Phyllis L. Thompson
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1A. Isak Dinesen on The Freedom of Dreams

10/6/2017

3 Comments

 
       In her book Out of Africa, Isak Dinesen (aka the Baroness Karen Blixen) writes about freedom in an early section of "The Shooting Accident" chapter:
 
       "People who dream when they sleep at night, know of a special kind of happiness which the world of the day holds not, a placid ecstasy, and ease of heart, that are like honey on the tongue. They also know that the real glory of dreams lies in their atmosphere of unlimited freedom. It is not the freedom of the dictator, who enforces his own will on the world, but the freedom of the artist, who has no will, who is free of will.  The pleasure of the true dreamer does not lie in the substance of the dream, but in this:  that there things happen without any interference from his side, and altogether outside his control. Great landscapes create themselves, long splendid views, rich and delicate colours, roads, houses, which he has never seen or heard of. . . .  All the time the feeling of immense freedom is surrounding him and running through him like air and light, an unearthly bliss.  He is a privileged person, the one who has got nothing to do, but for whose enrichment and pleasure all things are brought together. . . .
 
        "The thing which in the waking world comes nearest to a dream is night in a big town, where nobody knows one, or the African night.  There too is infinite freedom:  it is there that things are going on, destinies are made round you, there is activity to all sides, and it is none of your concern.”
p. 87, Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen
 (NY: Random House, Vintage Books, 1938, 1972)


​"Things are going on, destinies are made round you,
there is activity to all sides, and it is none of your concern."

How do you feel about this idea of freedom?
 
Do you have any thoughts about Dinesen's idea that the artist is someone
"who has no will, who is free of will"?

PS Some of the comments on this blog refer to a September post about floating in an eddy. This essay has been removed pending its publication elsewhere.

3 Comments
Rachel Wilson
10/9/2017 08:44:04 pm

This is the first time I've run across the idea that an artist has no will, or is free of will. Lots has been written about the artist 's self-awareness and self-conscious intention dissolving in the creative act, but for most of us it takes an act of determined will to get to that point.
I suppose the difference in viewpoint could be a matter of definition, but Dinesen's airy-faerie viewpoint on dreams and the dreamer don't resonate much with my experience.
(Loved your September post about floating in an eddy, but wasn't sure whether or not you were still taking comments on it. Hope to read more of your writing in coming months.)

Reply
Phyllis
10/10/2017 04:33:25 pm

Comment away, Rachel! Many thanks for joining the conversation with critical cap on.

Reply
Mary Ruhl
10/23/2017 02:43:47 pm

Jumping in late, having just explored here after being away. Thank you Phyllis for your captivating musings and quotes on flow.
I think Dinesen was referring to the way dream flow is not directed by the dreamer's conscious intention. I woke this morning with a feeling of amazement at a pair of curtains I encountered in the dream just before waking. The intricate pattern of curtains I inspected closely, in detail. How did my dreaming mind create a pattern so previously unknown to me - exact color and textural combinations that were a delight to behold? Sometimes when presented with a writing prompt, I will be visited by a vision and idea that is completely unexpected as well. Both of these - dream and waking - states require a clearing of intention or expectation that opens individual creative energy to that which is beyond me as an individual.

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    As a reader, I like essays and novels that are informed by ideas. Annie Dillard. Michael Ondaatje. I am hoping here to join others who feel the same. I look forward to thoughtful conversations!

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  • Home
  • Writing
    • "Light"
    • "Paradox"
    • Publications and Grants
  • Teaching
    • "Betsy's Invitation"
    • "Cheating or Cooperation?"
    • Workshops and Lectures
  • Performing
    • Collaborations
    • "10 Minutes in Deep Space"
    • Tai Yi Yo Long Gongfu
    • "Empty / Full"
    • Dramatic Readings and Awards
  • Contact me
  • Explorations
  • Academic Experience
  • Explorations blog