The Columbia River

Columbia River View Point from ducnly Award winner on ViewBug.

Piranesi

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Some notes: I bought the ebook $10 and Audible $7. I could not go shopping for the first edition because some of the book stores are closed?  Listened and read some last night.  the way Clarke uses the month by number instead of the name.  But there were Journal titles with November and June.  This alters reality.  The year is given by specific events such as the year the Albertross came.  On earth, we don't have names for years except for the Chinese Zodiacs. This seems to make the narrative an earthbound person but a slightly altered perception.

'The word albatross is sometimes used metaphorically to mean a psychological burden that feels like a curse. ... Therefore, the albatross can be both an omen of good or bad luck, as well as a metaphor for a burden to be carried as penance."  

So this signals a psychological change in the narrator. The Other calls him Piranesi but he says it's not his name. This suggests that the narrator has an alter ego. The Other sometimes acts as the narrator's psychologist.

This year could have easily been named the year the Covid19 virus came. One critic mentioned that Clarke's Piranesi is so very timely. We are sequestered yet we are yearning to explore. Clarke's Piranesi's allows us to do this a little bit. It's a guide to our own psyche. Clarke puts up symbolisms, ancient icons, and myths that echo within the vast hall.

We see the statues make an appearance in Clarke's novel 'Strange and Norrel' 16 years ago. Norrel performed the only trick in the book was to make the statues in the cathedral speak bring back ghostly accusations and pleadings.

'I dreamt of him once; he was standing in a snowy forest and speaking to a female child.' This is a reference to Narnia. The epigram from C.S. Lewis also is the frontispiece and the cover is a figure similar to Tumus. Of course, statues are a result of the wicked queen turning her enemies to stone, even the lion got turned. The statues are paralysis, could possibly be a psychological one as experienced by the narrator. In the end, the lion is turned back to flesh. The Medusa also turns flesh into stone.

The Other is about to perform ceremonial magic to bring the answer to the secret knowledge. Here we see magik as practical as a modern-day revival of it similar to the Golden Dawn tradition instead of the fantasy kind. Clarke doesn't dwell on this. It's a hint of modern-day era magical practices. The Pan god suggests Paganism.

The element of water is pervasive.

This vast complex that the character traverses in reminds me of Calvino's Invisible Cities. Perhaps there are other similar structural organisms of this microcosm.

Mentions of the commonplace method of record-keeping and journaling.

View all my reviews

Bayon

By Duc Ly

Collage 7"x7"

By Duc N. Ly

Prospero's Book

By Duc N. Ly

Cape Lookout

Hood River Valley Marina

Jenny and I went to Hood River Valley this summer.  There's the bridge to Washington.  there were many wind sails and surfers there.  We walked into the Columbia River.  It was so hot in the Summer 2015. 

Gold Beach Brookings Hasting Park

We drove to Gold Beach.  Further down is Brookings where this photograph was taken.  The we drove to the border of California.  It was misty in the town near the border.  We stop for lunch at a Chinese restaurant. 

Two Squares

Artfinder Horizontal

Photo Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

Create a gorgeous, high quality wedding photo album at Shutterfly.com.

Explore Oregon

Haystack from Summer of 2013

Haystack Cannon Beach Oregon by Duc Ly on 500px

Hay Stack by Duc Ly on 500px

Wildlife Safari

Ostrich

Zebra at Wild Life Safari Winston, Oregon June 2014

Yak

Crater lake in June weather.  Driving around the Rim Drive.  This view is from approximately SW.  See location I've Geo tagged in flickr.  This is the closest location to Wizards Island as one can drive to along the Rim Drive.
The magical Wizard's Island which is a small volcano that has magically risen  inside of a Volcano's crater.  I believe there are boat ramps which allows non motorized boats to enter the island's clear blue and a small spot of emerald water.   

Wizard's Island I by Duc Ly on 500px

Wizard's Island by Duc Ly on 500px

Wizard's Island III by Duc Ly on 500px

Garibaldi

Clam dug from the beach of Garibaldi

Siletz Bay

Siletz Bay during the Spring Break weather.  The sea withdraws its water.  In the afternoon time of 4p.m. we could walk far out to watch a line of sea lions sun bathing across the narrow channel.  The residents on the other side could walk from their house to the sea lions.  But it was not possible to touch them, it was prohibited.  There were signs posted to warn the inhabitants. 
Lincoln City
 Oyster from a store near by our place.  It was hard work prying them open.  Trang broke a tip of the small fruit knife.

Clams from Siletz Bay caught that day.

Map of the place

Jenny and I had a plan to go clam digging since last year but our busy schedules was in the way.  Our shell fish license had expired. So we went to Elanor's to buy new ones.   

Mermaid Elenor

Year of the Horse

Mustang
Originally uploaded by lexly87 aka Duc N. Ly

may it be a happy Year.

Happy valley library

Steam fish