Dialogue

Instead of thinking only logic
should be promoter of opinions,
perhaps we should be dialogic,
not treating others as dominions
to be convinced by us so we may conquer,
but act as an impartial witness
to thoughts for which our friends may hanker
with logic seeming to lack fitness.
Let us therefore embrace uncertainties
without attempting to impose solutions,
for we should not feel forced on days we seize
to move from their beginnings to conclusions.


gershon hepner:

The idea of Keats

After my blog entry from last night, I was reading further into the novel and found a fascinating passage, considering what I discussed in my previous entry. I mentioned my suspicion concerning the role of “willing suspension of disbelief” in the solidification of the daemon's form. I have a feeling that I will keep finding evidence for this connection, especially since I'm looking for it, but this passage particularly struck me. “...Capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason.” This dialogue occurs when Dr. Malone quotes Keats while explaining the process one must undergo in order to visualize dust. Of course, Lyra is already familiar with this process from her use of the alethiometer. But it clearly demonstrates a connection between dust and the “willing suspension of disbelief” This, in turn, is connected to the accumulation of dust as one ages, and this may be further connected to the solidification of the daemon's form. As I read on I may come to some differing conclusions, but it is an interesting topic to ponder. Here is the letter in which Keats discusses his theory of negative capability:

I had not a dispute but a disquisition with Dilke, on various subjects; several things dovetailed in my mind, & at once it struck me, what quality went to form a Man of Achievement especially in literature & which Shakespeare possessed so enormously - I mean Negative Capability, that is when man is capable of being in uncertainties, Mysteries, doubts without any irritable reaching after fact & reason.
-John Keats

The Daemon, as it is

Reading Phillip Pulman's His Dark Materials has spurred in me a lot of contemplation concerning the nature of the daemon. My first reaction, when first introduced to the idea, was that the daemon served as an embodiment of the unconscious. This first reaction has since been solidified upon further reading of the novel.

On page 143 there is a passage where Lyra conveys the misery of having your daemon separated from you: “It was such a strange tormenting feeling when your daemon was pulling at the link between you; part physical pain deep in the chest, part intense sadness and love.” This inherent interconnectedness between human and daemon demonstrated in this passage seems consistent as a symbol for the unconscious. Humans are connected to their unconscious in an intimate way. The unconscious influences your every move. But, you are also disconnected from your unconscious. It is part of you, but the vast majority of the time you are unaware of its influence on you. It is this separation, between a being and his or her unconscious, that I think Pullman was trying to convey by embodying the unconscious within another being. Creating a powerful connection – a connection that partly decides the identity of the human, while simultaneously emphasizing the separation by embodying the unconscious within a being unique to the human.

Shortly after the passage cited above, there is a description of Pantalaimon – Lyra's daemon – guiding Lyra toward Iorek Byrnison as he runs away: “She did run, though, and Pantalaimon flew up as a seagull to watch where the bear went and called down to tell her where to follow.” This bear, essential to Lyra in her mission north, is found only with the help of Lyra's daemon. However unaware of our unconscious we remain, it is constantly guiding us in our decisions and life. I think this serves as another parallel between the daemon and unconscious.

In Monday's class, we discussed the reason for the solidification of the daemon's form as the human makes the transition from childhood to adulthood. Some ideas were thrown around, and it was said that this was maybe due to a sexual maturation, an accumulation of experiences, or falling in love with the opposite sex. Granted, I have not finished the novel, but I was unsatisfied with these suggestions. I envisioned the change occurring as a consequence of losing the “willing suspension of disbelief.” As humans grow, there is a transition where we become more skeptical of the world. It is much harder to suspend our disbelief, much less willingly. I think that it is this transition responsible for the daemon's figure, and considering how prevalent this theme is within children's literature, it seems like a plausible suggestion...more on this later.