Too much meaning is bad at Toussaint.Reason must sleep, said Christabel. The stories come before the meanings, I said. As I said, reason must sleep, she said again. I do not believe all these explanations. They diminish. The idea of Woman is less than brilliant Vivien, and the idea of Merlin will not allegorise into male wisdom. He is Merlin
In A.S. Byatt's "Possession," the characters explore the tension between meaning and narrative. Christabel asserts that reason must take a backseat, suggesting that the exploration of stories should precede the search for deeper meanings. This indicates a belief that overanalyzing can undermine the richness of a narrative.
The discussion reveals that attempting to distill complex ideas, such as femininity and masculinity, into simplistic interpretations fails to capture their true essence. Rather than seeking to allegorize characters like Merlin into archetypes, it is important to appreciate them in their entirety, as each narrative element contributes significantly to the overall experience.
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All the things you can talk about in anyone's work are the things that are least important.
Race of Cain, ascend to heaven, And cast God down upon the earth!
