“Most word-winders only want a tight thread, like that with which you make nets to string in the trees to trap migratory birds. They don't want to make soft, giving, yarn with which you can weave a shawl to wrap loved ones.”
Another wonderful post to start my week Caroline. Your piece today reminds me of one of my favourite essays, ‘The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction’ by the superb Ursula K Le Guin - no doubt you’re familiar with it?
Caroline, I'm intrigued by your line about the myth of the hero's journey belonging to the history of the Machine. Is there a source for this idea that I could explore further?
Hi there, I have no knowledge if anyone else has written about the Machine and the Myth of the Hero. In writing that line of the poem, I am linking the feeling I get about the thrusting, problem-solving (at whatever cost to other characters) aspect of traditional heroes in stories and myths and the instrumentalism of the machine. Comparing its march towards progress, where any collateral damage seems acceptable towards the proposed shining progress.
I can see your point and it's very insightful. The hero's journey is incredibly prevalent in myth, literature and religious narrative, and I agree with you that it leads to a very outcome-based approach to life. Thank you for giving me something to chew on!
Hey Leanne! Just to add that Ursula Le Guin’s essay ‘The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction’ was one of the things that first set me thinking about the connection between the hero’s journey and the thrusting linearity that finds its extreme form in industrial modernity.
I can't remember if Riane Eisler's Chalice and the Blade uses the machine metaphor but it seems like this is right in her wheelhouse. Beautiful work, Caroline. It turned me away from the publish button to take more time and care with some work.
This is a beautiful invocation, Caroline, a call to writers to hone our craft in a war-torn time. As you say, we are always at war somewhere. Let us try to touch that place with beautiful words. You've done that here. Thank you.
Hi Leanna, thanks for your comments. I actually am not mentioning the 'hero's journey'. I am talking about the 'myth of the hero', by which I meant the idea that a lone person is the saviour of a situation, or is the only important protagonist in a story. I also touched on this last week in 'No Hero'. The 'hero's journey' is another, related, kettle of fish, but don't necessarily feel qualified to talk about. I hope that helps clarify things.
My hands/gaze/heart-shield softened seeing your carvings. They’re really beautiful. Part of me suddenly believes I too could carve a small bowl one day, sanding it softly while whispering sounds of thanks into the wood. A vessel for sharing, for friendship and communion. Yes, this is something I’d love to learn and more so, give myself into.
You absolutely can carve something! These were all my first pieces done under the eye of Joe O'Leary. If you are in UK, I totally recommend his craft (and all the other) workshops at https://wilderness-survival.co.uk/
Cup of tea, powerful traditional medicine
“Most word-winders only want a tight thread, like that with which you make nets to string in the trees to trap migratory birds. They don't want to make soft, giving, yarn with which you can weave a shawl to wrap loved ones.”
Another wonderful post to start my week Caroline. Your piece today reminds me of one of my favourite essays, ‘The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction’ by the superb Ursula K Le Guin - no doubt you’re familiar with it?
Yes, I love that piece, and LeGuin in general.
Your words this morning
stanch the blood loss
from an encounter
with a man carrying a knife in his voice /
Returning to the inward hearth
wound bound, guazed,
I blink in the firelight
and subscribe to your newsletter
grateful
to leave some small token for the medic
who has visited and healed me
before stepping back into the night
Caroline, I'm intrigued by your line about the myth of the hero's journey belonging to the history of the Machine. Is there a source for this idea that I could explore further?
Hi there, I have no knowledge if anyone else has written about the Machine and the Myth of the Hero. In writing that line of the poem, I am linking the feeling I get about the thrusting, problem-solving (at whatever cost to other characters) aspect of traditional heroes in stories and myths and the instrumentalism of the machine. Comparing its march towards progress, where any collateral damage seems acceptable towards the proposed shining progress.
I can see your point and it's very insightful. The hero's journey is incredibly prevalent in myth, literature and religious narrative, and I agree with you that it leads to a very outcome-based approach to life. Thank you for giving me something to chew on!
Hey Leanne! Just to add that Ursula Le Guin’s essay ‘The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction’ was one of the things that first set me thinking about the connection between the hero’s journey and the thrusting linearity that finds its extreme form in industrial modernity.
I can't remember if Riane Eisler's Chalice and the Blade uses the machine metaphor but it seems like this is right in her wheelhouse. Beautiful work, Caroline. It turned me away from the publish button to take more time and care with some work.
I have not read that, thanks for the heads-up.
This is a beautiful invocation, Caroline, a call to writers to hone our craft in a war-torn time. As you say, we are always at war somewhere. Let us try to touch that place with beautiful words. You've done that here. Thank you.
Hi Leanna, thanks for your comments. I actually am not mentioning the 'hero's journey'. I am talking about the 'myth of the hero', by which I meant the idea that a lone person is the saviour of a situation, or is the only important protagonist in a story. I also touched on this last week in 'No Hero'. The 'hero's journey' is another, related, kettle of fish, but don't necessarily feel qualified to talk about. I hope that helps clarify things.
My hands/gaze/heart-shield softened seeing your carvings. They’re really beautiful. Part of me suddenly believes I too could carve a small bowl one day, sanding it softly while whispering sounds of thanks into the wood. A vessel for sharing, for friendship and communion. Yes, this is something I’d love to learn and more so, give myself into.
You absolutely can carve something! These were all my first pieces done under the eye of Joe O'Leary. If you are in UK, I totally recommend his craft (and all the other) workshops at https://wilderness-survival.co.uk/
This was a good tonic. Thank you so much!