Thursday, March 16, 2006
Still dwelling on the Libertine
Well, there is another fuck load of snow on the ground, so I'll have to leave this past-time to pick up a shovel as soon as I see the plow go by. Can't wait to spend an hour shoveling just so I can spend another hour sitting in traffic. Well, whatever, life is full of both the bitter and the sweet. I'm no fortunate son, I've got no reason to expect nothing but pleasure from this world. A little hard work is good for my kind.
I've got one last thought on the Libertine. Throughout that movie other characters remark on how talented he is. This is largely a trait which the viewers are supposed to accept without much evidence, as Mr. Depp's character spends the entirety of the film drunk off of his ass. Somewhere I heard a quote once about charming people, how they live the most outrageous lives possible - right at the edge of their charm. The limit of what people will tolerate, that's the line they flirt with as the moth is seduced by the candle.
But what is charming? What is this wit that some possess? Why is such wit so often paired with a certain breed of egomania and self-centeredness?
What if we took the long view. Everyone who has been around a small child knows that they have a powerful need to be the center of attention. Even as we grow older, that primitive drive never goes away. Few short term pleasures can compare with the sense of power and importance one derives from having the fixed attention of other human beings on you. When people are really listening, when they really seem focused on you; that's all good.
So we assume that as the human brain developes it observes the world around it, and the individuals in that world, for the purpose of increasing the amount of time we get what we want. Since most of the human brains that have ever existed were most concerned with survival, we can assume that these traits are rather well honed - natural selection making it hard for the slow learners to breed. Yet in our American bubble, only the Boy Scouts and a few weeks of 'don't get into cars with strangers' ever touches the life vein of survival in our children. Perhaps these powerful adaptive tools are then applied to the slightly more mundane. The skills which make one the center of attention.
As an aside, one could easily argue that the skills which make one the center of attention would have incredible value from an evoluntionary standpoint. Improved social ties improve the odds the entire group might survive, and also improve the odds that the charming one will be one the winning side of inter-group conflict. Also, the more popular members will have a better selection of potential mates.
Therefore the young human mind observes others and selectively mimics behavior. When one observes a good storyteller - silently watching with green eyes as a group forms around her to hang on her every word - one will attempt to copy her behavior. Sometimes the young mind steals the entire story. Sometimes only a hint of the cadence or a sweeping manner of gesticulation is added to one's toolbox. With Trial and Error, along with Mimicry, the developing mind hones the skill set focused on gaining and retaining 'center of attention.' The screaming infant becomes the the precocious little girl with confident poise and vibrant imagination.
[This mimicry of storytelling tactics can be observed most clearly in the 'testimonials' of evags. As a particular form of storytelling within a rather stagnant subculture, the mental 'cut & paste' processes are easily identified. This is one of the powerful forms of social reinforcement they use to get themselves off; center of attention is guaranteed as long as they stay within the guidelines and hit most of the major themes of 'salvation.' There is also another form of story the evags love, I call it the 'I've seen/heard about god's ultimate power on earth.' So and so fell off a ladder but survived. . . My uncle was in an accident and the doctors told him he was going to die but . . . The repetitive patterns are amusing to observe.]
If this precocious child grows up in the right type of culture, she may find that other, 'higher' forms of communication serve the desire to be 'center of attention' with even greater utility. The star of the school play or the talented musician both get a lot of attention. Often, even the sexual form of attention, one of my personal favorites. Into these classes of higher forms, one must place literature, and here the parallel to storytelling remains the most clear.
For someone like the Earl of Rochester, his only concern is with garnering the attention of a very small slice of society. The more he reads and absorbs within the realm of English Literature, the better he becomes at reproducing a form of communication which holds folks attention. As the pool of knowledge he contains increases in depth and volume, the dawn of art may occur, where his creations are more than mere mimicry - and a reputation as a great man of letters be bestowed.
In summary, I have two questions/observations on the Libertine. How does the desire to be at the center of attention become the great works of a gifted poet? And secondly, how easily does this never-satiated infantile degrade into writing plays about dildos? Is he simply taking the cheapest shot at attention, or is he sacraficing himself on the cross of the public outrage to make a statement about the very nature of art and society?
I've got one last thought on the Libertine. Throughout that movie other characters remark on how talented he is. This is largely a trait which the viewers are supposed to accept without much evidence, as Mr. Depp's character spends the entirety of the film drunk off of his ass. Somewhere I heard a quote once about charming people, how they live the most outrageous lives possible - right at the edge of their charm. The limit of what people will tolerate, that's the line they flirt with as the moth is seduced by the candle.
But what is charming? What is this wit that some possess? Why is such wit so often paired with a certain breed of egomania and self-centeredness?
What if we took the long view. Everyone who has been around a small child knows that they have a powerful need to be the center of attention. Even as we grow older, that primitive drive never goes away. Few short term pleasures can compare with the sense of power and importance one derives from having the fixed attention of other human beings on you. When people are really listening, when they really seem focused on you; that's all good.
So we assume that as the human brain developes it observes the world around it, and the individuals in that world, for the purpose of increasing the amount of time we get what we want. Since most of the human brains that have ever existed were most concerned with survival, we can assume that these traits are rather well honed - natural selection making it hard for the slow learners to breed. Yet in our American bubble, only the Boy Scouts and a few weeks of 'don't get into cars with strangers' ever touches the life vein of survival in our children. Perhaps these powerful adaptive tools are then applied to the slightly more mundane. The skills which make one the center of attention.
As an aside, one could easily argue that the skills which make one the center of attention would have incredible value from an evoluntionary standpoint. Improved social ties improve the odds the entire group might survive, and also improve the odds that the charming one will be one the winning side of inter-group conflict. Also, the more popular members will have a better selection of potential mates.
Therefore the young human mind observes others and selectively mimics behavior. When one observes a good storyteller - silently watching with green eyes as a group forms around her to hang on her every word - one will attempt to copy her behavior. Sometimes the young mind steals the entire story. Sometimes only a hint of the cadence or a sweeping manner of gesticulation is added to one's toolbox. With Trial and Error, along with Mimicry, the developing mind hones the skill set focused on gaining and retaining 'center of attention.' The screaming infant becomes the the precocious little girl with confident poise and vibrant imagination.
[This mimicry of storytelling tactics can be observed most clearly in the 'testimonials' of evags. As a particular form of storytelling within a rather stagnant subculture, the mental 'cut & paste' processes are easily identified. This is one of the powerful forms of social reinforcement they use to get themselves off; center of attention is guaranteed as long as they stay within the guidelines and hit most of the major themes of 'salvation.' There is also another form of story the evags love, I call it the 'I've seen/heard about god's ultimate power on earth.' So and so fell off a ladder but survived. . . My uncle was in an accident and the doctors told him he was going to die but . . . The repetitive patterns are amusing to observe.]
If this precocious child grows up in the right type of culture, she may find that other, 'higher' forms of communication serve the desire to be 'center of attention' with even greater utility. The star of the school play or the talented musician both get a lot of attention. Often, even the sexual form of attention, one of my personal favorites. Into these classes of higher forms, one must place literature, and here the parallel to storytelling remains the most clear.
For someone like the Earl of Rochester, his only concern is with garnering the attention of a very small slice of society. The more he reads and absorbs within the realm of English Literature, the better he becomes at reproducing a form of communication which holds folks attention. As the pool of knowledge he contains increases in depth and volume, the dawn of art may occur, where his creations are more than mere mimicry - and a reputation as a great man of letters be bestowed.
In summary, I have two questions/observations on the Libertine. How does the desire to be at the center of attention become the great works of a gifted poet? And secondly, how easily does this never-satiated infantile degrade into writing plays about dildos? Is he simply taking the cheapest shot at attention, or is he sacraficing himself on the cross of the public outrage to make a statement about the very nature of art and society?
Comments:
<< Home
'Uncle Al' did you coin that one yourself? Don't think that's in my 'Dictionary of Sin.'
My Godfather is my Uncle Al, but I sure like the slang.
Post a Comment
My Godfather is my Uncle Al, but I sure like the slang.
<< Home
