Ingenuity's Engine : an Overview of the History and Development Of
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Ingenuity's Engine History and Development of the Concept of the Muse Charlayn Imogen von Solms Ingenuity's Engine An Overview of the History and Development of the Concept of the Muse. Charlayn Imogen von Solms Thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Ancient Cultures at the University of Stellenbosch. Supervised by Dr. Sjarlene Thom. March 2003 Declaration I, the undersigned, hereby declare that the work contained in this thesis is my own original work and that I have not previously in its entirety or in part submitted it at any university for a degree. Signature: ....................... Date: ............................ Summary w i Summary "The growth of any discipline depends on the ability to communicate and develop ideas, and this in turn relies on a language which is sufficiently detailed and flexible" (Singh 1997: 59). Many metaphors relating to creativity are too misleading, confusing, and restricted in scope for a meaningful exploration of the phenomenon and its fluctuating social and cultural contexts. Given the Muse's long-term association with literature, philosophy, education, and more recently, the fine arts and other "creative" fields, an analysis of this concept may provide a unique opportunity to gain insight into the "mechanisms" underlying the creative process. Since affiliation with the Muse appears to have signalled attainment of critical cultural and/or social status by cultural practitioners in various societies, from the ancient to the present (a category which was broadened substantially), it is thus logical to assume this concept encompasses and has accumulated characteristics particular to the creative process as historically and currently valued in Western culture. Given the limited scope of the thesis, I have focused on specific concerns: 1) Provide an overview of the history, origin and development of the concept via specific examples ranging from antiquity, the medieval period, and the modern. 2) Assess the changes which have occurred in the development of the concept, and postulate likely causes: such as for example, the impact of an increased focus on the visual - and by extension, the physical - due to a more literate populace, on a concept originally conceived of as experienced through predominantly audial means. 3) Identify closely related concepts, the characteristics of which may have played a role in the formulation of the initial concept, along with those integrated into it, to form the modern version of the Muse: examples include the influence of the myth of Pygmalion on notions regarding the poet's relationship with both material and Muse; and the consequences of an amalgamation of characteristics of Aphrodite with those of the pastoral Muse. Summary w ii 4) Explore the extent to which the Muse-poet interaction can reveal fundamental aspects of the creative process and its main components: the differences between the public invocation and experience of the Muse in an oral context, as opposed to the privately experienced Muse of the literate poet; also, the changes imposed on the concept's perceived means of functioning due to its extension to the practice of the visual arts; and the correlation between the Jungian notion of the anima and aspects of the Muse. 5) Postulate the fundamental aspects of the creative process as revealed by analysis of the concept of the Muse for further investigation. In brief then, the main intention of this thesis is simply to examine by analysis of particular examples, the feasibility of applying the concept of the Muse as metaphor through which to identify for further exploration, issues and themes relating to the production and changes in social assessment of creative enterprises. Opsomming w iii Opsomming "The growth of any discipline depends on the ability to communicate and develop ideas, and this in turn relies on a language which is sufficiently detailed and flexible" (Singh 1997: 59). Menige metafore verbonde aan kreatiwiteit is te misleidend, verwarrend, of beperk in omvang vir 'n betekenisvolle ondersoek van díe verskynsel en die fluktueerende sosiale en kulturele kontekste daarvan. Gesien in die lig van die Muse se langtermyn assosiasie met letterkunde, filosofie, opvoedkunde en meer onlangs, the skone kunste en ander "kreatiewe" velde, mag 'n analise van die konsep moontlik 'n unieke geleentheid bied om insig te verkry in die onder- liggende "meganismes" van die kreatiewe proses. Aangesien affiliasie met die Muse blyk om die bereiking van kritiese kulturele en/of sosiale status, deur kulturele praktisyne in verskeie samelewings, van die antieke tot die huidige ('n kategorie wat aansienlik uitgebou is) aan te dui, is dit dus logies om te aanvaar dat die konsep alomvattend is van eienskappe kenmerkend van die kreatiewe proses, soos geskiedkundig en huidig op prys gestel in die Westerse kultuur. Gegewe die beperkte bestek van die tesis, is gefokus op spesifieke kwessies: 1) Verskaf 'n oorsig van die geskiedenis, oorsprong, en ontwikkeling van die konsep deur spesifieke voorbeelde, in omvang vanaf die antieke, die middeleuse periode, en die moderne. 2) Evalueer die veranderinge wat voorgekom het in die ontwikkeling van die konsep, en veronderstel moontlike redes daarvoor: soos byvoorbeeld, die impak van vermeerderde fokus op die visuele - en daarby die fisiese - as gevolg van 'n meer geletterde bevolking, op 'n konsep wat aanvanklik hoofsaaklik ouditief ondervind is. 3) Identifiseer verwante konsepte, die eienskappe waarvan moontlik 'n rol kon gespeel het in die formulasie van die aanvanklike konsep, asook die wat daarby geintegreer is, om die moderne weergawe van die Muse te vorm: voorbeelde sluit in, die invloed van die mite van Pigmalion op begrippe aangaande die digter se verhouding met beide die materiaal en Muse; en die gevolge van 'n samesmelting van Aphrodite se karaktertrekke met die van die Opsomming w iv pastorale Muse. 4) Ondersoek die mate waartoe die Muse-digter verhouding fundamentele aspekte van die kreatiewe proses en sy hoof komponente kan ontbloot: soos die verskille tussen die publieke invokasie en ervaring van die Muse in 'n verbale konteks, in teenstelling met die geletterde digter wat die Muse privaat ondevind; asook die veranderinge temeegebring op die persepsies aangaande die konsep se funksionering as gevolg van die uitbreiding daarvan tot die visuele kunste; en die korrelasie tussen die Jungiaanse idee van die anima, en aspekte van die Muse. 5) Veronderstel die fundamentele aspekte van die kreatiewe proses, soos ontbloot deur analise van die konsep van die Muse vir verdere ondersoek. Kortliks dan, die hoof voorneme van hierdie tesis is om deur analise van spesifieke voorbeelde, die uitvoerbaarheid te ondersoek om die konsep van die Muse toe te pas as metafoor vir verdere navorsing waardeur kwessies en temas, aangaande die produksie en veranderinge in sosiale waardering van kreatiewe ondernemings, ge-identifiseer kan word. Acknowledgements w v Acknowledgements I gratefully acknowledge the generous assistance of the University of Stellenbosch's Postgraduate Bursary Office, and Dr. Sjarlene Thom for her expert supervision and seemingly infinite patience. Above all, I thank my parents, whose unwavering support and enthusiastic encouragement, made this thesis possible. Contents 1. Introduction 1 1.1. The Concept of the Muse as Metaphor for Creative Processes 6 2. Historical Overview 17 2.1. Possible Origins of the Concept of the Muse 73 2.1.1. The Muse as Music 76 2.1.1.1 The Music of the Spheres 81 2.1.2 The Thracian Connection 91 2.1.3. Poetry as Beverage in Greek and Teutonic Myth 100 3. Muses and Poets 105 3.1. Oral Poets and Public Muses 123 3.2. Literate Poets and Private Muses 130 3.3. The Artist as Intellectual and the Secret Muse 135 3.4. The Muse as Jungian Archetype 144 4. Conclusion 151 5. Appendices 158 5.1. The Myths of Thamyris and Pygmalion 158 5.2. The Artist's Model as Muse 164 Select Bibliography 174 Visual References 181 1 1. Introduction "All of us are creative. Every time we stick a handy object under the leg of a wobbly table or think up a new way to bribe a child into his pajamas, we have used our facilities to create a novel outcome. But creative geniuses are distinguished not just by their extraordinary works but by their extraordinary way of working; they are not supposed to think like you and me ... They listen to their muse and defy conventional wisdom. They work when inspiration hits ... They put a problem aside and let it incubate in the unconscious; then, without warning, a bulb lights up and a fully formed solution presents itself. Aha!" (Pinker 1999: 360). The word "creativity" elicits almost as many interpretations and meanings as its close associate - "genius". While both refer to something contemporary culture professes to value, exactly what is meant by them is rarely certain. For example, almost everyone knows Einstein was a genius, but can't always define why. The vast majority of Leonardo da Vinci's projects never left the drawing-board, yet his reputation as artistic genius is rarely questioned. Some experts will purport to be able to test for, and measure creativity, while others will even claim to be able to teach it. Evolutionists will attest to its importance to the survival of our species, while cultural historians will proclaim one society more creative than others, rarely explaining which aspects of that culture are referred to. For a complete analysis of this complex phenomenon, an effective model is required, one capable of exemplifying creativity in all its complexity without over-simplification or restriction to widely held misconceptions. Currently, one of the most pervasive notions regarding creativity involves an obligatory subversion, and even destruction of entrenched traditions and institu- tions, before innovation can occur. Plato who had banished painters and poets Introduction w 2 from his ideal Republic saw in their appeal to forces beyond reason a threat towards social order and stability1.