The theme of transformation as a physical event
fascinates me because we undergo the natural transformations
that any animal undergoes, but then we interfere
with it: we wear glasses, have our teeth done, our
nose straightened. As humans, we try to transcend
the body by transforming it. For us there is no
natural. It’s all a force of will. Everything
that exists in the sense of ethics or philosophy
comes from us. It doesn’t come from the aliens
or god- it’s a reflection of us. As we change,
those things change as well.
--David Cronenberg (1)
The field of action, the Theatre, of a work that
adheres to a Meta-narrative (or defines one) enters
in and operates in a harmonic relationship to
that Meta-narrative which exists also as a ‘probability’
field proportional to the minds that construct
it both originally and as the Narrative structure
grows and mutates. Therefore, from a practical
perspective, the quantification of any narrative
structure contained or bounded by a meta-structure
is defined as the fulfillment of the Transformative
Necessity of the creators. The distinguishing
characteristic of a Mythic structure is the formal
movement of the narrative toward a crisis or transform
node (see above) whereby the subject of the narrative
stream fulfills the pre-determined outcome of
the stream, whatever that may be in a given instance.
Narrative Typology
For convenience I shall define the Narrative typology
previously described as being cast in relation
to a Meta-Narrative as a Mythic Structure though
the word Mythic in this usage is intended strictly
in the sense used above.
The psychological, relational and experiential
matrix from which a Mythic structure is created
defines (as a limit) the Transformative Necessity
[T/N] of the narrative. The pattern created by
the Text in question is a function of the T/N
such that the pattern can be defined as a series
of discrete “movement” that advance
toward the climax of the stream. With this formula
in hand, we shall now be able to define the Logical
System of poetics which forms the base map of
the Mythic structure.
It is of course, not quite so simple as this formula
implies, since the end or conclusion precedes
(unnaturally) the beginning and therefore exerts
a distorting influence upon unfolding of the stream
and the substrate of the T/M underlying the structure
since it is, by definition, the imperative of
the Narrative structure as defined. This phenomenon
is in itself useful for operations which have
as their goal the transformation of, not only
the subject but also the environment – the
world – itself. Not only that but this also
implies (as the definition shows) that the operation
as such can be achieved against the grain, so
to speak, of the proper movement of time.
There are three structural parameters of this
type of Narrative Stream which must be accounted
for in engineering (rather than simply cultivating)
the Mythical transform which is the apogee of
the Narrative arc.
Initial boundaries – the node from which
the Stream originates and from which its course
is mapped forward to the fulfillment of its ending.
The definition of the boundary, and it dependant
rules and relationships, can be described as a
game: In a familiar game such as Chess, the initial
boundaries are the rules, the disposition of the
pieces and board and the definition of victory.
In the Narrative Stream we have, therefore, physics,
matrix and state.
Process – the cyclic, linear and qualitative
motion in relation to the initial state according
to the Physics of the Space. It is useful to define
the Transformative Process of the Stream as the
formal decision (ii the Quantum Mechanical sense)
of the possibility matrix of the stream. This
can be diagramed as shown:
Process Matrix
| X
| T -> |
1 |
2 |
3 |
A |
1A |
2A |
3A |
B |
1B |
2B |
3B |
C |
1C |
2C |
3C |
Therefore a stream could take the path (A, 1
- A, 2 - A, 3) or (B, 1 - A, 2 - B, 3) for example
but not (A, 1 - A, 2 - C, 3) since the equation
for this simple matrix is written:
T = 0 to T = 3;
X, T(n) = X (+/- 1), T (n-1) where 4 >X >
0 and therefore the Process is:
P = X, T(0) + X, T(1) + X, T(2) + X, T(3)
Note that this does not define the transform node
of the process, merely the overall movement of
the process. Naturally, any non-trivial map would
have much more complex equations and probability
matrices would be defined for at least some if
not all of the nodes. Also, T(0) may
be written as T(i).
3. Finally, there is the division of Space, which,
as mentioned, mat include multiple Dimensions
(d) and possibly variant increments of time. These
values are not defined in the Physics but are
abstractions used by the magician, whereby he
may choose to run the Stream at a variant Temporal
increment, though this must be defined before
the Stream is run.”
1. WIRED, May 1997, p. 184-185
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