Although I greatly enjoy the pages of Voltaire and those of several of his disciples, it is those of Swift that I believe elevates irony to a truly noble manifestation. There is no doubt: it takes genius to handle irony; but this mocking irony, which provokes a malicious puckering of the lips, is not a first-rate expression of the spirit, unfortunately. Swift’s irony rarely causes this pleasant effect; more often than not, what it causes is astonishment. It is hard to find anyone who resembles him… Swift’s lines seem to repel jokes of any kind; the intelligence that understands them immerses itself in a perplexity that doubts what it reads; it is something very, very far from mockery, more like aggression. From this, we note: if Voltaire’s irony bothers many; there is no one who escapes Jonathan Swift’s irony unscathed.
The Most Enchanting of Mermaids
This most enchanting of mermaids, misanthropy, even seems to be fond of artists and to be, besides an object of worship, a primary source of inspiration to them. Beautiful lady: more than a mermaid, a muse! And I never cease to marvel at how useful are the barriers erected around the mind inclined to art. Vigny, and not Victor Hugo, and not Lamartine, was the one who personified the fullness of the poetic vocation. And worse for those who seek motivation among stones!
No Matter How Much One Idealizes Style and Form…
No matter how much one idealizes style and form, both need execution to solidify and achieve an authentic unity. Once executed, or rather, during the attempt of execution, the idea becomes clearer and the artist evolves it until it fits his expressive intention. The spontaneous flashes that arise in the act of artistic realization, although they do not serve as a foundation, are often what brightens and makes a work worthy of the adjunct of art.
Exercicios espirituales, by Ignatius of Loyola
I go through Ignatius of Loyola’s Exercicios espirituales and I cannot help but imagine him composing them in the incredibly miserable conditions described in his biography. The comparison with Frankl is inevitable. If we confront the tenor of these lines, or rather, if we consider these lines as originating in the circumstances surrounding the author, we find an unbreakable psychological strength capable of almost superhuman feats. Finally, we see a method in the conscious effort to give meaning to the miseries experienced, in the continuous affirmation of a vow, in the overcoming of limits, in the transformation of the mind into an indestructible fortress. These Exercicios attest to Ignatius’ absolute victory over his surroundings and himself. Admirable lines!