I am just now up to this chapter in my own close reading. A few thoughts:
1) the skin cell dialogue is a potent distillation of the concept of reflexive consciousness—the human condition of knowing and regarding the mystery of our mortality and what larger system may contain it. That awareness arrives with fear, wonder, an impulse to flee the reality of the condition, and a desire to understand and transcend the limits of the condition (mortality.)
2) for whatever reason, romancing Nora D-T is described as akin to trying to communicate with the other side—with the dead. I don’t know why, yet.
3) Mexico’s gruff disinterest in the other side as a clinical subject is of a piece with his character as a traditional romantic.
Can't wait for next week! Franz Pökler is possibly my favourite character in the book!
I'm excited to write about his big chapter in Part 3. Though I feel like I have a responsibility to do that one right...
I am just now up to this chapter in my own close reading. A few thoughts:
1) the skin cell dialogue is a potent distillation of the concept of reflexive consciousness—the human condition of knowing and regarding the mystery of our mortality and what larger system may contain it. That awareness arrives with fear, wonder, an impulse to flee the reality of the condition, and a desire to understand and transcend the limits of the condition (mortality.)
2) for whatever reason, romancing Nora D-T is described as akin to trying to communicate with the other side—with the dead. I don’t know why, yet.
3) Mexico’s gruff disinterest in the other side as a clinical subject is of a piece with his character as a traditional romantic.