Inspiring Friendships

When reading "The Waste Land" by T.S. Eliot this week, I took notice that he dedicated the poem to Ezra Pound. I remembered enjoying Ezra Pound's poetry in high school, so I searched a bit on Google to find out about their relationship to one another. I discovered that Eliot and Pound were in fact friends, and that Pound had also edited "The Waste Land" - thus the dedication.

I have seen this "Fellowship of the Pen" situation before in Romantic literature, as with Wordsworth, Coleridge, Lamb, and Shelley. Is it coincidence that the great minds of poetry are usually friends with one another? Does their friendship contribute to their brilliance? I admit that if I ever met someone who enjoyed the same genres and beliefs as I cherish, if we were on the same intellectual level and writing proficiency, wouldn't we inspire each other and help in the revising of each other's work? I said "Fellowship of the Pen" in jest, but it seems evermore appropriate - just as the Fellowship of the Ring proved that the greatest tasks cannot be completed alone, the "Fellowship of the Pen" proves that the greatest works of literature are often inspired in friendly criticism.

Now I may have to go search for a modern day Fellowship...

The Goblin Image

I admit that this post will not be as in depth as I normally try to be, but I've been devouring books all week and my mind is quite a bit stretched.

While reading "The Goblin Market" by Rossetti this week, I couldn't help imagining the world of the goblins. Yes, I understand that the poem was more centered on the girls and feminism, etc. - but to be honest I find goblins much more fascinating. Everyone perceives goblins differently. Even searching the blessed Google for an image of the creature dubbed "Goblin" brought several different results. Even my own idea of a goblin differs from those I shall present. (Indeed, in the fantasy novels I will one day impose on the world, I present a very different brand of goblin for consideration.)

Firstly, we have our Gringotts Goblin. (Thank you, Rowling!)



Secondly, we have Jareth's Goblins, which were once naughty children.



And then we have what I shall call the "Halloween" Goblin, which is more of a costume than a creature, or otherwise more humanoid than the rest.



My Goblins are inspired from Luis Royo's dark fantasy art. He is incredible, and creates many covers for current fantasy novels I might add.

Forsaken

While reading "The Forsaken Merman" by Matthew Arnold, I considered the merman and the sea as representations of the Old Religion, and that the chapel was the New Religion. In this way, the message of the poem is how the New Religion condemns the Old Religion even if a person feels more comfortable on one path than the other. (Of course I'm biased.) Margaret went to the church out of fear for her soul, leaving her lover and her children behind. Then she is unable to hear their pleas for her return because she feels obligated to the church in order to save her soul. To me, this represents the church's use of fear to gain control over a huge number of people. In the Old Religion, no one is going to damn you for believing differently. In the end, "The Forsaken Merman" is a tragedy about the forsaken religion. But despite popular belief, the Old Religion is still alive and well.

The Allure of a Monster

I don’t know how I went all of these years without reading Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. I knew before even turning the first page that I would love the story about to be revealed to me. Anything about a monster or a beast draws my attention, particularly if the so-called monster is misunderstood. There is some kind of psychological allure to them, perhaps because they are shunned by society and made outcasts in spite of whatever beauty lies inside of them. More often than not, such a rejection destroys that inner beauty, and they become exactly what society expects them to be: a monster.

One thing I have noticed after sharing discussions on the class forum is that I have a different take about why the creation of the monster is so horrific. Just about everyone says that Victor rejected his own creation after realizing the horrendous sin he had committed, that he had overstepped his boundary into God’s realm, and that only God has the power to create life. I don’t believe in the Christian God, and I don’t believe in sin. I think this opened me to the idea that Victor was so horrified of his creation because it removed all the magic from life, rendering it to a complex but utterly scientific process. Of course it could then be argued that because the creature became a murderer, a sinner, that its existence is proof that God’s hand is required to make a person good. On the other hand, I think if someone had befriended the creature, he could have remained innocent and quite possibly could have lived out a normal life.

Ha! Guess you could say I’m an optimistic heathen. Isn’t there a circle in Hell for that?