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Memory
Sept 11, 2013 11:22:37 GMT -6
Post by shawnhartnell on Sept 11, 2013 11:22:37 GMT -6
I'm wondering how other people interpreted the HPL story "Memory."
Here's mine: a very old and possibly senile man attempts to remember something.
That isn't explicitly stated, because the setting of the story is inside his mind in the same way that Tron takes place inside a computer.
What's your interpretation?
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Memory
Apr 4, 2015 11:51:43 GMT -6
Post by Padowan on Apr 4, 2015 11:51:43 GMT -6
www.hplovecraft.com/writings/texts/fiction/m.aspx
Points of interest:
Valley of Nis waning moon Upas tree river 'Than' grey toad red water Man apes crumbling courtyard
I interpret this as the eventual demise of man. Nis is in Asia, as well as the poisonous Upas tree, and apes. Everything is poison; the plants, the serpents, the river (red water can be a sign of bacterial growth.) A waning moon represents demise, or deterioration. What used to be great constructions of man, the monoliths and walls, are overgrown and crumbling.
We are a memory, humankind. Than - Man. Man - Than - Without Man
The little apes? A new evolution. Where did man originate? In subtropical Asia - Africa.
He could be saying we are part of a cycle of evolution. Ape to man, than man back to begin again at ape. The river Than 'From hidden springs it rises, and to subterranean grottoes it flows' a neverending cycle of flow of evolution yet beyond our comprehension.
The Moon? Well it is currently in a state of waning. Upon the 'New Moon' will be a turn of tides and it will wax again. Rivers will clean, plants will sustain, and life will evolve again.
Edit:
New interpretation
I could not figure out what the Grey Toad was before. I think now this story represents the human brain. grey toad = Grey Matter
This could very well be a constructed image of the Reptilian and the Monkey Mind with the forgotten 'civilized man.' The Reptilian brain is emphasized in the snakes and "filled with ancestral memories,"[1] possibly contained in the "Deep treasure vaults." The monkey mind or old mammalian brain is the Limbic system of the brain, where memory and our animal instincts reside. River Than? Blood vessels that supply the brain, maybe. The Genie in the moon? Conscious Mind? The Neocortex and rational intellectual mind shedding light upon the lower regions.
[1] www.kheper.net/topics/intelligence/MacLean.htm
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Memory
Apr 5, 2015 20:46:05 GMT -6
Post by shawnhartnell on Apr 5, 2015 20:46:05 GMT -6
Q. When you imagine something, what is the materials from which it is built?
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Memory
Apr 5, 2015 21:00:44 GMT -6
Post by Padowan on Apr 5, 2015 21:00:44 GMT -6
A: Memory
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Memory
Apr 5, 2015 21:19:09 GMT -6
Post by shawnhartnell on Apr 5, 2015 21:19:09 GMT -6
What's the first thing to go in old age? (lol, mentally)
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Memory
Apr 5, 2015 21:53:15 GMT -6
Post by Padowan on Apr 5, 2015 21:53:15 GMT -6
I completely understood your interpretation.
But no one goes to that much detail to speak only of senility.
It is more than an occurrence of lack of recall. The Daemon Memory is old because he is ancient; dating back to the dawn of man's brain evolution - reptilian and monkey minds.
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Memory
Apr 5, 2015 22:08:28 GMT -6
Post by shawnhartnell on Apr 5, 2015 22:08:28 GMT -6
How did you come to that conclusion?
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Memory
Apr 6, 2015 9:11:01 GMT -6
Post by Padowan on Apr 6, 2015 9:11:01 GMT -6
Because I am to some extent a fiction writer.
The process of developing a story requires some elements that are very much like composing a riddle.
All good historical fiction pieces are extended riddles.
Every detail has a role. Looking over the details I laid out how do they apply only to memory loss?
Edit: Once again I may have assumed in error the meaning of your question.
What conclusion are you referring to?
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Memory
Apr 6, 2015 9:20:28 GMT -6
Post by shawnhartnell on Apr 6, 2015 9:20:28 GMT -6
This one: "The Daemon Memory is old because he is ancient; dating back to the dawn of man's brain evolution - reptilian and monkey minds." Keep in mind that I'm going to have to re-read the story very carefully to catch up.
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Memory
Apr 6, 2015 9:39:25 GMT -6
Post by Padowan on Apr 6, 2015 9:39:25 GMT -6
Several factors influenced my deduction.
One was my interpretation that this is a description of the inner workings of the mind. Two, the ancient mind, the reptilian and then the old mammalian (monkey) was formed at the dawn of man. It is old and instinctual. Third, I recognized the ancient spelling.
Upon my current research the name Daemon. It is a Latin version of a Greek meaning as " benevolent or benign nature spirits, beings of the same nature as both mortals and deities, similar to ghosts, chthonic heroes, spirit guides, forces of nature or the deities themselves" - between mortality and god. Or... "Plato and Proclus In the ancient Greek religion, daimon designates not a specific class of divine beings, but a peculiar mode of activity: it is an occult power that drives humans forward or acts against them: since daimon is the veiled countenance of divine activity, every deity can act as daimon; a special knowledge of daimones is claimed by Pythagoreans; for Plato, daimon, is a spiritual being who watches over each individual, and is tantamount to a higher self, or an angel..." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daemon_(classical_mythology)
But you may find this more interesting, as I just have. "According to the Daemonicists, creative writing lies in that grey area between the subconscious mind as exemplified by meditation, dreaming and lucid dreaming, altered states, and collective consciousness if you’re a Jungian etc. and the conscious mind exemplified by observation, memory, synthesis, analysis, etc." www.teemingbrain.com/2013/09/02/the-muse-the-brain-and-behaviorists-vs-daemonicists/
Or
www.newdawnbooks.info/Reviews/The_Daemon.html
Keep in mind, I just found these links after your inquiry. None of this knowledge was known to me until now. My conclusion was based on my existing knowledge and intuition.
Edit: Another interesting find. The Genie in the story? Ancient translation of the word Genie. In 9th century BC the Assyrian (Egyptian) deity Apkallu meant the 'shining one' and is also known as the geni or Cherubim (angel.)
Quote from Memory: ...creeping plants crawl amidst the stones of ruined palaces, twining tightly about broken columns and strange monoliths..." Monoliths are Ancient, such as the Pyramids and Obelisks.
From a Fourth Way page on Truth: "The self-image is monolithic." www.gurdjiefflegacy.org/wpp/truth.htm
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Memory
Apr 6, 2015 14:15:16 GMT -6
Post by Padowan on Apr 6, 2015 14:15:16 GMT -6
Notice the toad-like shape of the first brain?
And just for fun, here's an interesting artistic depiction by a metal band.
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Memory
Apr 6, 2015 14:45:25 GMT -6
Post by shawnhartnell on Apr 6, 2015 14:45:25 GMT -6
You mean what this guy is singing about?
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Memory
Apr 6, 2015 15:57:32 GMT -6
Post by Padowan on Apr 6, 2015 15:57:32 GMT -6
As Shawn Hartnell would say, "Heh. "
I would trade valuable commodities for a tap into your reservoir of musical interpretations for every concept.
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Post by shawnhartnell on Apr 7, 2015 15:50:09 GMT -6
I've been meaning to do a write up on this level of mind, so -- time to get started. In the meantime, the corresponding list item of Satanism is : Numero #7: Satán representa al hombre como otro animal, a veces mejor , más a menudo peor que aquellos que caminan en cuatro patas , que , debido a su " desarrollo espiritual e intelectual divina", se ha convertido en el animal más vicioso de todos! Just kidding Numero #7: Satan represents man as just another animal, sometimes better, more often worse than those that walk on all-fours, who, because of his “divine spiritual and intellectual development,” has become the most vicious animal of all!
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