Eileen Rizo-Patron Sounding the Noumenal in the Phenomenal: Gaston Bachelard and José María Arguedas
How can we keep ourselves from postulating beneath the phe- nomenon a noumenon where our spirit recognizes itself and comes alive? … Comme se defender de poser sous le phénomène un noumène ù notre esprit se reconnaît et s’anime? Gaston Bachelard1
Like a sounding lead, I descend deep into the heart of things. Je tombe comme un plomb au coeur des choses. Richard Euringer2
Is it possible to probe and nurture the pulse of a living logos at the heart of hu- man experience – a pulse perchance felt as an elusive call from a realm of noume- nal possibility latent within the phenomenal realm of everyday life? Such potential for a fertile relation between noumenal and phenomenal intuitions leapt to my attention after encountering some striking points of convergence between the in- sights of two ostensibly unrelated thinkers from the twentieth century: French phi- losopher Gaston Bachelard (1884-1962) and Andean novelist José María Arguedas (1911-1969). Notwithstanding their dissimilar scientific backgrounds – Bachelard in mathematical physics, Arguedas in the anthropological sciences – both authors attained international acclaim for their respective masterpieces in the late 1950’s: Bachelard for his philosophical work The Poetics of Space (La Poétique de l’espace,
1 Noumenon and Microphysics in «Philosophical Forum» (NM 80, my trans.); cf. Noumène et microphysique, «Études» (NM-F 18). Frequently cited texts have been assigned Siglas for easy reference, followed by corresponding page numbers. See the Bibliography for complete publication details on all texts cited in this essay – including assigned Siglas, where applicable. 2 This line from Euringer is cited in Bachelard’s Earth and Reveries of Repose (ERR 8-9, trans. modified); cf. La Terre et les rêveries du repose (TRR 12). Quotations throughout this essay are drawn from their published English versions. If a translated passage has been revised, both the translation and the original will henceforth be referenced as shown here: (ERR 9; TRR 12). Bachelard Studies / Études Bachelardiennes / Studi Bachelardiani, n.1, 2020 • Mimesis Edizioni, Milano-Udine Web: https://mimesisjournals.com/ojs/index.php/bachelardstudies • ISBN: 9788857576138 © 2020 – MIM EDIZIONI SRL. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Com- mons Attribution License (CC-BY-4.0). Eileen Rizo-Patron 160 nor evencitedeach other to, ornot. «destiny»tends to be intuited as a summons or vocation which individuals are free to respond (PS 9)mightbemisleadinginsofar as«fate»befallshumanbeingsdespitethemselves,whereas a separatestudy. Over time,theKantian“noumenon” hasledtoseveralcontroversialinterpretationsthatdeserve tuitions recognizedasphenomenal«possibilities«).SeetheBibliography forpublicationdetails. intuitions totallyinaccessibletosensibleverification),and“positive noumena”(intellectualin- the “noumenon”(A250).Kantfurtherdistinguishedbetween“negative noumena”(intellectual (A254/B310, p.271).The“thing-in-itself”(A30) is firstmentionedlong before anyreferenceto terms “noumenon” and the “thing-in-itself” are not always interchangeable in his discourse that isnottobethoughtofasanobjectthesensesbutrather asathing-in-itself…»butthe Haltman, DallasTX,Institute,1990,p.100,100n11. Editorial, PUCP, 1994, pp.92-108; Bachelard did so in el ProcesodelaCulturaPeruana,inPinilla,C.M.,Arguedas:Conocimientoyvida , Lima,Fondo his deathin1962. widely knowninParis,whereheremainedafterhis1955retirement fromtheSorbonneuntil a personalmeetingbetweenBachelardandArguedasduringthattrip,wasbythen Vol. II,Lima,FondoEditorialPUCP, 2013,Vol. II,pp.59-68.Althoughthereisnorecordof Arguedas enFrancia: El Viaje de1958,inArguedas: La DinámicadelosEncuentrosCulturales, das’s LosríosprofundoswontheIncaGarcilasodelaVega Prizein1968. of embryonicinsights. destin) flashes inresponsetothe images, andmetaphorsfromthoseeventsofexpressionthatalightasepiphanic “noumenon” experiences. AlthoughinThePoeticsofSpaceBachelardwouldsetasidetheterm not mererepresentationsorreproductionsofalreadyconstituted,conceptualized their rolewasintrinsicallyinvolvedinthegenerationofnewphenomenawhichare missed: neither in thecreative work of science, norin that of poetry. Forhim, his careerthatthephilosophicalroleof“noumena”couldnotbeobviatedordis- in thearticulationofhisphenomenology. ButBachelardwouldinsistthroughout set inthePeruvianAndesmid-1920’s 1957), andArguedasforhispoeticnovelDeepRivers(Losríosprofundos,1958) 160 in Wilhelm Dilthey’s poetichermeneutics) ition generally understoodtobeaccessibleneitherexperiencenor sors. Astheideaofthing-in-itself,forinstance,Kantian“noumenon”was notion ofthe“noumenon”,however, veeredsomewhatfromthatofhispredeces- = anaprioriintellectualintuitionvs.posterioriphenomenalone).Bachelard’s response tosubtleenergieswhichBachelardlabeled“noumenal”(Gk.noumenon tinctive 7 6 5 4 3 M.Jolas’s Englishtranslation ofBachelard’s «centres dedestin»(PE28)as«centersoffate» In the BothauthorsdiscussedDilthey’s PoetryandExperience . Arguedas,inhisarticleLaSierraen ArguedastraveledtoFranceassoonhesubmittedLosríosprofundosforpublication.See Bachelard’s LaPoétiquedel’espacewontheGrandPrixNationaldesLettresin1961;Argue- 6 , whichiswhyHusserl–consideringitanoxymorondecidedtosetaside 7 –i.e.vorticalsitesofreveriethatactasnoumenalnurseriesfor the ripening micro-phenomenological approachtoaworldconstantlytakingshape in Kant wrote: «The concept of a noumenon… is of a thing Critique of Pure Reason, Kant wrote: «The concept of a noumenon… per se,hewasstillcarefultodistinguishsedimentedperceptions, lure ofwhathedescribedas“destinalcenters”(centres de 4 (theirone area of convergencebeinga shared interest 5 3 , eachoftheseauthorsdevisedadis- . Althoughtheyapparentlynevermet, Fragments of a Poeticsof Fire, eng. tr. K. to conceptualintu- reality”(despite theirstrongtestimonialandethnologicalcomponent) scriptions as “solipsistic reveries” or “fantasies” allegedly “not faithful to Peruvian was oftencriticizedbythesocialscientistsofhisdaywholabeledpoeticde- skepticism amonghiscolleaguesforunusualmodusoperandiinfield.He help enrichBachelard’s argument. ples fromArguedas’s DeepRiverswhich,Isubmit,notonlyillustratebutultimately logos inhisphilosophyofscienceandpoetry, andthenmoveontoofferingexam- to thesethreeworldlydimensions inhisnovels,thusintensifyingtheir overworld isalludedtoashananpacha . Arguedasaimedatgivingapoetically-entwined “voice” upacha (underworld);theperceptiblehuman worldisreferredtoaskaypacha;andthespiritual edition, Lima,Latinoamericana, 1986pp.109,140. Rochabrún (passim). Peru anditsdestiny. See: Mesa Redonda sobre Todas lasSangres: 23junio,1965,ed.Guillermo others –whogatheredtodiscussthevalueofArguedas’s narrativesvis-à-vistheworldofAndean social scientistsandliterarycritics–HenriFavre,AníbalQuijano, SebastiánSalazarBondy, and 6). EquallyrevealingarethetranscriptsofasymposiumonArguedas’s work,heldbyagroupof 235-242), andUtopíaArcaica:JoséMariaArguedasylasficcionesdelindigenismo (pp.157-8,335- 147, etpassim). goal ofstretchingthelimitsinstitutedphilosophicalthinking (PN32,79;L90;PS120,132, diverse asmicrophysics,alchemicalliterature,depth-psychology, andpoetry, alwayswiththe his doctorateinthePhilosophyofScience,Bachelardembarked intheexplorationoffieldsas Europe (seeG.GuttingFrench Philosophy in theTwentieth Century,pp.84-89).Afterearning became eclipsedas«philosophiesofexistence»gainedprominence inmid-twentiethcentury which opensbeforeanyrediscoveredimage»,p.112. use of…[Here,eventhe]pasthasafuture,thefutureofitslivingimages,reverie future «In reveriewere-enterintocontactwithpossibilitieswhichdestinyhasnotbeenabletomake to Dream, pp.48-49).Cf.ThePoeticsofReverieeng.tr. DanielRussell,Boston,Beacon,1969: «the still-fluidsubstanceofthefuture» ism (thenfast decreasing in popularity) adventurous thinker who happened to hailfromatraditioninscientificrational- within aFrenchacademicenvironmentnotveryreceptivetotheproposalsofan Bachelard andArguedas.And,muchaspursuedhisboldintuitions truth butlatent(verdad-verdad) less, Arguedasinsistedthathisethno-poeticnarrativesexpressednotonlypatent and fruitioninthephenomenalsociopoliticalworlds needed tobe“soundedout”and“sung”beforetheycouldcomerecognition intimately (growingup,ashehad,inthelapofAndeannatives),butwhichfirst tected brewingdeepwithintheAndeanworldandsoul-pulseshehadexperienced We willnowstartbyoutliningBachelard’s evolvingprobeoftheworld’s latent 12 11 10 9 8 It isintheirrespectivewaysofengagingsuchreveries , whichgravitatetoward ThehistoricalrationalismspearheadedbyLéonBrunschvig(Bachelard’s doctoralmentor) PhrasecoinedinBachelard’s DivinationandtheLookinWork ofMarcoussis(TheRight IntheQuechualanguage,inchoate forcesarereferredtoasbelongingtherealmofuk- J.M.Arguedaset al., See:M.Vargas Llosa,«DreamsandMagicinJosé MaríaArguedas»inDeepRivers(pp. Primer Encuentro de Narradores Peruanos,(Arequipa,June1965),2nd 11 * , fortheygavevoicetosubtleforceshede- 8 9 , thatIfindintriguingaffinitiesbetween , Arguedashadto contend withsimilar
12 . truth value. 10 . Nonethe- 161
Sounding the Noumenal in the Phenomenal 161 Eileen Rizo-Patron 162 already institutedthought» of thoughtbythought,leadingtosuddenrevealingintuitionsbeyondthelimits area ofdialecticalsurrationalismthroughmeditationsthat«seektheillumination wards”), namely, amodeofthinkingwhich–inscientificworkventuresintothe tuited throughwhathetermed“anagogicreverie”(Gk.anagein=“leadingup- http://www.bowdoin.edu/news/archives/1academicnews/005231.shtml. matics andCognitiveTheory: dante-alighieridante-alighieris-la-divina-commedia-mathematical-system matrix canbefoundonline:see, forinstance,https://www.slideshare.net/williamjohnmeegan/ astonishing depthofmeaning. Some intriguingarticlesonTheDivineComedy’s mathematical «anagogic reverie». F 39)as«anagogicaldreaming»(PN32).Ipreferaliteraltranslation theFrenchphrase,namely, Paul Dirac’s theoryof‘negativemass’»(PN-S33,mytrans.). del No:«In1955,theexistenceofantiprotonswasprovenbyBerkeley’s ‘bevatron,’confirming non or inmicrogeometricintuition)belongsbydefinitiontotherealmofnoume- of No,whatisinfinitesimalorinfinitelysmall(beitinmicrophysicalexperiment transformative potential. But, as he would write in his 1940 book,ThePhilosophy how humanbeingsmightlearntoparticipatemorelucidlyandresponsiblyinits a keeninterestinpenetratingtheworld’s infinitesimaldimension tounderstand century discoveries in relativity and quantum theory – Bachelard had expressed Dirac’s mathematicaltheory) tive mass”(fifteenyearsbeforethediscoveryofanti-protonswhichwouldconfirm 162 vine Comedy) beyond theirliteral,historical,orpoliticallevelsofmeaning(suchasDante’s Di- tends tobetriggeredbythemetaphysical Judgment, eng.tr. byWerner S.Pluhar, Indianapolis,HacketPublishing,1987,pp.xix,107,112). what Kantdescribedastheinfinitemagnitudeof«mathematically sublime»(TheCritiqueof 11-24). Suchanoumenalprinciplewouldapplyalsotoourintuitions ofthe«infinitelyvast»orto 81). SeeBachelard’s extended discussionin«NoumenonandMicrophysics»(NM 75-84;NM-F may notbringphenomenalknowledge(shapedtoourscaleofbeing) totheinfinitelysmall»(PN 17 16 15 14 13 Since thebeginningofhisphilosophicalcareer–spurredbyearlytwentieth- 14 «Itmustbenotedattheoutset»wroteBachelard,«thatinfinitely smallisnoumenal. We TheDivineComedyisunderpinnedthroughoutby mathematical reveries whichaddtoits In AsN.F. Labrunerevealsinanasteriskednotetothe1978Spanishedition ofLaFilosofía Bachelard,G.,ThePoeticsofSpace(PS16;PE33). . In thechapterwhereheexaminesPaulDirac’s hypotheticalideaof“nega- The Philosophy of No, W.C. Waterston translates Bachelard’s « rêverie » anagogique (PN- 17 –inscientificworkBachelarddescribessuchanabstractingmode We findourselvesatapivotalpointwherereciprocalinterpreta- Nous sommes ici à un pivot autour duquel tournent interprétations Nous sommesiciàunpivotautourduqueltournentinterprétations la dolcevita for ItalianProf.ArielSaiber»(BowdoinCollege,ME): dreams throughthought,andthoughtdreams,keep 16 . While“anagogicreverie”inliteraryhermeneutics 15 , Bachelardnotedthatsuchnoumenaarefirstin- reciproques durêve parlapensée,etpenséelerêve. interpretation ofworkswhichventure ; also«Dante,Mathe- Gaston Bachelard turning. tions of 13 human beingstoremain…onthephenomenalplane» thinking thething-in-itself,inanyshapeorform»philosophersrisk«condemning the effortsofeducation».Whereuponheadded:«Andhavingforbiddenusfrom fantasy” those«elementalreveriesweneverquiteovercomewithage,despiteall their paralleltendency, instudiesontheliteraryimagination,todismissas“mere interest amonghiscolleaguesvis-à-vis the exclusionofother–inhisviewalsocrucialperspectives.Besidesdis- ing on the phenomenal plane of the natural, psychological, andsocialsciences to (due largely, nodoubt,toitsroleinthecreationofatomicbomb),concentrat- mena (consideredfathomlesssinceKant),andfromthemicrophysicalsciences his daysshouldhavesevereditselfsocategoricallyfromtheinvestigationofnou- in endlessreveriesofpurification–elementalandmental lucid naïveté;and(4)theperspectiveof“infiniteintensity”manifest,forinstance, unveiling, etc.;(3)the“approachofopenwonder”withitsdeliberateadoption er; (2)a“dialecticalapproach”whichpursuesbeing’s rhythms ofconcealingvs. tive” thatpreemptivelydismissesthenoumenon’s innervalue anditsoneiricpow- distinct ventured tostudythemysteriesofintimate,inchoateenergiesbyexploringfour «any knowledgeoftheintimacy ofthingsisapoem»(ERR8;TRR11). that give impetus to knowledge itself». He then arrives at the thought-provoking conclusion that knowledge of reality that discards oneiric values ultimately divorces itselffromthevital interests Sartre etal. work-in-physics-began-with-albert-einstein. Chaouli, M.,TheLaboratoryofPoetry,Baltimore,JohnHopkinsUniversityPress,2002,p.217. Baumgartner W.H. etal.,Stuttgart, Frommann-Holzboog, 1976, PartI,Vol. 5,p.243;quotedin in itsborders)completeclarity».SeeFriedrichW.J. Schelling,Historisch-KritischeAusgabe , ed. otherwise merelyexperimental mathematical language,itcouldbecomea«veryusefulscientific fiction, bymeansofwhichan scientific thinkingwhenherecognizedthatifchemistrywere capableofexpressingitselfin Friedrich Schelling(1775-1854),hadnotablyanticipatedthegenerative mathématisante wasmeanttostressthedialeticaldynamism using theEnglishneologism“mathematizing”sinceBachelard’s gerundformoftheFrench of reverieasessentiallymathematizing(PN32) the limitandbeyond,toopenanewwindowintoreality» tivity in1915,physicistMarceloGleiserwrote:«Howsweetitistopushideas confirmation ofgravitationalwavespredictedbyEinstein’s theoryofGeneralRela- ponder thevalueof«verbalandetymologicalreveries»asawaysoundingout ical reveries” or “archetypal images” (cave, serpent, etc.), there he also began to visualized reveries–suchasthe“secretblacknessofmilk”(inAudiberti),“alchem- examples of intimate forces that Bachelard summoned in that book consisted of To besure,Bachelardhadbeencriticalofthefactthatphenomenology Hence, intheintroductiontoEarthandReveriesofRepose(1948)Bachelard 21 20 19 18 Onthebasisofthisoverview ofperspectives,Bachelardinfersthat«anytheorythe Bachelardhereappearstohave beenalludingtothephenomenologicalviewsofJean-Paul Postedonline:http://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2017/10/03/555320681/nobel-winners- Although Waterston translates Bachelard’s attitudinal perspectives towards art couldbecomescience,andattain(ifonlyhypothetically, with- the microphysicalnoumenon,heregretted what islatent:(1)the“nullifyingperspec- mathématisante as “mathematical” I am here 18 . Morerecently, followingthe2017 20 of anagogicreverie(PN-F39). . 19 . 21 . Whilemanyofthe potential ofreverie in 163 to
Sounding the Noumenal in the Phenomenal 163 Eileen Rizo-Patron 164 the pupilsoftheireyes other, andsothetwosouls,inacommonglance,arecloser, moreconvergentthan spirit [esprit].Theclearestnoumenonisthusthemeditationofonemindbyan- tion onthings,isimmediatelyenrichedasitbecomesenfoldedinanothermind/ manifests itselfinmoralintuitionsor, attimes,intherecognition ofakindredsoul: and ThouBachelardhappenedtodrawattentionanethical his philosophy. Inhis1938PrefacetotheFrenchtranslationofMartinBuber’s I reverie” itbehoovesustorescueanotherkeyaspectofthelatentlogosthatinspired terest tousinwhatfollows.Yet, beforewedelveintoBachelard’s insightson“aural soul, Bachelard’s approachtoliteraturevia“auralreverie” will beofparticularin- ment tothesilentorelusivesonority the “oneiricear” lating “auralreveries ” suchasthesongoflarkinpoetry, andreveriesinvolving to an infinite dynamic potentiality. No doubt such instances of noumenal “com- of athingorperson–neverclaimstocaptureitstotality, foritsmarkisopenness going beyondit?»(PR110). possibilities: «Isn’t meditatinguponanorigindreaming?Andisn’t dreaminguponanorigin such etymological inquiry – whichheterms «oneiric etymology» – is awayoftapping into future develop hismethodof«verbalandetymologicalreveries»or word-dreaming.Paradoxically, mantic depthofwords»(ERR8-9;TRR11-12).Later, inthePoeticsofReverie,Bachelardwill Ponge notingthattheinfinitedepthofthingsis«rendered bytheinfiniteresourcesofse- editorial noteonMinkowski’s theoryincludedinthePoeticsofSpace(PSxii-xiii,n1). «Retentir (L’Auditif)» inhisVers unecosmologie(pp.101-110).Mostinteresting istheextended tational wavesinastrophysics,fromthecollisionofblackholes orneutronstars.Seechapter9, (retentissement) thatcutsthroughthemicro/macrocosmos,asdorecently discovered gravi- description» (DD109;DD-F101). soon aswereachtheIthinkthat,haveembarkedupona«noumenological analysis ofthemany-layeredcogitosinTheDialecticDuration , wherehehadstatedthatas the oreille songeuse as the «ear within an ear…that knows how to dream» (PS 166ff; PE 154ff). fr. par. GenevièveBianquis,Paris,ÉditionsMontaigne,1938,p.13. Studies inPhilosophy»,35-1(2003), p.92.Cf. hidden pulseinthings 164 propagated byimagesastheybounceoffthewallsofmemory cess whichdiffers,asweshallsee,fromregisteringthepsychologicalresonances and distinguishsilentvoices logos byregisteringtheirontologicalreverberations inthedepthsofsoul explicitly elaborateonthismethodof“sounding”thesubtleenergiesalatent The noumenon,whichmaygetlostinthevaguenessofanopen-endedmedita- Given thatoneofthemoststrikingaspectsArguedas’s writing wasitsattune- Here itisessentialtopointoutthatanoumenalintuitioninBachelard–be 22 27 26 25 24 23 InthissectionofEarthandReveriesRepose,BachelardquotesapassagefromFrancis ItisfromEugèneMinkowskithatBachelardderivesthenotion ofahiddenreverberation Suchan«abstractearthatcanhearitselfhearingandthinking»harks backtoBachelard’s InthePoeticsofSpace,Bachelardwillreturntoanin-depthdiscussion(andcelebration) of G.Bachelard,Preface toMartinBuber’s IandThou,eng.tr. byE.K.Kaplan,«International PSxviii-xx. 23 –anabstractear 22 27 . Earlierstill,in . 24 . ButnotuntilThePoeticsofSpacewouldBachelard
that canhearitselfhearing,thinking, of thesteepAndeanregionsPeruandits Air and Dreams (1943), he hadstartediso- Préface àMartinBuber,inM.Buber, Je etTu, tr. 26 . noumenon which 25 –apro- derstanding of,andliberationfrom,theunconsciousattachmentsthatfuelthem – for together they can set in motion a dialectical process that facilitates the un- version oftheviolentcomplexessographicallydisplayedinChantsMaldoror psychological activationandphilosophicalreduction arevitalstepstowardthecon- observe theunfoldingexperienceinadispassionateway. Inhisview, bothstagesof reading, punctuatedalternatelybyaphilosophicalreduction thatmightallowusto first practiceactivating pulse ofimpulse-drivenlives,asportrayedinDucasse’s work, wereadersmust the aggressiveimagination,Bachelardproposedthatinordertoprobehidden midst ofWorld War II–Bachelardwouldexpandtheliteraryexplorationofel- the linesofhispreviouslypublishedPsychoanalysisFire (1938) book entitledLautréamont (1939)–intendedasa«PsychoanalysisofLife»along through aphenomenologicalanalysisofIsidoreDucasse’s Chants ofMaldororina Poland –Bachelarddecidedtodelveintothedarkerlayersofhumanpsyche nnel, Paris,PUF, 1953,p.182. croissements betweenphenomena andnoumenadescribedinBachelard’sLe MatérialismeRatio - could beregardedasa«chiasmic doublet»,analogoustothemutuallytransformativeentre- Psychanalyse delaVie» (L-F155). «La longueméditationdel’oeuvre deLautréamontn’aétéentreprise parnousqu’envued’une Bachelard’s thesisstatement,whichcontainedacrucial doublenegativeinitsFrenchstructure: corrected R.S.Duprée’s Englishtranslationofthis passageinordertorescuethekeypointof human valueisalwaysaconvertednaturalvalue»(L90-91;my revisionandemphasis).Ihave ue isspecificallyhumanifitnottheresultofarenunciation andaconversion.Aspecifically has beenmade.Thenewpoetryandideasdemandabreaking off andaconversion….Noval- thing…. [S]houldoneburnwithfire,breaklife,orcontinue withlife?Formethechoice ‘Psychoanalysis of Life.’Intheend,toresistimagesfireandlife is thesame dertook thisextendedmeditationontheworkofLautréamontwith thesolepurposeof 107, 117,123,125,129,142,149,163,167,183,189,196,198, 199, 207,210-211,215,261. engages in«eye-reveries»throughoutDeepRivers:DR7,17,27,59,69,86,101,104,105,106- confluences heinhabits progressively vortices” to sound out the latent worldshefeels emanating fromtheir eyes, ashe as thestoryunfolds.Againandagain,wefindhimdivingintothose“gravitational turbulent orsmolderingeyes–whilehedescribesthetransmutationstheyundergo has memorableencounters–betheycoldorsteely, calmandclear, dullorradiant, boy namedErnesto,hasawayofgazingintotheeyescharacterswithwhomhe the “eye-reveries”thataboundinArguedas’s DeepRivers.Itsnarrator, apensive contemplation oftheeyesafellowbeingpromptsus,inturn,toreflectupon souls. Inanyevent,ofparticularinteresttoushereisthefactthatBachelard’s munion” astheonejustdescribed,occurbutinraremomentsofgracebetween Following this literary study of the violent imagination – and already in the After publishinghisPreface toBuber–duringtheyearofNaziinvasion 30 29 28 Thedialecticalinteractionbetweenthesetwodynamic processes(activationandreduction) BachelardclearlyexplainstheaimofhisbookLautréamont initsconcludingpages:«Iun - Givenspacerestrictions,Iherelimitmyselftolistingthemultiple passageswhereArguedas gives voicetotheAndeancosmosofclashingforcesandwhirling the author’s expressionsinoursoulsthroughaninductive 28 . 29 . Inhisstudyof writing a 165 30 .
Sounding the Noumenal in the Phenomenal 165 Eileen Rizo-Patron 166 tions –anattitudeinspiredbyHusserl’s “phenomenologicalreduction” of crisis”inhisdailyreadingwithrespecttoownwork-habitsandpreconcep- critical of Space,Bachelardwouldrefinethedialecticalpracticeinductiveactivationand erie (1960)andTheFlameofaCandle(1961).IntheintroductiontoPoetics the Sorbonne:firstinThePoeticsofSpace(1957),followedbyRev- late 1950s,afterretiringfromhispositionasChairofthePhilosophyScienceat through thekindsofmeditative,cosmicreverieshewouldbegintoexplorein ing, lackthepotentiallyhealingorrenewingvirtueofapoeticlogosthatalights inheritance inthecourseofourunexamined(naturalandsocial)lives. ways ofthinkingthatweacquirebyunconsciouscontagion,imitation,orcultural complexes tendtoemergefromingrainedhabitsoffeeling,speech,or Poetics ofSpacethatbegintoshedlightontheontologicalreach ofhisproposal: inspiration orpoeticadvents.Worth citingherearesome key passagesfromhis would exposehiminastateofwonderandopennesstounexpectedflashes as the“Lautréamontcomplex” ture complexesdraggingpsychicsedimentsintheirwake,thoughnotallasvicious emental reveries–ofwater, air, earth,fire–hewoulddiscoverarangeofothercul- previously heldideasaboutascientific conceptandphenomenon. of “negativemass”inscience– derivesfromasimilarattitudeofcrisis(criticalquestioning) – proposedanddescribedinhis PhilosophyofNowithregardtotheemergencenotion phen-red/#H7> (June30,2015). HereweshouldnotethatBachelard’s “anagogical reverie” nomenological Reduction,inTheInternetEncyclopediaofPhilosophy , But, withrespecttothesongof puk’tik yawar rumi (boiling blood tuya triggers in the boy a deci- us by making us what 167 - Sounding the Noumenal in the Phenomenal 167 Eileen Rizo-Patron 168 challenges. in thesubjunctiveandconditionalmoods–alwaysasopen-ended possibilities,or of knowledge),whichiswhypoeticreveriesinDeep phenomenological reductionproposedbyHusserlto tapintothelivingsources the noumenal depths of the is crucialtodispelinnerturbulencesandresistancesin order forapersontosound all, onthementalstateortemperofpersonssendingandreceivingmessages.It tic, ortechnological–fidelityinthetransmissionofalatentlogosdepends,above of penetratingandstirringthesoul. opening upaclearpathfortheconductionofaffectiveandmoralenergycapable sing withfidelity. ForErnesto,it’s notjustamatteroftransmittingnotes,but monica, heurgesRomerofirsttotearoutitstin,sothatwell-carvedwoodmight transmission ofasubtleenergy-frequency. Thatiswhy, beforeplayingthehar deceitful alloywouldriskcontaminatingtheinstrumentandinterferingwith flash, theraysofsun,alllight thatvibrates»,DR64,67. light objects»while«Illaisthename usedforacertainkindoflight…[a]radiance,thelightning 64-7), where«Yllu…meansthemusicoftinywings inflight,musiccreatedbythemovementof lengthy exposéontheconnotations oftheonomatopoeic-ylluandillasuffixesinQuechua(DR of theskyhangingoverit»duetorampantmoralandpoliticalcorruption back in an echo – all the more so now that the region of Abancay «has the weight Romero, «isharderthansteel.Ifyoucalloutloud,itbouncesyourownvoiceright the resistanceofbrutenature:«Thecordillera(mountainchain)»herepliesto tances asisthesongofzumbayllu.ButErnestonotconvinced.Hesenses ments, suchasriverwater, shouldbeascapabletotransmit messagesacrossdis- deemed tobe“ensouled”.Ernesto’s friendRomeroinsists thatcertainnaturalele- the crucibleoffire(suchasCuzcogoldbell,orawell-forgedzumbayllu)are als employedinitstransmission:onlythosesubstancesthathavegonethrough in Andeanthoughtisnecessarilylinkedwiththepurityandtemper resistance hefeelsblockingcommunicationwithhim.Buttrue“communicability” father ataboardingschoolinAbancay, istoovercometheoppressiveelemental wind-horn, etc. sound, asannouncedbytheirnames:thetankayllu numerous Andeancreaturesandinstrumentsthatshareitshigh-frequencyyllu- his boarding-schoolenvironment–nottomentionitssymbioticassociationwith whose delicate,penetratinghumiscapableofalteringmoodsandtransforming chapters devotedtotheadventuresofzumbayllu–awondrousspinningtop the rocks–willnotbeintimidated» by thevoiceofbellthatkeepsreverberatinginhissoullikewar-dance of scorned hisfather(adefenselawyerforindigenousrights),Ernesto–strengthened 168 Yet evenbeyondthetemperofinstrumentemployed– beitmusical,linguis- 36 35 34 What ErnestomostyearnsforinDeepRivers,afterhavingbeendeliveredbyhis DR137-138. Inthechapteron«Zumbayllu» (Sp.zumbar=buzz,+Q.-yllu)Arguedasoffersa DR7,9,17 35 . anima mundi. A difficult task, to be sure (as is the 34 . Furtherexamplesabound,especiallyinthe insect-dancer, thepinkuyllu Rivers tendtobeexpressed of themateri- 36 . Any - Quechua) afterrealizinghe’s beenexposedtothetyphusepidemicinAbancay? he soferventlyinvokesaspraystheYayayku, hanak’pachapikak’(OurFatherin cipient signofhisheedingthenoumenalcallfather:transpersonalfather living logoswhichheseeksthroughoutthenovelnothavebeen–afterallanin- ity totuneintothehiddenpulseofhisworld.Mightlongingforcontactwiththat to theharshdisinfectantsagainstplague For it is just as he is “illa” andylluvibrationsthattraverseArguedas’s bilingualnovel(seenote33above). (DR 231-232;cf.RP259-260)– suffixes whichwondrouslyrhymewiththepenetratingQuechua ending inthe“ía”phoneme– seguirían, llegarían,cantarían,lanzarían, alcanzaría,penetraría of hisnovel,usingacombination ofSpanishverbsinthesubjunctiveandconditionalmoods between Ernesto’s intense yearning to Bachelard, G.,Fragmentsd’unepoétiquedufeu,Paris,PUF, 1988. Bachelard, G.,FragmentsofaPoeticsFire, eng.tr. byK.Haltman,DallasTX, Institute,1990. Bachelard, G.,LaFlammed’unechandelle,Paris,PUF, 1961. Bachelard, G.,TheFlameofaCandle,eng.tr. byJoniCaldwell,DallasTX,Institute, 1988. Bachelard, G.,LaTerre etlesrêveries delavolonté,Paris,JoséCorti,1947. Bachelard, G.,EarthandReveriesofWill , eng.tr. byK.Haltman,DallasTX,Institute, 2002. Bachelard, G.,LaTerre etlesrêveries durepos [TRR],Paris,JoséCorti,1948. Bachelard, G.,EarthandReveriesofRepose[ERR],eng.tr. byMaryMcAllester. Dallas,TX, Bachelard, G.,LaDialectiquedeladurée [DD-F],Paris,Boivin,1936. Bachelard, G.,TheDialecticofDuration[DD],eng.tr. byMaryMcAllester, Manchester, Clina - Bachelard, G.,L’Air etlessonges[AS],Paris,PUF, 1943. Bachelard, G.,AirandDreams [AD],eng.tr. byEdithFarrell,DallasTX,Institute,1988. Arguedas, J.M.,LosRíosProfundos[RP],SantiagodeChile,EditorialUniversitaria,1967;(1st Arguedas, J.M.DeepRivers[DR],eng.tr. byF. Barraclough,Austin,Texas University, 1978. A. PrimarySources fever”: theirtermfortheillmatrixthathasseizedsoulofzone women singhigh-pitchedjarahuis–hymnsaimedatbursting“themotherofthe midnight Mass, crossing the city bridge without fear of military fire, while their soft yet firm stepsof the boarding school–thatErnestobeginstofeeltheearthmoveunderhisfeet: 39 38 37 Bibliography In closing,letmetakeafinalmetaphysicalleap,highlightingthevirtualrelation Dallas Institute,2011. men, 2000. edition, BuenosAires,Losada,1958). Arguedas writes this passage on the DR221-230. 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