End of Chapter 45
Page 576-582
What if on your deathbed you had regrets? What if you realized the thing you fought against the hardest was the thing you needed the most?
“Who is that dwarf, a turret on his head, a rose at his collar? It is the rose of consciousness.”
According to Nietzsche, the dwarf represents self-doubt and the limitations of conventional thought. Zarathustra’s journey involves overcoming the dwarf, symbolizing the overcoming of self-doubt and the embrace of his philosophy, including the concept of eternal recurrence.
Yet, here Young gives him the rose of consciousness… According to Thomas Reid explored how sensory information, particularly in relation to movement, contributes to our subjective experience of the world. This framework suggests that consciousness might be closely tied to our ability to interact with and act upon the world.
The turret is typically a small tower, often ornamental, that juts out from a building. It is typically found on castles, large houses, etc.
Young may be saying the dwarf still has the ability to overcome these self-doubts and limitations.
The last paragraph on page 577. <3
“Shall love be infinitely postponed? If infinitely postponed, then it is love.” seems straight out of Hegel. To deny something is to determine it, and to determine something is to negate it. Spinoza’s principle is “every determination is negation”. Hegel takes this one step further by suggesting that negation itself is a process of creation, and is even the essence of positive being. By denying a certain trait or characteristic, one is implicitly acknowledging the possibility of its opposite or the existence of a different reality. For Hegel, this power of the negative, or the act of negation, is what drives progress and development. Denying a particular concept allows for the possibility of a new one to emerge, incorporating both the original concept and its negation. This often explained through the concept of the negation of the negation, where a denial of a denial leads to a new synthesis that transcends both the original thesis and the antithesis. From an existentialist perspective denying a predefined purpose or essence allows for the possibility of individuals to create their own meaning and existence.
“Forgive the cloud which knows not what it whispers…” Luke 23:34
“I aspired to greater heights than most, so I fell a greater distance.” - the bigger they are the harder they fall is an idiom and is believed to have originated in boxing from a 1902 interview with Robert Fitzsimmons before a fight with James J Jeffries.
“Forgive the secret none can tell. None can tell and live.” It is considered a classic riddle and the common answer is death. In a metaphorical sense it may refer to a profound or life-altering experiences that can’t be adequately described in words. Or a secret that if revealed would lead to someone’s demise or ruin.
I went and looked for some specific information on Susan B Anthony’s sister, Hannah. She was known for her domestic nature, but also for her full sympathy with the reforms championed by her sister.
https://jeannegehretauthor.com/who-was-hannah-anthony/
Also, if you missed it, Steven Shaviro shared a comment from an interview that I’ve read but failed to catch this. I’ve been thinking about the various characters posed as horizontal and vertical and I get to add Mr. Spitzer and Esther to the mix! (according to Young) and also that Esther is the Mother of Us All which also happens to be an opera by Gertrude Stein which I watched and it is fantastic!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mother_of_Us_All
https://www.dalkeyarchive.com/2013/08/02/a-conversation-with-marguerite-young-by-ellen-g-friedman-and-miriam-fuchs/
“Death is love, and love is death…” It is a profound paradox since life, with its inherent drive for continuation, is ultimately defined by its end, death. Every living thing eventually dies making it the ultimate and unavoidable end. We experience life as a continuous present, however, everything is mortal. part of a natural cycle of birth, death, and decay. Even experience with death, the loss of a loved one, can have a profound effect on a person’s life. It can deepen one’s capacity for love and understanding. The death of self can involve the death of the ego or self-centeredness as one prioritizes the needs and well-being of another. Sacrificial love where one willingly puts themselves in harms way to protect another. The death of the old self allows for the emergence of a new, more compassionate and empathetic self. Even after death, love can endure through memories, experiences and the impact of a loved one to continue to live on. Love can be a source of strength and comfort. The love between two people can leave a lasting legacy. Contemplating death can highlight the preciousness of life and the importance of love. Experiences of loss can foster deeper empathy and appreciation for loved ones. Death can serve as a reminder to live fully, cherish relationships, and express love while we have the chance. The certainty of death raises questions about the meaning of life. Highlighting the complex relationship between individual life and the larger, overarching biological cycle. Some religions and philosophies offer concepts of an afterlife, reincarnation, or the idea that life continues through the legacy of one’s actions. Or love is seen as a force that can conquer death and offer a path through it. Some say that true love is immortal. Some works suggest that the intensity of love can be destructive, leading to a kind of “death” of the self or relationship. Others suggest that embracing the reality of death can lead to a more meaningful and authentic life.
“he who loves shall lose himself in love as in death” Mathew 16:25 and John 12:25
Chapter 46 page 583
Mr. Spitzer steals Cousin Hannah’s alpenhorn!
Okay even I’m thinking this is frickin’ insane and getting out of hand… XD
“Was it before the day of the dog?” Which brought to mind the movie, Dog Day Afternoon, and I also thought it might be a reference to a Chinese astrology thing, but no…
The Day of the Dog is a novel written by George Barr McCutcheon in 1904. It is a comedic novel. The story revolves around a humorous and somewhat absurd encounter between a lawyer, Mr. Crosby, and a stubborn bulldog named Swallow while he seeks to secure a signature from Mrs. Delancy on estate-related documents. The plot unfolds in a rural setting, highlighting themes of deception, misunderstandings, and social class interactions. The narrative follows Crosby as he travels to meet Mrs. Delancy at her brother-in-law's farm to finalize legal matters concerning her husband's estate. Upon arrival, he encounters Swallow, a fierce bulldog who guards the barn and prevents him from accessing the house. In a series of escalating comedic events, Crosby finds himself trapped and forced to engage with the dog, while simultaneously attempting to persuade Mrs. Delancy to reconsider her decision to abandon the legal claim to the estate. As the story progresses, the absurdity culminates in both characters finding themselves in a predicament that ultimately leads to unexpected revelations, personal growth, and a budding romance amidst the chaos.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Barr_McCutcheon
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5759
In case you thought it’s just some old book he also wrote Brewster’s Millions which has been made into movies.
“I am thine only love. I am thine only love, my dear of dears.” Hebrews 10:22
Chapter 47 page 592
“no distinction between the living and the dead, the past and the present, the lover and the loved.” seems to mirror mystical interpretations from Sufism and Christian Theology and signifies the ultimate unity and interconnectedness of love, the person experiencing love, and the object of that love. In Sufism, the phrase highlights the journey of the soul towards union with the divine. The lover seeks to merge with the Beloved and in that ultimate union the distinction between the two dissolves. In Christian Theology the Father can be seen as the Lover, the Son as the Beloved, and the Holy Spirit as the love that binds them. In philosophy the phrase emphasizes the interconnectedness of all things and the illusion of separation. In true love, the individual recognizes their inherent unity with the object of their love. The experience of love, particularly mystical love, can lead to a transcendence of the ego and a sense of oneness with the universe.
“good-night, sweet prince” Hamlet by Shakespeare
“God rest ye merry gentlemen” - The song dates back to the 15th century and its historic meaning is “may God grant you peace and happiness” or “God keep you mighty, gentlemen” It appears in two Shakespeare plays and Charles Dickens’s, A Christmas Carol.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Rest_Ye_Merry,_Gentlemen
Just throwing this in here but Mr. Spitzer reminds me of Robert G Ingersoll who was a friend of Eugene Victor Debs. He was portly and a lawyer, writer, and orator during the Golden Age of Free Thought. He was not elected because of his agnosticism.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_G._Ingersoll
The Golden Age of Freethought is the mid 19th-century period in United States history which saw the development of the socio-political movement promoting freethought. Anti-authoritarian and intellectually liberating historical eras had existed many times in history, notably in eighteenth century France. But the period roughly from 1875 to 1914 is referred to by at least one contemporary writer as "the high-water mark of freethought as an influential movement in American society". It began around 1856 and lasted at least through the end of the century; author Susan Jacoby places the end of the Golden Age at the start of World War I.
Freethought is a philosophical position that holds that ideas and opinions should be based on science and reason, and not restricted by authority, tradition, or religion. It is characteristic of the 18th century Enlightenment but hardly confined to any one epoch or place. The late nineteenth century American Golden Age was encouraged by the lectures of the extremely popular agnostic orator Robert Green Ingersoll, the popularization of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species, the push for women's suffrage, and other political, scientific, and social trends that clashed with religious orthodoxy and caused people to question the traditional ideas about the world that they encountered in received opinion
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Age_of_Freethought
Also on page 593 why does Mr. Spitzer only count his identical twin brother as waiting for him beyond death? Why not their parents? Does an identical twin have benefits they don’t? Does he figure he’s cheated death and they’re identical so he can trick death?
Peron and Joachim have a material vs immaterial view but in death they would be united?
In philosophy, materialism says that everything that exists is fundamentally physical, composed of matter and energy. Only matter and energy exist. All phenomena, including consciousness, are ultimately reducible to physical processes. They point to the success of science in explaining the physical world and that consciousness can be explained by brain activity. Physicalism is similar in that everything can be explained by physics. Immaterialism believes there is an existence of entities or properties that are not physical, such as minds, consciousness, or spiritual realms. Non-physical entities or properties exist alongside or instead of the material world. Idealists, believe that only minds and their perceptions are real, while the material world is a construction of the mind. Dualists, like Descartes, believe in both material and immaterial substances, such as body and mind. Key concepts and figures: dualism, the belief that mind and matter are distinct and separate substances; idealism, the belief that reality is fundamentally mental or spiritual; Descartes is a famous dualist who argued for the existence of a thinking substance (mind) separate from the physical body; Berkeley is an idealist philosopher who argued that “to be is to be perceived”; Fodor is a philosopher who proposed non-reductive materialism, suggesting that mental phenomena are real and distinct from physical phenomena, even if they are ultimately grounded in the physical.
Page 594 - other people/relatives have died so why fear death? I feel this way.
“This tendency of an image to repeat an image, perhaps with variations, was something to be considered, weighted, taken into account.” So lets! And there’s a lot… (some of these philosophers/philosophies are after Young’s time)
Plato’s Theory of Forms suggests the material world comprises imperfect copies of perfect, eternal Forms or Ideas (all individual dogs are imperfect copies of the Form of Dogness). “Repetition” refers to how objects in the material world (the many) participate in the singular, perfect Form. Individual objects are recognized as belonging to a particular kind because they resemble or participate in the relevant Form, even though they are all different. The Third Man Argument, reveals the difficulty in this relationship, where the similarity between the Form and its instances could be a new Form, resulting in an infinite regress.
Jacques Derrida’s concept of “differance” emphasizes meaning is always deferred and never fully present. Meaning comes from differences between signs and their relationship to other signs. Iterability refers to the capacity of language and signs to be repeated in new contexts, which changes their meaning. Iteration inherently involves difference. Each repetition of an image in a new context creates new meaning, shaped by its past and future possibilities.
Gilles Deleuze challenges traditional metaphysics that emphasize identity and stability. He argues for a philosophy that understands difference not as a distinction between pre-existing things but as a force that generates meaning. Repetition isn’t repeating the same thing but a complex process creating new differences. He distinguishes between generality (events connected by laws and cycles) and repetition (a unique series of things or events). True repetition, for Deleuze, involves difference without a concept, where profound repetition is characterized by profound difference.
Phenomenology of rhythm emphasizes the quality of repetition in visual and auditory experiences. Repetition, particularly in design and art, can create order, consistency, and visual rhythm. Regular repetition generates a predictable pattern, while irregular repetition creates a more engaging experience. Perception of repeated elements draws attention and influences image interpretation.
Psychoanalytic theory explores unconscious processes and repressed memories in shaping experiences and behaviors. Repetition compulsion describes the tendency to repeat certain behaviors or thoughts, often unconsciously. In images, this can manifest in recurring themes, symbols, or imagery in dreams, fantasies, or artistic creations. These repetitions are not simply reductions but expressions of unconscious desires, conflicts, or traumas.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_forms
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diff%C3%A9rance
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Difference_and_Repetition
I just read some moths use the stars to navigate during long migrations too!
Page 596
“Among all things possible, there was the rejected possibility.” Hegel again?
Page 597 there is a reference to Esther Longtree and now I was reminded by Shaviro that Young said she is the counterpart to Mr. Spitzer!
Page 598-599 is an example of, extraordinary apostrophe, which is a figure of speech where a speaker or writer directly addresses someone or something that is not present or cannot respond.
I am in the process of going through the text and pulling out all. the. literary. devices. that Young used in MMMD. She was a teacher and I feel she did in fact use all of them. She may not have been able to write a book about writing but she left a great teaching guide in MMMD.
Page 600
The result of Mr. Spitzer’s extended life? “he being lost, wandering without purpose?”
Simultaneities - which is actually a thing. The concept of simultaneity, or events happening at the same time, it not absolute, particularly when considering events at different locations. Special relativity reveals that simultaneity is relative to the observer’s frame of reference. This means that two events that appear simultaneous to one observer might not be simultaneous to another observer in relative motion. Einstein demonstrated that the notion of absolute simultaneity, where everyone agrees on whether two spatially separated events occur at the same time, is incorrect. Whether two events are simultaneous depends on the observer’s motion. An observer moving at a high speed relative to the vents might perceive them in a different order than a stationary observer. (This is where the vertical and horizontal lines are intersected with ANOTHER line, which may refer to Young’s spokes of wheel concept of the novel.)
The relativity of simultaneity implies that there is no universal, absolute time that applies to all observers. This concept is crucial for understanding the implications of special relativity. It has profound philosophical implications, raising questions about the nature of time, causality, and the relationship between observers and the world. Some philosophers argue that the definition of simultaneity involves a degree of convention, particularly in how we define the speed of light in different directions.
https://pubs.aip.org/physicstoday/article/60/8/58/389514/Concepts-of-Simultaneity-From-Antiquity-to
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spacetime_diagram
I have a couple of random things to add that I think go with this chapter but have forgotten where they go… I’ll figure that out later. XD
A steeple jack is a skilled tradesperson who works at great heights, primarily on tall structures like church steeples, chimneys, and towers, to perform repairs, maintenance, or construction. The profession has historical roots in the maintenance of ecclesiastical buildings.
Another thing philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein contributed was silence. “Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent.” Language has logical limits, and when we try to use it to express things that are beyond these limits (like metaphysical or ethical truths), we should be silent. Silence for him was a space for potential meaning and understanding, a recognition of the limits of language, and a way of acknowledging what lies beyond the grasp of words.
I think this ties into Mr. Spitzer’s “silent music”.
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/wittgenstein/
Sensation vs Perception - Thomas Reid (which I’ve mentioned before) saw sensation as a primitive feeling or awareness, while perception was the process of interpreting these feelings and associating them with external objects. The ability to distinguish between sensation and perception is linked to consciousness.
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/reid/
I’ve mentioned Pascal before in that his thought was imagination was powerful but often led us astray. He also argued that believing in God is more beneficial than not believing in God, which is known as Pascal’s wager. It is a thought experiment where one “bets” on God’s existence. If God exists, the believer gains eternal happiness, while the non-believer loses eternal happiness. If God does not exist, the believer loses nothing, and the non-believer loses nothing. According to Pascal, it’s always better to wager on God’s existence since the potential gain is infinite, and the potential loss is zero.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal%27s_wager