I'm always interested in talking about ovaries and testicles. I don't think you address my criticism beyond characterizing it as "excited" and xenophobically anti-French, but that may be a language problem. I was addressing the problems of methodology of what appeared to be a scientific study, and it never occurred to me that the French had any kind of monopoly on badly-conceived science. If I understand you correctly you no longer hold with Mauron's methodology or conclusions, so I'd guess we're in agreement about that at least. Creativity, as I understand it, pervades all of human life. It's the engine of non-biological adaptation: if I'm cold and a lightning-caused fire warms me I seek fires. I invent a way to carry fire with me. I invent a way to make fire happen less randomly than waiting for a celestial event. And others see what I do and adopt and improve upon my methods. One presumes that non-neurotics also sought heat. The creativity that's involved in making poems may serve many different purposes, but I think we can assume that the needs being met are not the property of neurotics exclusively. Mark At 11:49 PM 8/12/2001 +0100, you wrote: >Mark , did your excited answer purposedly intend to prove that Mauron was >right? > >At the time of my dissertation, I suffered Mauron's theory almost an >imposition, since it was one of my two supervisor, the professor of French >Literature, Renzo Paris, who suggested I supported my analysis of Sylvia >Plath with a psychoanalitic theory of this kind > >It was only after I studied Kristeva and Derrida and Focault in these >recent years that I have revaluated Mauron - meaning I was not mature >enough to apprecate him > >I am not surpriced by your reaction, though: the English speaking world >detests >any critical/philosophhical theory that comes from their French rivals > >("the creative mind" I referred to, in relation to Mauron's theory, was not >associated neither by me nor by Mauron to a condition of being or not famous > >fame was introduced by you > >creativety could be indeed a way of reacting to stress > >it can have therapeutical effects on its causes, in the case they are to be >accounted as stress related stimuli > >I do not know > >I do not know where creativity ends and neurosis starts and viceversa > >Mauron's preoccupation with the study of the reflection of the parental >figures in an author's literary achievements is for me now a long lost >horizon > >I have by now overcome Mauron's perspective and I am finally convinced that >the reasons of artistic artefacts are not to be found in the mind but in >ovaries and testicles and their quality varies accordingly > >Could the conversation be continued in that direction? > >Erminia > > > > > > > > >On Sun, 12 Aug 2001 13:57:13 -0700, Mark Weiss <[log in to unmask]> >wrote: > >>>My analysis found support in Charles Mauron’s psycho-critic, which also >>>provided a scheme to test his theory, a scheme according to which one can >>>actually measure the amount of creativeness in relation to biographical >>>stability or instability. The stress was very much on the stimulant >effects >>>of neurosis on the creative mind. >> >>This is a strange form of romantic "science." One would have to question at >>least two variables: the meaning of neurosis and the meaning of creativity. >> >>One would also want at least two control groups: a random sample of >>non-neurotics, and another random sample of neurotics, however the >>researcher wishes to define them, so that one could arrive at a baseline >>level of "creativity" for each group--it would be useful for this kind of >>study to know whether neurotics who aren't famous are more "creative" than >>non-neurotics who aren't famous. >> >>I worked with a woman years ago who didn't seem particularly neurotic to >>me. She was raising several children alone while on welfare and working as >>much as welfare allowed in those days. She spent a lot of time telling me >>about her very creative ways of maintaining a humane and healthy life for >>herself and her family on a very limited budget, and she seemed to >>experience the discovery of a new way to provide nutritious meals at low >>cost very much the way I experience discovering a new way to express >>whatever I'm expressing. Does Mauron consider that creativity? >> >>Or is Mauron saying not that neurotics are more creative than non-neurotics >>but that humans (and presumably other organisms--I'm thinking of urban >>coyotes) tend to be more creative when they have to deal with stress? If >>so, that hardly needs demonstrating. >> >>Mark >