INVITATION TO A BEHEADING

About the site

Curriculum vitae

The Book

Books archive

First Drafts

Lola's diary

Free-writing

Links

contact Jeremy
contact Ellen

The last words in the diary that Cincinnatus keeps during his deathwatch:

Save these jottings -- I do not know whom I ask, but save these jottings -- ... let them lie around a while -- how can that hurt you? -- and I ask you so earnestly -- my last wish -- how can you not grant it? I must have at least the theoretical possibility of having a reader, otherwise, really, I might as well tear it all up. There, that is what I needed to say. Now it is time to get ready.

Invitation to a Beheading p. 194

Well, these are actually the next-to-last words in his diary, he goes on a bit further; but this is the point where I see him as having closure. Funny, now that I think of it parts of that sentiment apply very aptly to my endeavor in creating this site.

But what really got me about this was the last two sentences: "There, that is what I needed to say. Now it is time to get ready." Because often, when I am writing, as if my whole experience is of hemming and hawing around some point that I am unable to make, that I don't know what I want to say. I get the feeling Cincinnatus' diary is of the same nature as my writing -- I need to think about what it means, that I would identify in this way with Cincinnatus. (As I have observed before.)

This point of closure is a significant turning point in the text; it signals the beginning of Cincinnatus' transcendence, if it could be called that. At the moment he achieves closure, acceptance of his fate, it is again postponed -- I think maybe this is where the Director went too far, this is what prompted Cincinnatus to realize he need not concede to the reality of the book. (Is this a valid way of reading what happened?)