Interpreting Literature

By Roger Colins

I actually have a great deal to say on this subject but for the sake of the reader's eyes I'll try as always to keep things as short and concise as possible.

I've finished and published The Post Office part one so should anyone have an electronic viewing device and an interest in spy thrillers, feel free to check it out from Amazon here.

You can also follow the link in the top right of this page for the other posts I've made on the book. I'll be sending off a few emails to fiction agents in the coming week so with a little luck you might even be able to pick up a copy in paperback, some time.


A Depressing Finish

I always imagined that upon finishing any work of an immense mass, there would be some sort of satisfaction involved but upon encountering this particular experience, nothing could be farther from the truth.

Now, I strongly believe in the initial premise for writing this book. I still believe it is the finest thing I have done and am confident that with time and a few follow up novels it find will a small modicum of success. I do not feel that there is nothing more to do. Sometimes this odd depression can arise as there may be an emptiness in the realisation that I don't know what I am going to do next. It is difficult to explain but that is after all, the whole point.

I have felt no accomplishment in finishing this book because it works. I wrote the whole thing from beginning to end for myself and as far as I am concerned I hit the bullseye, I would have accepted nothing less.

The depression stems from the fact that I will never get to read it for the first time and seems something not too far removed from suicide. There's a lingering irony and humour there somewhere and can't help but assume I'd actually feel better if it gets panned by the critics, as I would have my evidence that it was not understood.

Alas, I suppose I should have seen this coming but since I did not, it is worthwhile leaving a brief caution for those that endeavour to do likewise and write for themselves.


Insanity

One theme I have included in the book was on perspective. We have all heard that a painting can tell a thousand words but a book, can have a million different perspectives. The plasticity of the brain just shifts things around when we go through a bunch of sentences. Even scientists and reporting journalists will get comments and feedback that go right from one end of the spectrum to the other.

It appears utterly pointless to hear interpretations of literature because each person's interpretation is going to be different. Sure, one can share thoughts and point out bits that another missed but there we have it again, that first read.

The first time is not only irreplaceable but unchangeable as well. Therefore, what I have attempted to do in the most studious way is to write something that can be read differently the second time. In doing this, my hope is that all that do read it will find their own personal interpretation entirely separated from all others, as well as find something new with each follow up read.

Having said that, there is more. I also kept the prose, rhythm and style quite linear. This, in order that the first read is not damaged and, so that we might be able to appreciate just how fallible literature really is.

Even though I wrote this in military fashion, even though I sorted through grammar books and thesaurus's and the greats to ensure that there is nothing, not one word in the document that can be misinterpreted, underneath there is a universe for each individual.

Consider those books and novels that are, dubious. The book with a turn of phrase, a saying or proverb or quote of wisdom, a life affirmation to elicit some sort of emotional response. If my book turns to water then these others must turn to plasma.

Words are not thoughts. Collect a few words together and you'll get a picture but move some around and the picture changes. We all have our own way of attaching words to a thought and even though we may wish that they be uniform, they are not. Not even close. Us English speakers should consider ourselves lucky with our million word vocabulary and gold medal eloquence factor but compare that stunning accomplishment of human history to the brain in your skull, would be to compare a letter to an alphabet.


#literature #ThePostOffice #interpretation

The Aesthetic Grave

By Roger Colins

I'm one and always have been one for aesthetics. The small touches, the effort that goes unnoticed but has profound effect.  What I find is interesting to be alive now is for the most part the misrepresentation the media enforces. When I look around the places I go, I see those that believe what they are given and those that do not. Unbiased attitude is a rarity. These days, not many people don't believe certain things. Everything is within the realm of acceptability, the leap from that which is possible to that which is reasonable is in a word, short. My generation were probably the last of a long succession of generations that were educated about aesthetics. Old Age We used fountain pens, learnt Latin, we remember what the last elements of the classed system in Britain was like. At least I do. This is the sort of thing that has been bled by the media. You used to get people sending in poems to the British newspapers instead of sudoku, for example. Crosswords and prizewinners are still there so demand for aesthetics has merely been transformed into something else. Something more, profitable. The common man would read over a poem and appreciate it's worth of how it fit together, complimented the concept the body was dealing with. Even though, as the world I now live in reaches the end of the X generation, one I am still very much a part of, I shall never give up the heritage I possess passed down to me by those which came before. Remember the old war stories Grandpa used to prattle on about? I do. The heritage I possess is never going to change, but the environment I live in, most certainly is. A Better New Many people give up what they once understood to be true for the idea that what is 'new' is better. Perhaps it is a natural survival mechanism to adapt but adapt is not the same as improve. I do not believe it is any better, merely different. I prefer a fountain pen to the latest mobile phone, for certain purposes, whereas most would argue the mobile phone is superior in every way. Two of my favourite quotes come to mind.  - 'The spirit of an age is something that is lost. Even though one would like to turn back time to that of one hundred years or more, it can not be done. It is therefore important to make the most of one's own generation.' - 'Someone said a person from another village has a rowdy character and that all people from that place are rowdies. Another man said that if he did not have that disposition he would not be from that place. It is because of their rowdy character that place is what it is. One should be proud of where they come from or others will think badly of all people from that place.' Yamamoto Tsunetomo What it is to live in this world at the moment is one of holding on to what is deemed valuable.  The little things are of value as the big things of where to live, who to marry, what job to take are all inconsequential. How my drink is poured, that my mind and body is sharp and what the weather is like today are things, that being alive now is all about.  Though, if the world were of a hundred years ago, I would probably not care for such aesthetics as much as I do, for they would be less likely to change. Cognition Existence is a learning process. A master is a person that has come to understand that the appropriation, the learning of ones art may it be music, painting, dancing or literature is never ending and that as much as we can learn can we only teach, until the day we die.  Teaching is the most honourable profession but only under the circumstances that you only convey what you truly believe and are not passing off other peoples ideas as your own unless you fully agree with them. Skill is an altogether separate entity.  I've been sketching all my life and started out as a babe with a little bit of talent. There were times when I lost it, didn't understand how I thought I had already learnt something.  Later on, would realise I had forgotten my talent or it didn't quite operate the same way as before however, a few years ago I came to a point where the grain of the paper came into play.  I had previously, always thought that paper was flat and I didn't have to worry about it up until this discovery that in order to get my sketch the way I wanted it, I had to sharpen up my pencil, apply feather light millimetre strokes and begin filling in the grain of the paper.  Upon embarking upon this arduous task of concentration to add patches to shade here and there, I saw something quite startling.  The human feature in light; as a mass of interconnected spheres. Three dimensions set upon two dimensional plain, perfectly round, with light bouncing off in all imaginable angles.  In any light; a candle or a thousand floodlights, in any position, standing bolt upright or the foetal position, the full white edge of a sphere may graze the arm pit and the antipodal shadow meet the chin, or hip, or naval. Therein exist smaller spheres in the shadow from the palest grey to the hardest black edge. This I know for I have observed and remember how to look for it. From that, existence along with all other related concepts have no meaning for contemplation.  Each human and every living being is perfectly spherical, three dimensional with, height, length, depth and time assisted change of energy, these fundamentals of existence.  Comprehension  Belief is a powerful thing, no doubt. Faith is, on the other hand, possessing the ability to say; 'I might be wrong'. A humility used to further understanding, a faith, that there is more. I will not believe anything until I am sure I'm willing to agree that it exists. Should I fail to disprove it, it exists. At least until I can disprove it. Belief or faith in something that isn't even available to be dis-proven, is not belief, it is ignorance, denial, the instinct for survival, fear of the unknown and corruption of spirit. Should there be any such entity known as God or Gods or not, it does not matter because either way, nature is perfect and if deities do exist, they do not have to meddle in the day to day happenings of you and me as they, being Gods, will have taken care of it all at the beginning. I like to think of life as a son of light but it is not a faith nor belief. Star dust smashed together, subdivided and grown from. However! I understand the limitless nature of the mind. If the Hindus worship and believe in many different Gods and the Romans each had their own Gods for their homes and they all believe they exist then I think it possible the power of the mind has enough potential influence to create them. 'If God didn't exist man would have to create him.' That if one believes strongly enough in something, adds enough time, it will come to pass for the better or worse. I believe in and have faith in persistence for I have observed and tested it, all by myself. Perspective Relativity. I also believe in feelings, not to be confused with emotion but heart, conscience. They guide us towards that which is true and good. Again, not from something an old man has told me or for it has been done this way, in this culture, in this religion, in this town, in this family, for a thousand years but because I have stepped out into the world and tested it myself. Now I know, now I believe and now I have faith. There is always going to be more to learn and if there wasn't then those that are arrogant enough to cast judgement over another shall find themselves without purpose and die from the lack of will to drink water, find shelter, eat, share and warm themselves under the sun or by a fire. If one can tap, directly into the mind, then the thoughts take their leave. It takes a mind that can quiet the voices of memory and hypothesis to hear the peace of mind that knows it knows, and is silent. Energy is harnessed and movement is fluid without the conscious minds cue. Purpose Meaning should be to make as many people happy as possible but, it's probably to experience what love, hate and enlightenment are. One could argue that without insanity you couldn't have enlightenment. Some would say it's to reproduce, keep breeding until one day the progenitors find world peace and it all would have been worth it. Meaning may be something more, personal. It has different perspectives, ideas and reasons. Service for instance, to serve is the best thing one can do with his or her life but if we could just admit when we're wrong, throw up our hands and admit we don't know, offer what we have to give amongst each other then we'd eventually all be content. It's of course not that simple but sharing is undoubtedly of great importance. Giving what you have or at the very least, the offering of it is meaningful to the human condition, a benevolence. For what we're here for is each for us to decide. We are here to shape our darkness around our light. Understanding The making sense of it all. I do what I can. I've tried to start exercising a bit, now and then and if I do a full arm curl it hurts so I'm doing half arm curls and I can go on for ages.  I can talk someone into feeling better, I can talk someone into depression, we all can but I choose not to use my talent, that way.  Some things are not as easy as others but, I do what I can. I choose not to do certain things because these things go against my feelings, the feelings I have for others and dedicate my personality to kindness in order to save myself the trouble of guilt or shame.  Sometimes I fail in my choices. I try to do the best with what I have got but I do not feel bad when I make a mistake. On the contrary, I am elated because I'm granted an opportunity to add to my learning in order to spot and avoid the same mistake a second time.  If I make a mistake a second time then I will, feel disappointed with myself.  Condition, is living in the moment without worry about the past or the future, thinking for now and being attentive. Soon there will be nothing but the present moment to worry about and peace of mind will be found.  Peace of mind is what we're all really looking for. Something that is cool, calm and relaxed. Where there's no worry for having too much work to do or being so bored from having no work to do.  A firm balance where the mind can rest, enjoy peace. These are aesthetics, the last post on the subject I shall make and quite possibly the last voyage into the understanding of the smaller things that have influence upon the larger.  ________________________________________________________ Bigger may be better but for now, I put my heart in aesthetics.

aesthetics philosophy meaning faith  belief