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The Q uest for Self: The Labyrinth in the Fiction of

Lawrence Durrell

James R. Nichols, Georgia Southern University

Along with the f igure of Narcissu s, Durrel l 's ima geof the labyr in th com m ands

center stage in his work art m ad e live thr ou gh imitat ion so that life m ight imitate,

m igh t be , a r t . Th us hu m an kin d migh t l ive more fu lly and co mple te ly . Dur re l l ' s

work ment ions the l abyr in th mos t p rominen t ly in The D ark Labyrinth; Tunc and

Numquam

in

The Revolt of Aphrodite; Justine, Balthazar,

a n d

Clea

in

The Alexan-

dria Quartet; a n d Monsieur, Constance, a n d Quinx in The Avignon Quintet.

Clear ly the image has been both ubiqui tous and constant in Durrel l ' s thought , the

vu lnerab le ompha los

of

mank ind 's bo dy and experience, the center

of

creat ion and

dest ruct ion, itself beyon d bo th t ime and causa t ion .

1

For Durrel l the labyr in th i s represen ta t ive of the necessary inner journe y that

a l l o f us m us t m ake tow ard se l f-knowledge and se lf -r ea li za tion. As John Weige l

notes , the im age is a labyr in thian explorat ion of se l f in wh ich we a ll find wh at

w e are dest ined to f ind.

2

Indeed, as Mar ie-Chr is t ine Veldman suggests , the very

s t ruc tu re o f Monsieur w i th i t s do cum ents , d iar ies , and nove ls wi th in no vels f i-

nally implies an imag e of t h e h u m a n m i n d .

3

Reality, V eldm an insists, bec om es a

w eb

of

disru pted , mu l t ip le thou gh someho w interre la ted exper iences .

4

In the Classi ca l Med i t e r r ane an wo r ld ou t of wh ich so m uch o f Dur re l l ' s

tho ugh t g row s , and wh ich has been the sub jec t o f a ll o f h i s matu re wo rk , the re

we re , evid ent ly , five great labyr in ths one located a t Lake Moer is , tw o at Knos-

sus and G or tyn a on Crete , one on Lem nos, an d f inally the great Et ruscan m aze a t

Clusium. They have been var iously in terpreted in Larousse , Campbel l , Bulf inch,

an d Frase r as p laces wi th in w hich to lu re dev il s , d i agra ms o f heave n an d as t r a l

m ot ion an d the cosmos, and s igni ficat ions of pat tern a nd c reat ive ar t as o pp ose d

to the spi r i tual essence of creat ive potent ia l . M ore m od ern in terp reta t ions, wh ich

ow e mu ch to Jung ian a rche type , sugges t a desc r ip tion of the unconscious as wel l

as the appren t i ce journey of the you th wh o g rows tow ard no t on ly h i s ow n ma tu-

r i ty bu t inevi tably h is ow n dea th . Penelope Reed Doob s up po r ts a final re adin g of

the labyr in th as con scious in te llectual choice , even ident i fy ing it wi th the bra in .

5

1

There are numerous books outlining the labyrinth archetype. Foremost among them are Gaetano

Cipol la 's Labyrinth: Studies on an Archetype (N ew York: Legas, 1987) and S.H. Hook , ed. , The

Labyrinth: Further Studiesin theRelation of Myth and Ritual in the Ancient World (London: SPCK, 1935).

2

John A. Weigel, Lawrence Durrell (N ew York: Twayn e, 1965) 53.

o

Marie-Christine Veldman, Narrative Techniqu e in

Monsieur,

presented at On Miracle Ground VI

(Statesboro, GA, 1989) 2.

4

Veldm an 4.

5

Penelope Reed Doob,

The Idea of the Lab yrinth

(Ithaca: Cornell Un iver sity Pres s, 1990) 52, 81. Doo b

argues that the Labyrinth always has an inherent duality, each structure containing its oppositeorder

vs. chaos, imprisonment vs. freedom, product vs. process, danger vs. security.

5 4 The International Fiction Review 22 (1995)


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Du rrel l ' s labyr in th , as f ir st dev elop ed in

The Dark Labyrinth,

is mythological

Da eda lus 's m aze . I t i s creat ive ar t , ident if ied wi th h um an exper ien ce. That i s , i t

con ta ins the mino taur , if not as f lesh m ost certain ly as spir i t or appa ri t io n (even if

on ly as the ha rm less cow in

The Dark Labyrinth).

D a e d a l u s w a s e m p l o y e d b y Mi -

nos to bui ld a m aze to h id e h is wife P asiphae 's m onst rou s progen y, begot upo n her

by a bul l so s t rong and ha nd so m e that Min os could not bear to sacr if ice i t to Po -

seidon as the god had to ld h im to do. Th us the Labyr inth per forms dou ble duty , not

on ly p ro tec t ing m an f rom the essenceof h i s ow n mascu l in itythe M ino taur but

pro tec t ing the Mino taur f rom the jea lous sha me of v en g e fu l m a n . T h e p u r p o se o f

an y labyr in th , of course , i s to protect i ts center , the essence of ma n 's creat ive im -

pulse and exper ience, the sacred nature of hea ven and hel l. To Durrel l , howe ver , a

twent ie th century in te l lect , the journey to e i ther p lace i s a lways a journey of m a n

ins ide h imse lf to d i scover , t o und er s t an d , to ma s te r hum an exper i ence his ow n

per ve rsi ty a nd his ow n ge nius . Th us, the labyr in th i s ar t as life an d l ife as a r t .

An d in good Jun gian fashion, i t i s a lwa ys am biguo us.

InThe

Dark Labyrinth

a l l t he m ajor charac te r s a r e desc r ibed and d i scov ered

by thei r re la t ionship to the labyr in th a t Cefalu . As Fredr ick Go ldberg so co gent ly

poin ts out , thei r journey s or ques ts are subject ive , each person d iscover ing the na -

t u r e of h is o w n so u l .

6

W hi le the ques t and l abyr in th a re cons tan t in a ll h um an

exper ienc e, the l iv ing out of speci fic h um an dest in ies i s a lw ays a re la t ive and in-

div idu al act ion. It i s the a t t i tud e of each vis i tor to the labyr in th , and not the m az e

itself , w hich de term ines th e character ' s v is ion and exp er ience. Life and t ru th be-

come an d a re wh a t the ind iv idua l imag ines them to be . Even tua l ly they a re w ha t

the individual chooses to make them.

Fearmax , the mys t ic , r ea l izes the pa lpab le na tu re of h is ow n unrea l i t ie s by

walk ing in to the ev i l mouth of the M ino taur . The r e lig ious f ana ti c Miss Do mb y,

i ron ica lly no mys t i c a t a ll , w an der s aw ay f rom Fearmax an d even tua l ly , th ro ug h

suicide , faces th e lonel iness and ter ror of her ow n unbelief . C am pion a nd Virginia

Dale find the f reedom of open a i r but are cut off f rom the ou t s ide wor ld of o the r

h u m a n b e i n g s b y t h e she e rcliffs tha t fo rm par t of the outer wal lsof the laby r in th .

The y jum p nake d in to the sea from wh ich life cam e, Ca m pion , the art i st , una ble to

sw im a nd face the real wo r ld an d Virginia Dale , the coura geo us an d s im ple g i r l ,

l ed by a subs t i tu t e gu ide once aga in . Lord Graecen had dese r t ed her when the

par ty in i t ia l ly became t rapped and lost in the labyr in th . She l ives to be rescued.

Ca m p i o n d r o w n s .

De spi te h is yea rning , Graecen is too m uc h of a ra t ional is t ever to accept the

de p th s o f hum an exper i ence . So, wi th a l it tl e luck , he finds h i s w ay ou t o f th e

laby r in th and back to Axelos , i ronical ly the o ld Si lenus, de m igo d of the no vel

and bu i lde rof it s t em ple .

7

Final ly , Bai rd , gui l t - r idden and di rect ionless , submits to h is own di f f idence

an d n ever r een te rs the l abyr in th , a p lace which he had on ly inadeq ua te ly kn ow n

as a h iding place dur ing the war . L ike Graecen, Hogar th , and even Axelos , Bai rd

6

Fredrick Goldberg,

The

Dark

Labyrinth:

Journeys Beneath the Landscape, Deus Loci2.3 (1979): 13-

14.

7

' Lawrence Durrell,

The

Dark

Labyrinth

( N ew York: E.P. Dutton, 1969) 16. Sub sequ ent references are to

this edition and w ill appear in the text after th e abbreviation DL.

The Labyrinth in the Fiction of Lawrence Durrell 55


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only f lirts wi th th e dep ths o f h i s ow n sou l . H e is a m an o f the ou te r w or ld w ho

w o u l d k n o w , b u t c a n n o t e x p e r i e n ce , t h e s e e m i n g i n sa n i t y o f t h e l a b y r i n t h a n d

life's infin ite pat te rn . A m oral m an , bu t only a m an, h e is saved by l ies . Rat ional i ty

is bo ug ht a t the expen se of t ru th . Such paradoxes a re com mo n in D urrel l.

Only the e lde r ly , bourgeo i s , and a lways lov ing Trumans r i se above the i r o r -

dea l . Th ey t r ave l up w ar d towa rd the roof of the wo rld (DL 216), lea rni ng in the

process that the Minotaur i s real ly just E ls ie the cow and heaven a very qual i f ied

an d l imi ted , hu m an place . E ls ie Tr um an at las t real izes that the roof

of

the wor ld

d id no t real ly exist , exce pt in their ow n imag inatio ns (DL 256).

The Trumans , Fearmax , Campion , Miss Da le , and Miss Domby l ive beyond

judg m ent . The i r ind iv idua l l ives become w ha t they imag ined them to be , no t wh a t

the y should ha ve been . Ar t and real i ty meld in to one. The labyr in th com es to rep-

resen t the mys te ry , the wholeness , and the un i tyof m an 's exper ience as in tegrated

per son a l i ty . The charac te r s do no t so mu ch r e jec t abso lu te v i r tue as com e face to

face w i th i t s hu m an i rr e l evance , it s nonex i s tence . The me asure a nd pu rpo se of life

is to search, d iscover , exper ience, know , and sym pathize , not to judge. En ergy and

cha nge a re ever super io r to fo rm an d s t as is . Dur re l l' s fr equen t use th ro ug ho u t h i s

w o r k s of mul t ip le m i r ro r s , p r i sms , and the m and a la as images on ly r e in fo rces th i s

cen t r a l pa radox .

D esp i te i t s 1962 pu bl ic at io n d ate (Cefalu, as first t i t led, ap p ea re d in 1947),

The Dark Labyrinth r e m a i n s D u r r e l l 's m o s t s e m i n a l e v o c a t i o n of t h e m a z e

arche typ e . Doo b sugges t s tw o paradox ica l ly d if fe rent mazes the c lassi cal m ul t i -

cu r sa l mod e l wh ich defends i ts cen te r by p resen t ing m any confus ing p a th s for the

t r ead er and the Medieva l Chr i s t i an un icur sa l mode l which seem s confus ing bu t

lead s alw ay s an d o nly to i ts center , thu s sug ges ting the diff iculty of the one pa th to

G od he ad . Dur re l l 's l abyr in th sug ges t s ne i the r a sea rch for goo d and ev i l nor a n

o p p o s i t i o n of g o d h e a d a n d m o r t a li ty . If t h e p u r p o se of the labyrinth is to defend

i ts center, in som e w ay to pres erve or protect both the sacred and p rofane (a ll

exp er ien ce as kn ow ledg e) , then Du rrel l 's novels consis tent ly search for a pat tern

to the u nk no w able , i ronical ly for a m ea nin g to mys tery itself. It i s nev er a co ntest

be tween God and m an .

InJustine, Dar ley adm i t t ed ly sea rches for the me an ing of the pat te rn in th is

firs t g reat f ragm entat ion of m y m a t u r i t y ,

8

and i t is the ar t ist 's imagination, disci-

p l ined an d tem pe red by the search, that wi ll g ive that me anin g and s igni ficance to

the bew i lde r ing a r r a y o f sub jec t ive v i s ions and exper i ences , a ll equ a l ly va l id ,

wh ich b o th Dar ley a nd Clea find in the li t to ra l s of Alexandr ia . In

Justine,

the in-

s a n e m a z e of The DarkLabyrinthbecom es the invis ib le cob we bof loyalt ies, id eas

an d hesi ta t ions wi th in which Dar ley l ives in Alexa ndr ia (/ 79) . The im ag e of the

w eb i s in t rodu ced in The Dark Labyrinth when we are to ld that people l ike Fear -

m a x a n d Ba ir d w a n d e r i n t o H o g a r t h ' s w e b , a k i n d of p sy c h o a n a l y s i s w h i c h

Gra ecen is not ab le to und ers tan d (DL 41). F inally , in the las t vo lum eof t h e

Quar-

tet, i t i s Ar ia dne 's thr ea d w hic h i s a t tach ed to the s teel ar r ow th at t ransf ixes

8

Law rence Durrell,

Justine

(N ew York: E.P. Du tton, 1956) 7. Subsequ ent references are to this ed ition

an d wil l appea r in the text after the abbreviation /.

5 6 The International Fiction Review 22 (1995)


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Clea 's han d to th e o ld sh ip wrec k on the sea 's floor.

9

S l ow l y a n d p a i n fu l ly sw i m -

m ing a lon g the th read , Dar ley i s l ed to the wo un de d Clea . Even tua l ly to fr ee he r ,

he mus t cu toff he r h an d. I t i s,of course , only after th is death tha t Clea d isc ove rs

herself as an i ron-f is ted (Durrel l ' s pun ) a r t is t .

F o r D u r r e l l , t h e n , t h e la b y r i n t h e x i s ts b e t w e e n b i r t h a n d d e a t h , b e t w e e n

de ath a nd re bi r th . I t i s essent ia l an d necessa ry pat tern becau se it seeming ly denie s ,

ye t f ina lly asse r t s , o rd er and u l t ima te m ean ing in hu m an exp er i ence . All kn ow l -

ed ge i s v i ta l . Th e search, paradoxical ly , creates i t s ow n t reasu re .

Earl ier , in The Dark Labyrinth, Graecen had been roused f rom h i s p leasur -

a b le m a z e of conjecture by a g i rl w ho cr ied in her s leep (DL101). At the be gin nin g

of Mo nsieur, Bruce asse r t s the cen t r a l image of the en t i r e Quintet w h e n h e n o t e s

tha t the w hole pa t t e rn of ou r l ives ( and in conse quenc e our love) ha d con t inu i ty

a n d d e s i g n .

1 0

La te r in the book , Sutc liffe t e ll s us o f An gko r W at (w hich he an d

Pia had r ev i s i t ed on the i r honeymoon and where P ia l a t e r was compel l ed to t ake

Trash) : You w alk stiffly . . . u p t h e l o n g a v e n u eof gen i i an d th roug h th e las t por -

t a l; an d then y ou f ind your se lf unex pec ted ly in a so rt of l abyr in th

of

c o u r t y a r d s ,

cham bers , co r r idor s a nd ves t ibu les . . . Th e f ive-coned tow ers fo rm a q u in cu nx ,

an d thei r flanks are scoo ped in to n iches in each of wh ich has bee n placed a sm i l -

i n g Bu d d h a . . . b a s- re lie fs s ta r t c o n t e n d i n g for y o u r a t te n t i o n . . . E l e p h a n t s w i t h

thei r t runks locked in deadly combat and thei r r iders hur l ing ar rows: char io ts fu l l

of gest icula t ing bowmen: an inext r icable swarmof dead and d y ing , v ic to r ious an d

d e fe a te d i n t h e l a s t f re n z y o f w a r : b r i d l e d t ig e r s: sh ip s w i t h d r a g o n p r o w s a d -

vanc ing method ica l ly over mytho log ica l r ive r s th i ck wi th c rocod i l es and g rea t

fi shes. This i s the w or ld , th e real wo r ld , mu nc hin g itself to dea th . Your wo r ld an d

min e (M 240-41). No t ice that the Qu incu nx of Angkor Wat s tands a t the center of

the labyr in th a nd thu s can only be reached b y t ravel ing thro ug h i t . Th e secret a nd

sa c r e d n e s s

of life

i s p ro tec ted by the maze . At Angk or W at space , time , and ind i -

v idua l pe rcep t ions meld in to a pa radox ica l ly non l inear con t inuum which i s the

w h o l eof h um an exper ien ce i tself. There are n o firs t causes , no f inal t ru th s .

Al l of Du r re l l ' s c i ti e s a r e equ a l ly pa t t e rned Av ignon , A thens , Ale xan dr ia ,

Co ns tan t inop le , a nd Ven ice . It is the i r lands cape of st reets , canals , and a l le yw ay s

tha t dete rm ine l ife in the m . Dar ley te l ls us of Alexandr ia : W alk ing do w n w i th re -

m e m b e r e d g r o o v e s of st reets which exte nde d on every s ide , rad ia t in g out l ike the

a r m sof a s ta r fi sh f rom the ax i sof i ts f o u n d er 's t o m b . . . a h i v eof w h i t e m a n s i o n s

f la n k in g t h o se n a r r o w a n d a b a n d o n e d s t re e ts of m u d . . . a g r e a t h o n e y c o m b o f

faces an d gesture s (C 54-55).

D ur in g h i s w a lk abo u t the c i ty , Dar ley feels , he says , l ike the A da m of m e-

d i e v a l l e g e n d s . H e s e es h i m se lf a s e l e m e n t a l m a n ( e v e r y m a n ) , h i s r e t u r n t o

Alexa ndr ia as a reb i r th , an d the c i ty as p ro jec t ing the sadn ess and be a t i tu de o f

9

Law rence Durrell , Clea (N ew Yo rk EJP. Du tton, 1960) 241. Su bseq uen t references are to this ed ition

and w ill app ear in the text after the abbreviation C.

1 0

Law rence Durrell , Monsieur (N ew York: Viking, 1975) 7. Subseq uent references are to this e dition

and will ap pear in the text after the abbreviation M .

The Labyrinth in the Fiction of Lawrence Durrell 57


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this hu m an cond it ion (C 54-55). In

Tunc,

Charlock in l ike m ann er i s in t rod uced to

the fan tast ic honeycom b

of

ac tion up on which m odern Is tanbul has been bu i l t .

1 1

But the human condit ion is not just landscape and memory to Durrel l or to his

charac ters . Life i s never m ere ly a n ex terna l pu zz le to be so lved by reac t ing to , o r

even a ttemp t ing to und ers tand and sym path ize wi th , hum ankind 's envi ronm ent . To

the cont rary , Du rre l l rem ains an en igm at ic Pla ton is t . Know thyse lf i s the key to

Du rre l l ' s Te m plar labyr in th an d the t reasur e a t i ts cen ter . Or der i s m an -m ad e and

an th ropocen t r i c . In Monsieur, Du rre l l asser t s tha t the very concep t o f o rd er i s

h o m e - m a d e , t h e p r o d u c t

of

our fin ite min ds (M133) . Order , then , is f ina lly the in -

ner w orld of m an 's sou l as sure ly as the ou ter w orld i s of h i s bod y , an d c iv i liza-

t ion reflects , a t least , tha t equa l ly inner, spiri tua l o rde r.

Da rley says of an ear l ie r w alk th ro ug h Alexa ndria w i th Jus t ine , We tur n a

co rne r an d the w or ld be com es a pa t t e rn o f a r t e ri e s , sp la shed w i th s i l ve r and

deck le -edge d w i th sha dow ( / 138 ). La t er , a t t he end of Pa r t Fou r , he m use s

Somewhere in the hear t

of

exper ience there i s an order and a coherence wh ich w e

migh t su rp r i se

if

w e w ere a t ten t ive eno ugh , lov ing enou gh, o r pa t ien t enou gh ( /

225). And in

Quinx,

Aubrey insists to a jeering al ter ego

Sutcliffe,

I am just ab ou t

to beg in by m arsh a l l ing a l l these d iso rder ly fac ts in to a cohe ren t m az e of lan-

g u a g e ,

1 2

an ac t ( the nov el it se lf ) w hich w e are to ld la te r i s ho pe d to be a

m e t a p h o r

for

the hu m an condit ion (Q136) .

Cen t ra l to Durre l l ' s ma tur e f ic tion has been the des i re to d i scove r th e o rder

an d p a t te rn w i th in th i s labyr in th of hu m an exper ience . Life i s sacred in i ts m ys-

te ry , bu t tha t very mystery conta ins wi th in i t a g rea ter and more po ten t ia l ly pro-

duc t ive , c rea t ive o rde r . Cons t an ce and Au brey sh ive r at t he conc lu s ion o f t he

Quintet as they are abo ut to en ter the Te m plar Lab yrin th ben ea th A vign on , n o t

because t he y a re fr igh tened bu t because t hey a re exc it ed; a new wor ld of hu m an

exper ience and poss ib i l i t i es awai t s them somewhere a t i t s cen ter . Thei rs i s a

sh iverof prem onit ion an d, i ronical ly , real i ty rush es to the aid of art , an d the to-

ta l ly unpre d ic tab le beg ins to take p lace

Q

201).

Paradoxica l ly , the search for o rder and pa t te rn tha t has a lways been so m uch

a pa r t o f Du rre l l ' s w ork i s a necessar i ly se lf -defea ting ques t ye t a se l f - rea liz ing

chal lenge tha t m ust a lw ays be met . We must d i scover limi ts wi th which to m easu re

the in fin ite. Char lock 's bu i ld ing

of

Abel , the com pute r in the

Revoltof Aphrodite

is

an a t tem pt , we ' re to ld , to b r ing scien ti fic o rd er to chaos ( 288). Abel ' s rem ark-

ab le ab i l i ty i s based on pogo-nom etry , dedu ct ion growing ou t

of

the pogon , the

smal les t conce ivable u n i t o f speech , one m i l lion th

of

a mil l ionth

of

a p h o n e m e ( T

14) . In to Abel , Cha r lock p lugs a l l tha t i s necessary to repr odu ce a n ac tua l hu m an

being , to com ple te a new , me chanica l Io lan the , an abso lu te and perfect rep rod uc-

t ion

of

the dea d w om an Ju l ian so loved . At one po in t in

Tunc,

Felix asks the qu es-

t ion , 'T o wha t degree i s pa t te rn a rb i t ra ry? The n he te ll s us , So the labyr in th of

th i s i n t e rmi t t en t reco rd pou red o u t

of

the l i tt l e m achine . . . La ter ou r th r ee ben t

he ad s wo uld t r y to pu zz le this out (T 289).

.

1 1

Lawr ence Durrell,

Tunc

(N ew York: E.P. Dutton, 1968) 149. Subse quen t references are to this ed ition

and w ill app ear in the text after the abbreviation T.

1 2

Lawrence Durrell, Quinx (London: Faber & Faber, 1985) 13. Subsequent references are to this e dition

and w ill appe ar in the text after the abbreviation

Q.

58

The International Fiction Review 22 (1995)


6/7

W hat Abe l r eproduces , of course, is th e m azeof hum an mo t ive itself. Th e m a-

chine reprodu ces hu m an be ings , and the magic of such pa t te rn produ ces tha t wh ich

is com ple te ly unexpected free-wil l, the mechanica l Iolanthe 's ins is tence up o n her

ow n pers ona l f reedom. Durre l l ' s theolog y ins is ts u po n this essent ia l mystery. Free

wil l i s one thing which ne i ther Jul ian ' s lus t nor the Firm's weal th and power can

give to her or to an yo ne else.

Th us , the fina l pa ra do x of the Dur re l l i an l aby r in th i s tha t w e can e sc ape

f rom i t on ly by sea rch ing for it , by d i scove r ing i ts cen te r f rom wh ich w e ha ve

ne ve rleft. Freed om is ins ide ourse lves , not outs ide . All do gm a an d a ll rules a re fi-

na l ly but ch im era . The k ey to the pa t te rn

of

li fe 's f rag men ta t ion exis ts on ly in t he

l iving of i t .

1 3

Life 's me anin g i s found only by us ing i t up by ac t ive ly seeking bu t

not des i r ing one ' s ow n de a th (as did Chris t) .

Th rou gh ou t h i s fic tion, Dur re l l mo ves sure ly and d i rec t ly tow ard an inc lu-

s ive un de rs ta nd ing of h i s image . The labyr in th a t the en d of

Quinx

in to wh ich

C on s t a nc e a nd A ub r e y p r e p a r e t o w a lk ; t h r o ug h w h ic h D a r le y , J us t ine , C l e a ,

Ba l thaza r , and M oun to l ive journey in the Quartet; and which Fe lix Char lock ana -

lyzes , discovers , an d crea tes in

Tunc

a n d

Numquam

that laby r inth is not a place

or a thin g b ut a proc ess. I t is life i tself, a n inevitabil i ty, th e ver y

stuff

tha t d r e a m s

are ma de of w he th e r n ightm are , f an tasy , or emp i r ic rea l ity . Dur re l l ' s l abyr in th

cannot , f inal ly, be d iscovered or isola ted in space or t ime because i t sub sum es both

tho se dece ivers . It i s ins ight not do gm a (Q 14), fee lings far m or e than kn ow led ge ,

energ y not m at te r , pract ice mo re than theory, and kines is ra ther than s tas is.

In the

Quintet

the labyr inth is Sylvie 's asylum a nd the turnin gs of her tor tu red

consc iousn ess with in w hich she will a lw ays rem ain (M 13). I t i s Qu atrefage ' s tor-

tu re as wel l as his pr iso n a nd book ish qu es t . It i s the ope n co rr idors of the anc ient

seas ide necropol is tha t Sylvie , Toby, Akkad, Piers , and Bruce vis i t on the ir way

to M acabru and the a rch itec tura l c i rcumlocut ion of Sutc lif fe 's m em ory - r idd en

Ve netian cana ls (M 177). In

Tunc

an d

Numcjuam

it is M erlins, th e excre me nt eatin g

interna t ional corpora t ion which is so implic i t in the la te r

Monsieur

(M 177). It is

the cobwebs and the sp ide r websof m e m or y a nd of hu m a n c a usa t ion a nd r e s pon-

s ibil ity from wh ich n o hu m an b e ings can escape . It i s the labyr inth of note s w hich

Ba l tha za r l eaves to recons t ru c t Alex andr ia ye t on ce m ore . For Sutc lif fe , the

laby r inth is tho se concealed motives (M 157) , wh ich ren de r the task of a r t to o

grea t even for h im, and i t i s the cobweb w hich g ives the grea t hum an a t tachm ents

the ir form and subs tance .

Ab ov e a ll , the laby r inth of life s exper ience is ne i ther for t he faint hea r ted no r

the prud ish . D anger i s wr i t t en eve ryw here be fore the cavesof Av igno n. To en te r

them is to r isk everything and not to enter them is to lose a l l . Durre l l ' s s ingular

theo logy ins is ts u p o n this c lear and f ina l par ado x. As in Kavafy 's po em I thaca ,

the ques t i tsel f m easu res the hum an journey. The labyr inth is the mean s , s t ru c ture ,

a n d b o d y of life. But rue fu l ly adm i t sSutcliffe, 'Th e unive rse says noth ing prec ise ,

i t hints

Q

95). Th us , in Dur re l l ' s l abyr in th , ma ze t r ead e r an d m aze v ie we r ,

kn ow led ge and ac t ion, morta l i ty and God head co-exis t in s imultan eou s poise .

1 3

Lawrence Durrell, Balthazar (Ne w York: E.P. Du tton , 1958) 125.

The Labyrinth in the Fiction of Lawrence Durrell


7/7

A nd f inally the laby rinth is text . Robin Rook notes that the labyri nth is D ur-

re l l' s Do uble Concer to of A ub rey Blanford and Sutcliffe , th e tw o ima gine d a u-

t h o r s o f t h e

Quintet,

d i scuss ing a r t and r ea l ity wi th each o ther and wo nd er ing

abou t o ld Dthe dev i l a t l a rge .

1 4

In both th e Quarteta n d Quintet, Dur re l l ' s mus-

ings up on the r e l a t ionsh ip of actual experience to ar t ist ic experience, the chaos of

reali ty to the pattern of the nar ra t ive , form the coreof his philo sop hy an d l ife- long

search.

Old D, O ld Du rrel l himself , is ,of course , the god of t h e Quintet, its creator, in

Gnost ic terms Monsieur , the perverse god to be denied by his creat ions who peo-

ple the wor ld of Av ignon. M onsieur i s thus impl ic i tly associa ted wi th the dyn am ic

c h a o sof the unres t ra ined imagina t ion which mu st be harnessed an d control led t o

pro du ce th e tenu ou s s tabi li ty of the ar t work itself. W ithout h is fa ther 's control ,

Icarus flies too nea r the sun and fa lls to h is death . O nly in the ima ginat ive act d o

ar t and life exis t as s imu l tan eou s real ity , both informing and l iv ing off one an-

oth er in perfect poise. Da eda lus and D urrel l build maz es.

1 4

Robin Rook,

Lawrence Durrell s DoubleConcerto

(Birmingham: Delos, 1990) 6-7.

6 0

The International Fiction Review

22 (1995)

Lavirint Kod Darela

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Transcript of Lavirint Kod Darela