The Creative Mind

THE CREATIVE MIND- Part I

I start this article by giving you a glimpse of what I shall be talking about next week than today. But, the reference I am making has a connection. In simple words, Forster says that for any plot to sustain, it must have the necessary curiosity aroused in the reader, a human feeling, a sense of value for the characters, intelligence and memory for the plot. True enough, what Forster says, for if these aspects be observed in the plots of all the novels we have discussed so far, you find the genius of each author. Connect this to the poems, so few in words, yet touching one very effectively.

We take a detour from what we have read so far and consider the term “imagination” for a while. I shall be discussing books of course, but along with it I shall be talking through the words of Forster today on Fantasy which is one among the many aspects of the novel. Beauty of language is an aspect that compels us to stick to the plot (and of course the plot itself and other aspects are just as important). Consider the beauty and magnificence in the use of language from an excerpt from Zuleika Dobson:

Through the square across the High, down Grove Street they passed. The Duke looked up at the tower of Merton. Strange that tonight it would still be standing here, in all its sober and solid beauty- still be gazing, over the roofs and chimneys, at the tower of Magdalen, its rightful bride. Through untold centuries of the future it would stand thus, gaze thus. He winced. Oxford walls have a way of belittling us; and the duke was loth to regard his doom as trivial.

Aye, by all minerals we are mocked. Vegetables, yearly deciduous are far more sympathetic. The lilac and laburnum, making lovely now the railed pathway to Christ Church Meadow, were all a-swaying and nodding to the duke as he passed by. ‘Adieu, adieu, your Grace,’ they were whispering. ‘We are very sorry for you, very sorry indeed. We never dared suppose you would pre-decease us. We think your death a very great tragedy. Adieu! Perhaps we shall meet in another world- that is, if the members of the animal kingdom have immortal souls, as we have.’

The Duke was little versed in their language; yet, as he passed between these gently garrulous blooms, he caught at the least the drift of their salutation and smiled a vague but courteous acknowledgement, to the right and then left alternatively, creating a very favourable impression.

I need not explain more. Flecker’s Magic is another example of an author’s creativity, although at first if I were to explain the plot to you, you might perhaps pass an early judgement. The plot goes like this: Flecker, an American boy who is learning to paint in Paris, is given a ring by a girl in a café; she is a witch, she tells him; he has only to be sure what he wants and he will get it. To prove her power, a motor bus rises slowly from the street and turns upside down in the air. The plot proceeds with a growing tension and the boy starts thinking by something obvious, like Rolls-Royce, or a beautiful lady? Or money? Ah, that’s more like it- he is almost a beggar, but how much? One million, two, or ten?

This way we find out the boy isn’t sure what to ask for. Once again I am tempted to talk about the plot and its aspects, but I shall strictly stick to the creativity part. The plot is obviously quite plain but it becomes strong when the author plays with the character’s mind. The story proceeds developing a curiosity in the reader by letting him know what he already does. The human mind is such, the more details of the mind we dwell into, the better the story becomes. We have seen how Lawrence is an excellent writer in terms of description, especially descriptions in terms of every minute detail of the character’s mind. An emotional connection with the reader is another aspect of creativity.

The Lord of the Rings offered the reader plenty of quality, creative reading. If one were to think about the creation of various creatures, one would marvel at the conception of the idea. Consider the language used, so attractive and the creativity with regards to the creation of creatures. The simple fact that enough value and meaning is assigned to a mere object as a ring shows the author’s creativity. In every assignment we do, we learn from this that simplicity holds the key to most problems. The ring is symbolic of power, temptation and greed. These are elements effectively used to exploit human nature. And it is only when we read creative masterpieces our mind starts thinking in those lines. If you don’t believe me, I will tell you how. J R R Tolkien and C S Lewis were good friends and Lewis created his Narnia after he drew inspiration from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. I shall not dwell into the conflicts between the two authors in Lewis’ works and neither shall I talk about the symbols used or about the portrayal of Christianity because we are talking about the mind here.

However, if new books be compared to that of the old ones, the Harry Potter series seem to be one with some originality in it. Now, I am comparing the series with The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini. Paolini’s work is an inspiration by different authors which can be evidently seen and which is also said by too many reviewers and critiques; the writing style matches strongly with that of Tolkien’s. The plot remains by far original but seems as if written just for the sake of writing because of its length. Harry Potter books have simple themes evident for anyone in them, but it has an emotional quotient in it that forces readers to stay glued to the books.

I shall talk at length about the nature of plot (Forster has an entire chapter dedicated to it) and the killing of characters (I have a detailed analysis of it through comparison of different books); and of course how writers connect with the readers through their writing style and plot. But all this I shall talk next week with further excerpts on the topic, “The Plot and Killing of Characters”.