And reading it again, there are certainly big differences in this story/active imagination, and what Beatrice represents in the Divine Comedy! Beatrice is the idea and source and portal to the spiritual and the Divine Love. It's represented as related to the feminine, but Beatrice is not a romantic figure in that sense - apart from her increasing beauty in Paradiso, but that often represents something more like the increasing spiritual energy and closesness/participation in the Divine Love and Good and Beauty.
It seems like Spiegelman is more tapping into ideas of the Self, and the relationship to the "Other". But it still seems very self-oriented. The "we" or "us" idea, as a living, independent "thing" does not seem to strike him in his imaginations. There's a certain lack of the "giving" element too. Something too instrumental in the relationships perhaps. But again, Spiegelman might be showing us important things in the contrasts, through how things are not working, but bringing the important questions into attention. And that is a very valuable start.
Interesting reflections, and as always much food for thought! Maybe one aspect of evaluating the individual vs. collective unconscious arises through being able to relate to it or not. Unifying fragments in the Knight seems more like something that is shared for all of us, some elements in this story feel foreign. The timeless opening of Hesiod comes to mind; when the Muses say that they will tell many "false things, as though they were true". This might apply to some of Spieglmanns explorations.
Will ponder these reflections some more, the whole area of perception vs. projection is a deep and important one. And looking forward to the Ronin!
And reading it again, there are certainly big differences in this story/active imagination, and what Beatrice represents in the Divine Comedy! Beatrice is the idea and source and portal to the spiritual and the Divine Love. It's represented as related to the feminine, but Beatrice is not a romantic figure in that sense - apart from her increasing beauty in Paradiso, but that often represents something more like the increasing spiritual energy and closesness/participation in the Divine Love and Good and Beauty.
It seems like Spiegelman is more tapping into ideas of the Self, and the relationship to the "Other". But it still seems very self-oriented. The "we" or "us" idea, as a living, independent "thing" does not seem to strike him in his imaginations. There's a certain lack of the "giving" element too. Something too instrumental in the relationships perhaps. But again, Spiegelman might be showing us important things in the contrasts, through how things are not working, but bringing the important questions into attention. And that is a very valuable start.
Interesting reflections, and as always much food for thought! Maybe one aspect of evaluating the individual vs. collective unconscious arises through being able to relate to it or not. Unifying fragments in the Knight seems more like something that is shared for all of us, some elements in this story feel foreign. The timeless opening of Hesiod comes to mind; when the Muses say that they will tell many "false things, as though they were true". This might apply to some of Spieglmanns explorations.
Will ponder these reflections some more, the whole area of perception vs. projection is a deep and important one. And looking forward to the Ronin!