Don Dunderhead Looks for Love: A Greater Look at Love
Dunderhead is a satire exposing love as desire, toxicity, and a form of happiness. I write the story thinking how little humans have evolved; we still hurt each other. Denis de Rougemont in his book, “Love in the Western World” broadens my view of love and will likely influence the last two branches of my story.
Passages that I found of particular interest are as follows:
“Why does Western Man wish to suffer this passion which lacerates him which all his commonsense rejects? Why does he yearn after this particular kind of love notwithstanding that its effulgence must coincide with self-destruction? The answer is that he reaches self-awareness and tests himself only by risking his life – in suffering and on the verge of death.” (p 51)
“Every wish to experience happiness, to have it at one’s beck and call – instead of being in a state of happiness, – as though by grace, must instantly produce an intolerable sense of want.” (p 280)
“Eastern ‘askesis’ is directed to negation of the Many and into the One…by ‘West’ ..does not look to any absorption or union in substance” (p 70)
In terms of feedback, nothing new to report. As I continue working, I have added more text, artwork, and resources. In the last two branches of my story I would like to experiment with variables.
