Tuesday, September 10, 2024

A MYSTERY, INSIDE AN ENIGMA

 

“A riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma”

That which is so dense and secretive as to be totally indecipherable or impossible to foretell. It is from a line used by Winston Churchill to describe the intentions and interests of Russia in 1939

 

I was thinking about what makes an enigmatic character. Think Inspector Dalgleish from the P.D. James novels, or Clarisse from Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. Charismatic and lovable, but what drives them is only hinted at, never neatly solved.

 

These are my favorite kind of characters and my favorite sort of stories, where everything isn’t neatly wrapped in a bow.

 

Standing in awe of the mystery is what I consider contemplation prayer to be. It is how I understand notions of the divine. It is also what makes for the most powerful art.

 

The headwinds, when writing for young readers in particular, are the how-to conventions of the publishing professionals who insist on clarity of motives and neat endings that resolve all questions.

 

Maybe this is why I keep The Little Prince front of mind. He asked a lot of questions and, while a few answers float in here and there, the little guy himself remained an enigma.

 

This little prince is testament that even stories for all ages can feature riddles wrapped in mystery inside an enigma.


5 comments:

  1. I enjoy reading your ideas, Mirka.

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  2. When there are no neat endings, there is room for our imagination to roam freely.

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  3. I just love this, Mirka. Not everything has to be explained. I think at the heart of every good story is a mystery. Love the Little Prince!

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  4. I've never read The Little Prince. You've piqued my interest. Thank you.

    Love,
    Janie

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  5. Winston Churchill was one of the cleverest, wisest humans ever to grace the planet. What a way with words!

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