Day 9

Absent: Kenny, Ash, Carly, Kaitlin, Chip

Notes:
Reading from opening of "Lillian" by David Cale.

Part 1 moves through 3 different ideas:
1) Chrysanthemums
2) Overheard conversation re: depression
3) Idea of our lives unfolding according to a kind of order or plan.

Discussion of story a structure as a set of verbs rather than nouns
instead of: beginning, middle, end
think: to place, to reveal, to relate.

In this sense, the opening section of "Lillian" involves the action of placing: contextualizing the story by presenting us with a metaphor (chrysanthemums) and a query (does life make sense after all?)

Consider the idea that all metaphors are experientially based. For more: Lakoff & Johnson "Metaphors We Live By"

As such, is it possible that also, all story-thinking (ie. narrative mind) derives from experience. How is the world at large informing us about the shape and action of stories? For example: the cycle of caterpillar/chrysalis/butterfly contains much that we consider basic to story structure: b/m/e, a primary character, a period of trouble ("the dark night of the soul") and transformation/metamorphosis.

We attempted unsuccessfully to listen to "Moby Dude" by David Ives.

In re: the concept of "spelling", I suggested we consider the science of combinatorics as it might relate to the art of telling a story. In "Lillian" we see a combinatorial in the way certain elements are presented in sequence, resulting in a unified work: composition. Remember: tell comes from tally: to count.