Dissertation proposal

Dissertation proposal abstract:

Short story/creative piece analysis

Jennifer Richards

Introduction

Throughout history there have been three prominent themes among humanity; universal topics that plague our minds almost constantly. The first being the potential existence of a divine power, and what our role is relative to it. The second being, how our human lives are simultaneously incomprehensible and crushingly simplistic. Lastly, the endless and militant search for a scapegoat of our transgressions against the world and each other. My dissertation is a short story that explores these ideas in a poetic narrative; outlining the flawed beauty of our species as well as an existential question of celestial power, but most importantly, what it means to be human. Combining the use of romanticised imagery, under the influence of writers such as Emily Bronte, J. R. R. Tolkien and George Elliot. As Tolkien once said: “I wanted to create a poetic legend that I felt England lacked.” I intend to draw upon the framework of ancient mythology and modern philosophy to create my own poetic legend, humanity's origin story and a tale of our demise. Looking to the work of Soren Kierkegaard and his influence on authors such as Samuel Beckett, my narrative shall retain a realist approach with an absurdist feel to it, exploring and experimenting with the mysteries of our universe and the tragic beauty of humanity. Balancing tones of whimsy and macabre to tell the tale of mortal gods. There is no existence more flawed and breathtaking than the apparent immortality of the human race.

Use of imagery

Being a writer that is heavily drawn to imagery, it is my firm belief that storytelling can exist beyond subtext, one could go as far as to say that it is our duty to paint a picture with the use of language. For this reason I am studying the work of authors Tolkien, Emily Bronte and George Elliot; three mavericks in the realms of poetic narratives and fantastical imagery. Famously, Tolkien plays with folklore based sagas and mythology to convey the monstrous violence of humanity side by side with our courageous heroism. His use of straightforward language and poetic symbolism that worked to project his fantasy landscapes and epic adventures into our minds follows suit of the sagas that he studied during his years lecturing at Oxford. The methods he uses to describe various events or places stay true to the archaic origins of storytelling; great influences for him included the Poetic Edda and Beowulf, the latter of which he analysed vociferously, few know how to capture a scene in the way that Tolkien did. However it is not just his power to invent the most beautiful of landscapes that I will be citing as influence for my dissertation; during his times serving in the trenches of the Second World War, he used his extensive knowledge on European and Scandinavian folklore to piece together his own world. The Elven languages of Sindarin and Quenya were created there, in the darkest and most desperate of times any human has been known to endure. It is this unfaltering spark that he held on to, contrasted with the bleak lifestyle of an early 20^th century soldier, where death was waiting in every breath, that I will be working to continue in my own work. The fleeting and fragile aspects of life, as referenced by Joseph Conrad, who I will be discussing later, the effervescence that can shine its brightest in tandem with a grim mortality, this is a key element of imagery that will make itself known throughout my short story. Looking now at Emily Bronte, her descriptive tools and talent is that which goes beyond painting a picture, it captures the exact moment, as if it's you experiencing it. The heavily romanticised rural aspects of England, bringing about an essence of drama to a country largely considered as dull, her ability to create a wicked beauty out of everything is a skill that I intend to incorporate into my piece. As humans, every lifelong experience is sensory; it is my goal to bring forward that sensory experience so that the reader need not try to imagine. They're already there. Without the distractions of modern life, technology, family, work, what else do the characters of my story have to do but experience the moment, indulge in the beauty, find it everywhere, and see themselves patterned in the world around them. Another key aspect of Emily Bronte that I am working with; having the landscape, the aspects of the physical world, reflect the emotions or personas of her characters. It ties into the pagan mythology that I will be playing around with; that mortal mankind and ethereal earth are connected in every sense of the word. Lastly, we have George Elliot, with her revolutionary attitude toward Judaism and its culture, revolutionary for its time anyway. During a century where anti-semitism was at an all time high for England, she studied Jewish culture until she fell in love with it. Her novel Daniel Deronda has been cited as unusually sympathetic towards Judaism and Jewish culture, much like Alexander McCall Smith, it is this outsider's impression and interest in a foreign religion, society, race, etc. that I value for this piece. Especially one that has faced the worst of discrimination and violence against them. Starting as an outsider, she soon became about as assimilated into their world as any non Semite can be, and the aforementioned novel used in some religious practises. However it is more than her mentality toward other cultures that I will be drawing upon; her imagery flowers before one's eyes in such a remarkable way. The subject matter of her work is far less poetic and musical, yet the analysis of a character's surroundings, their thoughts, feelings, again, their sensory experience is highly inspirational to me. There's a certain refined eye for detail, Emily Bronte's language is more akin to the work of John Everett Malais, whereas George Elliot's wording reminds me of the illustrations of Paul Kidby. Both have a vocal and melodic style of imagery, however one is more effervescent, classic yet wild, the other is far more modern, detailed and rich.

Existentialist themes

In regards to subject matter, the existentialist movement holds a huge influence on my work. Looking at playwrights such as Samuel Beckett and William Shakespeare I intend to follow suit of absurdist themes to convey a sense of mystery and at the same time futility in endeavours. Beginning with the annihilation of mankind, and following on to the transformation of the Gods, my framework includes both simple quests that the gods, as mortals, task themselves with, as well as greater searches for a higher meaning in life. The philosopher Soren Kierkegaard has been credited with pioneering the existentialist movement, influencing the aforementioned Samuel Beckett and a whole new realm of theatre and literature. “His arsenal of rhetoric includes irony, satire, parody, humour, polemic and a dialectical method of "indirect communication"” Kierkegaard's work epitomises the balance and at times struggle humans face with the day to day and the bigger picture. From the great philosophical question posed in Shakespeare's Hamlet “To be, or not to be”, this contrast between upmost simplicity and abyssal wonder is exactly the notion that, not only inspired much of his work, but will preface and outline the ideas posed in mine. In the one of the earlier portions of my story, one of the characters meets a swift and untimely demise; turning his powers as a god into a great hindrance in mortal form. Not only does this put forth the idea of what it means to be human and our potential connection to the divine; “for they say man was created in the image of the Gods”, but it forces the reader to recognise the fickle aspects of life, impending death and how our greatest strengths can also be our greatest weaknesses. This highlights the constant internal struggle we all face, in regards to who we are, what our role is and whether or not one exists for us at all. While throughout my tale, characters will have tasks to see to and goals they set, my main idea is to allude to a sense of pointlessness; the reader will never know if a conclusion will be given, whether or not there is an ending. In life as in death, we cannot ever be fully aware of this. In Samuel Beckett's screenplay, 'Waiting for Godot', the protagonists spend their time in a type of purgatory, suspended from time, location and progress. It is this concept of crushing futility and aimlessness that has inspired me the most. However unlike this play, structure was needed, a regiment, a small sense of progress, in the most menial of forms. The juxtaposition between the two concepts is what creates the balance that I desire. Much like Tolkien, it was my goal to create my own world, yet unlike Middle Earth the world I wanted to create did not serve as a location, a metaphor or a setting. It is my intention to use it as a concept, a protean atmosphere that moves and breathes as we do. Looking now at another great influence: Joseph Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness', as I mentioned before a concept I wanted to convey was the futility and fragility of life and humanity, as is expressed in this novel: “We live in the flicker -- may it last as long as the old earth keeps rolling! But darkness was here yesterday.” - Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness, mankind's existence is barely touched upon as it is rinsed from the world in the blink of an eye; a year following that and plans for a new human race come into action, another year yet and some have already perished, some are lost, some are born anew. In every wake of new beginnings and endings in my dissertation, there is the constant thundering doom tracking behind. Much like the dying breath of a star, or the first buds of spring, there is a constant cycle that only Humans ignore. Looking more now at the subject matter of Conrad's novel; his illumination of mankind's transgressions and violence against one another is a pressing theme I wish to continue. For none is more savage and merciless than man, and even the gods are not exempt.

Conclusion

And so to conclude; after having discussed the various aspects of my dissertation, from structure and language to subject matter and themes, I shall leave you with the premise in its entirety. As previously mentioned, my story begins with the destruction of mankind. Seen as a festering plague upon the earth, the Gods bring forth an insurgence of destruction in the hopes of peace. They are quick to realise however the discord that this stirs up in their pantheons; humanity was a sort of lightning rod for their flaws, with it gone, war was impending. After devising a plan to give them a new perspective, in the hopes of dissipating chaos, all but two of the Gods descend unto earth to live a century as mortals. Their new beginning is captured with a particular scene: the Japanese sun goddess Ameterasu finds herself in southern Hokkaido, spring, for the first time she feels the warmth of the sun on her skin, the dewy blades of grass between her toes, the still bitter winds of winter. I chose this scene to write particularly because it captures the moment where, as mortals, two of the Gods experience beauty first hand and are overcome with a sense of anagnorisis; they were wrong. I briefly touch upon Yemaya's (aka Yemoja) first few months in Nigeria, how, because of her limited capabilities as a mortal learning the land, she garners frustration at her lack of synchronisation with the waters, especially under the blistering African heat that she is so unaccustomed to. This portion of my story depicts segments of the first year, beginning in spring with Ameterasu, rising into Summer with Yemaya, descending through autumn, where we encounter Athena and Artemis in Athens, and finally cascading into the pitch of winter following the stories of the Norse pantheon; Loki, Thor, Odin, Hel, Freja and Frigg, fighting to survive the merciless Norwegian winters in Ostmarka. As previously mentioned, the incidents and events of the story will remain relatively uneventful and mundane; this is a tale of self discovery, existential mystery and interpersonal relationships. The focus will weigh more on philosophical themes and social interactions. As the story progresses, the characters will build lives for themselves, set out on quests, and possibly perish or reproduce. Or both. For example: Athena's self appointed task is to bring back electricity to the world; she felt that the lights twinkling away on Earth were stars, to her, the ones now above seem too cold and distant, and thus she journeys to Artemis to gain knowledge and devise a scheme. Hel intends on unlocking the secrets of ancient Norse magic, and Chimata-no-Kami sets off on a trek around Hokkaido to map out the various walkways and locations. To summarise; my dissertation will provide an alternative origin story for mankind, as well as an end. Embodying the forever protean cycle of the universe.

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