Class: 11-4-14
Throughout this evening's class we discussed the interwoven meaning and perception of cultures to their respective landscapes. Just as romantic landscapes, noted for their ability to induce a sense of nostalgia, where all the unified natural forces come together without a sense of order, and the canopy of trees filter the light giving everything a muted color reminiscent of distant memories, this landscape mirrors the deep sense of melancholy that is present in the culture of the people who live there.This is also illustrated in the middle eastern countries where there is often a single unified landscape of desert. Something that is consistent in its singularity, it is shown in it repetitious land formations (sand dunes).Norberg speculates this is where the idea of monotheism manifested. This relation of landscape effecting peoples perceptions seems to occur in the space trilogy. The artificial man sees the landscape of the moon and so wishes to covet its sterile and desolate exterior, to him this area that lacks life is something to be honored.He seeks this same sterility by removing life from himself and seeking out to overcome nature.
Besides the initial knee-jerk reaction to see a character blatantly sacrifice their humanity, what was immediately shocking to see characters like this was that my pre-conceived notion of this story relying heavily on the judeo-christian creation myth this seems oddly, for lack of a better word, blasphemous. Such a character seems out of place in the writings I have become accustom to by Lewis.Hopefully as I read more the of the space trilogy the importance of this symbolism will become clearer.
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