture book of Roman architecture. On the plastic pages were artist's renderings of what they thought Roman constructs like the Colosseum looked like in their prime. On the paper pages were actual images of these buildings now, obviously much more delapidated and derelict than their plastic counterparts. In Celestina Pleberio attempts to hide Celestina's world. In his first "speech" he says that the best way to make a girl seem respectable is for her to marry young. His thought behind this is to stop her from sinning before she can sin. I think it is obvious that this is merely a "quick fix" for a much deeper "problem" in Pleberio's society. If he were alive today he would probably be a politician. The world that Celestina has created is the reality of life. It is not as nice as Pleberio's, but there are several key differences that make it more appealing. First, it is based on reality, not illusions. While the prostitutes create an illusion of love, it is one that is mutually understood, and I would imagine, sometimes necessary for them to perform their job. Second, Celestina's world is focused on life and living it. Pleberio focuses on life too, but he spends much time dwelling on death and trying to refuse living. Celestina uses death as a motivator to live life, Pleberio uses it as an excuse to refuse those around him the right to live their lives. This sentiment is shown where Pleberio says:

"And since we are uncertain when we should be called, seeing such clear signs, we must gird up our loins and pickup our burdens in readiness for our enforced march."

What Pleberio is saying here is that one should always act righteous, because they can never know when death is coming for them. This differs from something Celestina would say in the sense that she would advocate for the opposite, telling someone to live life to the fullest, because they only have a short time to do so.