Comments on A Light Inside: Music of the Night: Dreaming in Fictional Worlds

Oh, wow--I LOVE it!! Wish I'd thought of it to...

2012-02-01T10:36:15.853-08:00

Oh, wow--I LOVE it!! Wish I'd thought of it to link for this week's post. So beautiful. :)

For those of you who dream and create by moonlight...

2012-02-01T10:17:07.484-08:00

For those of you who dream and create by moonlight, here's George Inness's "Winter Moonlight" (a.k.a. "Christmas Eve") to sigh by:

http://www.allpaintings.org/d/1319-1/George+Inness+-+Christmas+Eve+_aka+Winter+Moonlight_.jpg

Really great thoughts, Annie. It's good to hea...

2012-01-24T10:06:50.356-08:00

Really great thoughts, Annie. It's good to hear the power behind Humbert Humbert's story; I knew there was something there, and I felt some regret in choosing not to force myself to get to the ending and find it. Humanization of even the worst monsters among us is a valuable task, if for no other reason than that it condemns our own self-righteousness.

The story of the Phantom, too, involves Christine's finding in him a trace of humanity, though he never fully leaves the darkness.

I appreciate your perspective, too. It's different from the way I tend to think, but that doesn't mean I think it's less valid. Besides, we're working in metaphor, where two things can seem quite opposite at first glance, yet can exist alongside each other in truth. :)

"I can revel in darkness with only the smalle...

2012-01-23T23:58:16.482-08:00

"I can revel in darkness with only the smallest flicker of light, but if an author gives the indication he doesn't recognize a character's personhood I'm gone."

This here is what draws me to Humbert Humbert. When he declares at the end "I was a...monster...torrid, despicable, cruel...but there were times when I knew how you felt and it was pain to know it, my little one," Nabokov is showing us the personhood of a confessed monster. This gives me hope, because I know the darkness of my own soul; my sins are not the sins of Humbert, but my darkness is dark, and my persoonhood, hopefully, is in tact nonetheless.

I cannot gripe about your disapproval of Nabokov, but I think it is worth sharing what I see in order that you may see it too, and still be spared reading something you cannot. Because, ultimately, I agree with you that the darkness sharpens our sensations and trains us toward hope.

In general, though, I am more likely to rest and find solace in darkness for better and for worse: even as a child I felt more at home in the darkness, and loved winter for it. I like to be prepared for worst case scenario: if the darkness is all there is, should we hope for something else, like light? Or should we hope to find endurance and strength to continue in the darkness? I think both hopes exist, but I often cannot find the first, or do not want it, so I cling to the second.

*The Lolita quote is prolly a bit off.