eucatastrophe: piercing joy that brings tears - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

littlemanpoet · 08-19-2002, 08:15 PM

Helen, in the quote from Tolkien regarding the incarnation being the eucatastrophe of the history of man and the resurrection being the eucatastrophe of the life of Christ (I may have that one wrong), he is speaking of two different stories, and for each one, its own catastrophe. Man's his-story, and the gospel story. One eucatastrophe each.

Nevertheless, I find Marelingelaflorum's (sorry I can't remember that) point-of-view of each character an interesting approach, and decidedly something that we moderns would think in terms of. And I still say that it fits into my notion that there is one per story. Our lives are arguably made up of a number of stories, each with its eu - or dys- catastrophe. And our whole life is one story, with its climactic catastrophe of whichever type. So it will be with characters within a story.

I admit that I have more thinking to do on Marel's and others' points before I have a really firm stance on all this.

Excellent thread!

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08-19-2002, 08:15 PM	#14
littlemanpoet Itinerant Songster Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: The Edge of Faerie Posts: 7,066	Helen, in the quote from Tolkien regarding the incarnation being the eucatastrophe of the history of man and the resurrection being the eucatastrophe of the life of Christ (I may have that one wrong), he is speaking of two different stories, and for each one, its own catastrophe. Man's his-story, and the gospel story. One eucatastrophe each. Nevertheless, I find Marelingelaflorum's (sorry I can't remember that) point-of-view of each character an interesting approach, and decidedly something that we moderns would think in terms of. And I still say that it fits into my notion that there is one per story. Our lives are arguably made up of a number of stories, each with its eu - or dys- catastrophe. And our whole life is one story, with its climactic catastrophe of whichever type. So it will be with characters within a story. I admit that I have more thinking to do on Marel's and others' points before I have a really firm stance on all this. Excellent thread!