The Writer As Map Maker
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THE WRITER AS MAP MAKER VOLUME ONE: THE JOURNEYMAN YEARS BEN CRISP Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Creative Writing Discipline of English and Creative Writing School of the Humanities The University of Adelaide JULY 2014 Table of Contents Table of Contents .................................................................................................... 2 Abstract ................................................................................................................... 4 Declaration .............................................................................................................. 5 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................. 6 Chapter One – The Paradoxical Compass ............................................................... 7 Chapter Two – The Parallel Postulate ................................................................... 15 Chapter Three – The Tower of Babel .................................................................... 22 Chapter Four – The Family of Love...................................................................... 28 Chapter Five – The Mirror of Righteousness ........................................................ 36 Chapter Six – The Danse Macabre ........................................................................ 45 Chapter Seven – The Key of David ...................................................................... 54 Chapter Eight – The Devil’s Bridge ...................................................................... 62 Chapter Nine – The Acts of Saint Peter ................................................................ 70 Chapter Ten – The Stones of Immortality ............................................................. 78 Chapter Eleven – The Venetian School ................................................................ 86 Chapter Twelve – The Golden Rule ...................................................................... 93 Chapter Thirteen – The Julian Calendar ............................................................. 101 Chapter Fourteen – The Crossed Keys ................................................................ 110 Chapter Fifteen – The Chess Master ................................................................... 118 Chapter Sixteen – The Secret Writing ................................................................. 127 2 of 236 Chapter Seventeen – The Order of the Dragon ................................................... 134 Chapter Eighteen – The Branch of the Tree ........................................................ 143 Chapter Nineteen – The Gift of God ................................................................... 152 Chapter Twenty – The Mercator Projection ........................................................ 159 Chapter Twenty-One – The Monas Heiroglyphica ............................................. 166 Chapter Twenty-Two – The Judas Kiss .............................................................. 173 Chapter Twenty-Three – The Staff of Jacob ....................................................... 181 Chapter Twenty-Four – The Beggar’s Cap ......................................................... 189 Chapter Twenty-Five – The Cross of Lorraine ................................................... 197 Chapter Twenty-Six – The Venusberg ................................................................ 204 Chapter Twenty-Seven – The Compromise of Nobles ....................................... 211 Chapter Twenty-Eight – The Golden Fleece ....................................................... 219 Chapter Twenty-Nine – The Northern Lights ..................................................... 227 3 of 236 Abstract The Journeyman Years is a postmodern historical conspiracy fiction novel chronicling the life and travels of John Riven, a sixteenth-century apprentice alchemist and mapmaker, on a quest to find a mysterious religious relic which he believes holds the secret to the meaning of life. The exegesis situates my writing within the context of postmodern literature and demonstrates how the postmodern author might narrate the journey of self- discovery through an interweaving of three recurring motifs of both historical conspiracy fiction and the critical field of semiotics: codes, maps and symbols. Through an analysis of the critical and creative works of semiotician and postmodern fiction author Umberto Eco – in particular his novel Foucault’s Pendulum – the thesis explores how the interplay of these three motifs serves an examination of question of the limit of interpretation, and how they might combine to offer a framework for responding to this question within a postmodern work of historical conspiracy fiction. 4 of 236 Declaration I certify that this work contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in my name, in any university or other tertiary institution and, to the best of my knowledge and belief, contains no material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference has been made in the text. In addition, I certify that no part of this work will, in the future, be used in a submission in my name, for any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution without the prior approval of the University of Adelaide and where applicable, any partner institution responsible for the joint-award of this degree. I give consent to this copy of my thesis, when deposited in the University Library, being made available for loan and photocopying, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I also give permission for the digital version of my thesis to be made available on the web, via the University’s digital research repository, the Library Search and also through web search engines, unless permission has been granted by the University to restrict access for a period of time. SIGNED: DATE: 5 of 236 Acknowledgements I am grateful to Professor Brian Castro, Professor Tom Burton and Professor Amanda Nettelbeck, my thesis supervisors, whose suggestions improve this thesis. I am also grateful to the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Adelaide for support in the form of the Higher Degree by Research Divisional Scholarship. This work would not have been possible without the encouragement and support of three people who provided the inspiration to my imagination, and my curiosity to discover the unknown: thank you Kate, and Genevieve and Geoffrey Crisp. 6 of 236 Chapter One – The Paradoxical Compass Sometimes on a fine night we see a variety of appearances that form in the sky: ‘chasms’ for instance and ‘trenches’ and blood-red colours. These, too, have the same cause. For we have seen that the upper air condenses into an inflammable condition and that the combustion sometimes takes on the appearance of a burning flame, sometimes that of moving torches and stars. So it is not surprising that this same air when condensing should assume a variety of colours. For a weak light shining through a dense air, and the air when it acts as a mirror, will cause all kinds of colours to appear. Aristotle, Meteorologica, Book 1, Part 5 When I first saw the double cross, cut into the night sky, I knew it meant my death. It was 1562 in the reign of Elizabeth, and I had been bound by the crew to the mast of the Jesus, its twin yardarms groaning above my head, as the vessel rocked on a sea still calming from a storm that had hit us on our way back to London. It was London where, instead of returning with the other sailors to the docks for my next commission, I would be met by the guards to be taken to the Fleet River prison, and sentenced to death. I had not wanted to die then. All I knew of death was that, for those without forgiveness, it meant eternity in torment, and I was scared. I was young, and knew little of pain. Elizabeth had turned England against Catholics, but that day the guards allowed an ordained man to visit me before I faced the gallows. He was thin, dressed all in black, with straight blonde hair, and sharp, deep-set eyes that seemed to bore into all they turned upon. His tongue darted in and out of his mouth as he paced the cell, and I felt myself shrink back in response to some ancient, forgotten instinct. 7 of 236 ‘Will you make a confession?’ he asked, in Latin. He must have known I understood him, for when I did not speak, he spoke for me. ‘They say you brought a curse down on the ship. When the storm hit, they say you flew on deck like a man possessed, and fought those who were working at dumping the cargo to lighten the load. They say they had to knock you down, tie you to the mast, and you cried out a word that none could recognize, again and again. Anael. Anael. Anael.’ Hearing the word was like ice down my spine. He touched the wall of the cell and rubbed the dust from his fingers, before turning. ‘But it wasn’t a curse, was it? It was a name. Anael.’ I opened my mouth, unsure what to say, but he continued. ‘Yes, a name. A name that none else knew but you. They were fools, just simple sailors. How could they know? But, John Riven, I know that name.’ I sat, stunned, unable to speak. ‘Do you believe in coincidence, John Riven? Do you believe that patterns appear in our lives as clues to the greater plan? I too once faced my death in this prison. In this very cell, in fact.’ ‘What for?’ I gasped. ‘Astrology,’ he answered. ‘There are some who do not wish the truth to be revealed.’