On why some creatures are interesting
July 12th 2007 03:24
Sea spiders found off Antarctica matter more to us if we're told they have a 70cm leg span.
And even if we know we'll never encounter them.
They're still big enough to affect us. -- The knowledge is irrationally practical.
***
The Enigma, of Jim Rose fame
Part of the point, the reason for interest, seems to be that you can extrapolate information, and you can guesstimate the possible.
Adults are frequently numb to the new, but never entirely lose a taste for freaks. -- For bearded ladies, dwarves and giants, siamese twins, deformities and mutations. And for tortures and mutilations of every kind -- burnings, squashings, piercings, cuttings. How the human animal reacts under these conditions and what it looks like. Gladiatorial arena to public execution to horror movie. The point of seeing a soldier decapitated by a machine gun is as much curiosity as bloodlust, and as much educational as sadistic.
***
The most exciting zoo and aquarium creatures are the large ones, and the weird ones.
The fascination of dinosaurs -- they combine the two.
***
The creature might awaken something, cause you to respond, like an animal trait in acting.
We could be wired (by evolution, by society) to react -- with fear, delight, compassion, arousal.
***
Or without an identifiable emotion or response, you might discover that the creature grips the imagination.
The hawk moth, of Darwinian fame
You might find yourself dwelling on what it's like to be or to be around it.
Or you might realize that you're meditating, obsessing -- devouring each detail, each image, examining it, weighing it up, sucking the meaning and symbolism from it -- devouring any clue that gives insight into way of life -- the smallest biographical snippet.
A frilled shark scouting the darkness 1500m below sea level. A hawk moth sucking nectar through a 30cm proboscis.
***
Video of the frilled shark sighted on 21 January 2007: --
***
... Sucking the symbolism, dwelling on the detail, as if the real-life creature were a literary creation.
| Close by the murmur of a stream and the glitter of the light on the wavelets and ripples of the water you may expect to find some Emanglons.
The Emanglons feel constantly scratched by the murmur of the little leaps of stream water, -- scratched and immediately afterwards healed. Beside running water, indeed, they can be seen to best advantage. Like convalescents, still a little sick but on the road to cure, they are open with the world, and it is not impossible that, if the stream bounds and cascades a good deal, and is as enervating as one could wish (although modest and kept in its little channel), it is not impossible that they may take an interest in you and address you politely. Then you can feel the pleasure emanating from them. But since they are not accustomed to express themselves, especially with strangers, there comes from them, along with a few words, a more fulsome clucking noise, containing no doubt the most excellent sentiments. |
-- Henri Michaux, Selected writings, 1968, translated by Richard Ellmann
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Comment by Anonymous
Comment by Anonymous
Comment by Adrian
Philosophy Blog
Tasty when fried...
Comment by Damo
For the Sake of Argument
My Apologetics
Comment by Lily
Ars Poetica
As usual, the human creatures have to kill their findings.
Loved Henry Michaux, delightful writing.
~Lily
Comment by Lara M
Love Speaks
Comment by Adrian
Philosophy Blog
Dear Lily -- have you read any Michaux before? -- There seems to be a whole weird not very well known "prose poem" tradition, including Russell Edson in the US, and going back at least to Baudelaire.
I don't particularly like most "normal" poetry, but I'm kind of addicted to prose poem anthologies.
Dear Lara -- Thanks for the visit! Though I should warn you that anything in the post is very speculative, so your guess is as good as mine how the human brain is wired.
Comment by Miswanderlust
Killer Beats
Ramble On
Hipnotherapy
Wonderful post.... Your points are well made. We all hunger for the freaks. We are hypnotized by them. The bar is so high now.... kind of scary....
Mis
That is one big ass squid!