The Vico road goes round to meet where terms begin.
James Joyce, Finnegan's Wake
I am happy (?) to say, I have happened upon the Delphic dourness of Beckett's aesthetic criticism. I admire the way in which Beckett disapostrophises Subject and Object to realise the unrealisable. Beckett sank behind his 'quiescent periods', behind a dirty window. Yet, his Dante... Bruno... Vico. Joyce . . traces the circumference - the circuity of the Monad.
He sees a bright lamp; in jest at himself views the Soul in a "glass darkly"..
'There is no difference, says Bruno, between the smallest possible chord and the smallest possible arc, no difference between the infinite circle and the straight line. The maxima and minima of particular contraries are one and indifferent. Minimal heat equals minimal cold. Consequently transmutations are circular. The principle (minimum) of one contrary takes its movement from the principle (maximum) of one another. Therefore not only do the minima coincide with the minima, the maxima with the maxima, but the minima with the maxima in the succession of transmutations. Maximal speed is a state of rest. The maximum of corruption and the minimum of generation are identical: in principle, corruption is generation. And all things are ultimately identified with God, the universal monad, Monad of monads'...
No comments:
Post a Comment