Jonathan, and all,
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [log in to unmask]
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
> Behalf Of Jonathan Kepple
> Sent: Sunday, August 14, 2005 7:10 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [WDL] The Tempest at the Globe Theatre, London
>
> I am reminded of Neil Gaiman's epic graphic novel, 'The
> Sandman', within which a young William Shakespeare accepts
> the gift of inspiration from the king of dreams. In return he
> agrees to write two plays. The first of these is 'A Midsummer
> Night's Dream' which is intended as a gift to the fairy folk,
> who gather to watch it performed.
Kudos for bringing up Gaimen, whose work (like W. Gibson) is prescient of
the implications of brickspace v. clickspace. See also The Books of Magic, a
spinoff in Gaimen's universe (and not nearly as good). Tatiana is major
character, and delivers this favorite line:
For there are only two worlds - your world, which is the real world, and
other worlds, the fantasy. Worlds like this are worlds of the human
imagination: their reality, or lack of reality, is not important. What is
important is that they are there. These worlds provide an alternative.
Provide an escape. Provide a threat. Provide a dream, and power, provide
refuge, and pain. They give your world meaning. They do not exist; and thus
they are all that matters.
> Perhaps the ideal state of existence is one in which the real
> and virtual worlds meet. Where you are content to experience
> life with the wide-open senses of an artist, without feeling
> compelled to express what you have experienced in a piece of
> art. To live fully from moment to fleeting moment, leaving no
> tracks and no record.
Again to pull from The Books of Magic, I quote the golem Wobbly: "To go...
from a small here, to a greater. That is to be living. But to go from the
great to the small? ...that is death."
So I agree with you that an ecstatic sensitivity may be the goal, as does
Emily of Our Town: "Oh, earth, you're too wonderful for anybody to realize
you." But for those who achieve it, even in fleeting moments, don't we have
a duty to live between the worlds, to guide others? I'm thinking of writing
teachers, who have innate and expert appreciation of the vivid and
transcendent, but spend most of their time reading lackluster essays or
wobbly poetry, in hopes of finding felicitous moments for constructive
criticism.
----------
Kym Buchanan
http://KymBuchanan.org
http://writing.msu.edu/ink
Learning, Technology, & Culture (PhD student)
Ink: An Online Multiplayer Game for Writing & Reflection (Lead Designer)
300 Bessey Hall, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824
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