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Risky Regencies now presents…
a Cara King gone mad production… of
Jane Austen’s “BATMAN.”
When Batman and the Joker were alone, the former, who had been cautious in his threats to the arch-villain before, expressed just how very much he was in opposition to him.
“You are just what a young man should not be,” said Batman, “nonsensical, bad-humoured, lively; and I never saw such intemperate manners!–so much ease, with such perfect bad breeding!”
“I am also handsome,” replied the Joker, “which a young villain ought likewise to be, if he possibly can. My character is thereby complete.”
“I was very much angered the other day by your asking me to choose who was to live, and who to die. I did not expect such an insult.”
“Did not you? And yet it nonetheless occurred. But that is one great difference between us. Chaos always take YOU by surprise, and ME never. What could be more natural than me asking you to compromise your principles, your integrity, your commitment to never varying your facial expression? I could not help seeing that you were about five times as self-righteous as every other man in Gotham City. No thanks to my perspicacity for that. Well, you certainly are very noticeable, and I give you leave to wear your unbending suit of petroleum derivatives as much as you please. You could have worn many a stupider costume.”
“I do not understand you!”
“Oh! you are a great deal too apt, you know, to expect people to think as you do. You always see a fault in anybody who enjoys mayhem. All the world should be good and orderly in your eyes. I never heard you showing tolerance to actual human nature in your life.”
“I would not wish to be hasty in censuring anyone; but I always confront those I judge criminal.”
“I know you do; and it is THAT which makes the wonder. With YOUR keen intelligence, to be so honestly blind to the follies and nonsense of law and order! Affectation of honesty is common enough–one meets with it everywhere. But to be a crusader full of ostentation and design–to take the bad of everybody’s character and make it cause for action, and monotone muttering–belongs to you alone. And so you dislike the way in which I conduct myself, do you? My manners are not equal to Harvey Dent’s?”
“Certainly not–at first. He is a very pleasing man when you converse with him. But Miss Dawes has a wish to live with Mr. Dent, and keep his house; and I am much mistaken if I shall not find him a less charming man if she does.”
Cara
Cara King, who could use an Alfred to look after her books
In the September issue of The Romance Writers Report, the monthly magazine of The Romance Writers of America) there is an article by Eric Maisel about Beating the Writer’s Blues.
Eric Maisel is a renowned author of 30 books, most about creativity and writing. He’s a psychotherapist, who now confines his practice to creativity coaching. He has an impressive resume and I liked a lot of what he said about dealing with the depressive feelings that often plague writers.
Maisel is careful to advise a medical evaluation for depression that continues or seems severe, and that is good. He acknowledges the existence of depression that his biologically based and the efficacy of antidepressant medication.
Before I became a romance author, I was a mental health therapist in a County mental health program for senior adults. Statistics show that nearly 25 per cent of people over age 60 experience some sort of depression, so I had quite a bit of exposure to depression and its treatment. I am certainly not putting myself forward as an expert on depression but I did have enough experience to develop my own point of view on the subject.
Maisel says: “(Creative people) experience depression simply because we are caught up in a struggle to make life meaningful to us. People for whom meaning is no problem are less likely to experience depression.” Maisel suggests that creative people–writers–are different; their depressions are rooted in “meaning” problems. I just don’t agree with this. I don’t think that writers are “special.” I think we have special skills, the skill of story-telling, but so do mechanics have special skills. I don’t think that only creative people search for the meaning of life.
How can I say that a mechanic does not have problems with the meaning of his life? Why would a mechanic not have a journey similar to the example Maisel gives of an author whose crisis of meaning tumbles him into depression? I’ll bet I could come up with a scenario for a mechanic that would mirror that example. Or a salesclerk. Or a factory worker.
I’m not fond of hearing authors (mostly literary) speak as if their creativity somehow makes them different from the rest of the world. I see that tone a lot in the daily literary quotes that show up on my Google page. On the other hand, I understand this feeling, this need to be special, and to value the skills that are perhaps only shared by a minority of mankind. It’s just that I believe that there are many ways to be special and writing is only one of them. If I were a mechanic, I would hope to feel very proud of my mechanical skills.
In 1946 Viktor Frankl, one of the early thinkers in existential psychology, wrote Man’s Search for Meaning, a work that came from his experiences in a Concentration Camp. Frankl observed that all people search for meaning in their lives, and that even in that hellish, hopeless environment, people still had choices. They could still choose their attitude, how they thought about what they experienced, the meaning they attributed to their life. He quotes Nietzsche’s words, “He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how.”
So I’m with Frankl. We all search for meaning in our lives.
Nor do I believe that being a creative person, like a writer, means that one is more prone to depression than the general population. I went looking on the internet to see what the current thinking is on this and especially to see what research has found. Apparently some studies link creativity and bipolar illness (manic-depressive illness; one of the depressive illnesses), but there appears to be no clear link between other forms of depression and creativity.
I do suspect that the creative writer is better able–and more likely–to describe his or her experience.
One thing was clear in the articles I read. Treatment enhanced creativity in depressed creative persons. I think it would be a treat to have a creativity coach like Maisel, but, really, a good psychotherapist should be able to help.
I promise I won’t “talk psychology” a lot on this blog but this was a topic I could not resist.
So….what do you think? Do you think that creative persons’ depressions are a crisis of meaning that is different than what other people experience? (Or dare you disagree with Diane???) Do you have any theories or beliefs about depression?
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Friday! First week of school for the Nine Year-Old! A friend visiting unexpectedly!
A brand new pedicure!
No, wait–back to explaining why I am barely posting today . . . I did some insanity with flip-flops, an overlarge bedspread and my knee, so I am hobbling around and things are taking longer than usual. Including posting (how this has anything to do with my computer and my hands is MY SECRET).
Anyway. I am off to the free hours at the Museum of Modern Art, and I leave you with plenty of excuses and no substance.
Do you have a favorite modern artist? Do you like modern art at all? Do you hate flip-flops with the same passion I do now?
Do you see a theme here recently? I do. We’re returning to our homes after the excitement and excursions of the summer and normal life is picking up again.
Despite starting at a new job this week, this is pretty much how I feel. For the first time I’m about to get an office, and have been engaged in a slum clearance project on my daughter’s room. Yes, she moved out. Yes, a large amount of stuff was left behind. I plucked out books and useful stuff from the debris and started to spackle. And spackle some more. And sand. Looked at it in the morning light (it faces east and south) and discovered some more holes in the wall I missed, but unfortunately at that point I was putting on primer.
My husband peered through the doorway after I was done for the day and pointed out places I’d missed. He’s so helpful like that.
And the end result? Probably not like this. I just find this a wee bit pretentious, as much as I like Wedgwood, and my room is much, much smaller. I also doubt whether I’ll have the time or patience to become a master plasterer and this does look rather chilly and formal.
Rather, the room will be painted a luscious cream–the color is actually called creative thought, which I hope is what will happen when I’ve moved the computer, the desk, lots of books and other stuff currently cluttering up the house, and have no excuse but to write. The woodwork will be a glossy white. Eventually the carpet will be cleaned. Maybe by that time I’ll have learned how to use the digital camera–I did take a couple of pix of the room during the clean out–and show you the finished project.
I also wanted to boast about the creative work done by my inlaws at Mullany Art Studios. This is a mural they did for Argia’s Restaurant in Falls Church, VA. Isn’t it amazing? Yes, they accept commissions for murals and will include your pets if you like.
Do you have your own space in your house where you can read and/or write? Are you bitten by the decorating bug or engaged in any home renovation projects? And how messy do you get when you paint?