Solo The Influence of Auristics on Poetic Expression

[Castor Riley]

Day 50, Spring of 513 AV Ever since Castor had begun his research into Auristics, he had felt more and more strongly that it was a magical discipline that should be greatly appreciated in literary circles. Instead, he had found that there was precious little about how the two could usefully interact. Thus it was that he had begun research into applications of Auristics in poetry. It had not been easy. He had spent many a night after shifts in the library, poring over dusty old tomes, trying to find the books that would really illuminate his position. He had become lost, at one point, searching for the Poet Autobiography section, and it had taken him a few chimes before he had found himself back in the main corridor. As with his earlier research project for Mr Sol, Castor was using his method of research, wherein he noted all quotes of interest down, memorizing them, and keeping the hard copy of his notes as a fail-safe, along with all the necessary reference information. He added further quotes on Auristics to the one he'd kept for Mr Sol's book, while adding the ones pertaining to poetry into one of the blank books he'd recently got from the General Store. After a week of such thorough research, Castor found himself at that moment in his room in the Student Living Quarters of the University of Zeltiva, his notebooks on Auristics and on Poetry strewn around him as he wrote down the paper he would later be submitting to his professor. He had been writing the paper since the previous evening, taking care with his letters. Still, more than once he had accidentally mispelled a word, or smudged the ink, which had forced him to go through the tedious process of copying out his work a number of times already. He was actually physically sweating with the concentration he was putting into avoiding yet another repeat of that same process, and his hand had begun to ache around the wrist out of his effort to keep it steady and slightly elevated from the page, so as not to smudge the drying ink. It took a few more bells for the work to be completed, but complete it he did, quickly stopping up his opened ink vial and collecting the pages with such care, as though they were ancient relics, likely to turn to dust with so much as a careless flick of the wrist, so desperate had he become for the writing to be over. Satisfied that no catastrophe would be forcing him to begin his copying once again, he quickly reviewed the paper, inwardly thanking Qalaya and Eyris for the finished product.

[Castor Riley]

The Influence of Auristics on Poetic Expression By Castor Riley Introduction In a world such as ours, where magic is rife and the gods walk among us, I have found, as a literature student, that the issue of the interconnectedness of Magic and Literary Expression has been widely ignored by literary criticism. This is very likely due, in part at least, to the stigma attached to magic in many post-Valterrian Mizaharian societies. Thus, no author wants their association with it too widely advertised, while critics shy away from the subject as though it were obscene. Another reason, I would suggest, is the prevalent association of magic as a weapon or a simple tool. It seems that, as a society, we have allowed this gift to become wholly turned away from more enlightened purposes, and ignore when authors point at it, exclaiming ‘Here! Watch! It can be used this way as well’. In this study, I shall concentrate on the advantages encountered in poetry by use of the magical discipline of Auristics, however, that is not to say that it is only Auristics that can provide such, or that they are limited to poetry. I shall be analysing the work of poets who are Aurists, by their own admission. I shall also be looking into the work of non-Aurists, who have admitted to being influenced from contact with the magical discipline. By the end of this paper, it should become obvious what an omission has been perpetrated on the side of academics; one which can hopefully be rectified in the future, leaving our superstitious fear of magic behind. Auristics In order to determine what influence, if any, Auristics has on literary expression, one must first determine what Auristics itself is. So, what is Auristics? Auristics is a magical discipline from the branch of personal magic; meaning, the djed being manipulated to achieve its magical effects comes from the Aurist himself. As for what the magic of Auristics entails, it would be best if it were described in the words of one of the more prominent academics in the field. As Dr Wynne Leocole posits in her splendid introductory tome on the matter, Auristics and Djed (500): ”In essence, Auristics is the art of ‘perceiving’ djed. By using it one can identify the qualities of and changes induced in an object or being simply by interpreting the information its djed gives off.” In other words, an Aurist uses his Auristics-enhanced senses in order to glean information about things through sensory information of varying types that displays a specific association. It is also interesting to note at this point that all Aurists perceive djed differently, so every Aurist’s associations differ depending on their experiences and way of viewing the world. Any poet or appreciator of literature can recognize how such an ability would be a huge advantage and fascinating stimulus in the production of any work of art.

[Castor Riley]

Aurist Poets Poetry produced by Aurists, I would argue, is of the highest calibre. The ease with which they are able to meld differing sensations into each other attests to both their creative and magical ability. For the purposes of this paper I shall be focusing on the work of Julius Remnik. He is among a few Aurist poets who have openly claimed to be just that, and has used his ability in very successful descriptive poems, usually of inanimate objects. His most well-known poem, ‘A Rose’ (494), is truly brilliant in its complexity of sensation: ”A Rose. A rose is Red, The taste of Blood, The feeling of Soft Lips. I Taste the red, I Feel the blood, The lips I See, Floating in the air. I weep.” One immediately notes upon a first reading the peculiar use of capitalization exhibited in the poem, as well as its ending. Critics have theorized as to the reason behind it. Jolen Firguse, in my opinion has hit the nail on the head with her interpretation, as described in her riveting treatise First Glances into New Sights and Sounds (504), wherein she claims: ”Remnik’s ‘A Rose’ is deceptively simple in its exposition. To anyone familiar with Auristics, it is a clear indication of a use of it, wherein capitalized words denote the objects and sensations involved in said use. However, as a practicioner of Auristics, one realizes a deeper layer to the poem. After all, a sensation that is derived from the use of Auristics intimately connects to both Aurist and the object. What Rose was this, therefore, that was so deeply connected with Red, Blood and Soft Lips?” The answer, I believe, comes partly in the form of an autobiographical account published in 507, a year before the beloved poet’s death, entitled The Life of a Poet. It comprises almost wholly of the author’s impressions of new cities and regions visited, which, though surely deserving of literary attention, fall outside the confines of this paper. What is interesting however is the single mention of a rose to appear in the whole of the work, occurring in the most harrowing part of the narrative, set in the Spring of 491. As the author describes, he had given a rose to his sister on her wedding day, to commemorate the happy occasion. A few weeks later, it was announced to him that both husband and wife were dead. The husband had been very possessive and one night, when she had returned from working at The Rearing Stallion in Syliras a little later than usual, had murdered her in a fit of jealous rage, before taking his own life. Though the author never mentions seeing the rose again, I do believe that it is very likely; as her sole family outside her ill-fated marriage, he would have had to collect her possessions. Such a rose, taken from that environment, in my understanding of Auristics would very likely exhibit the peculiar characteristics described. Already one can see several of the benefits of the discipline of Auristics when used in conjunction with poetry; on the one hand, it produces stunning imagery, on the other it allows for a whole level of complexity to be hidden in plain sight within even such a short poem as ‘A Rose’. It also allowed the poet to externalize his pain over his sister’s senseless death, without having to completely bare it to the eyes of the public. It is a realm of interpretation that has yet to be fully explored, which is just an example of the unfortunate oversights many in the academic community have allowed to persevere.

[Castor Riley]

Non-Aurist Poets In the case of non-Aurist poets, the influence of Auristics is much more subtle, as is to be expected. In many, it is only detectable when one knows it is there. Surprisingly, this is also the case with some of the writings of Cornelius Ersting, widely considered one of the more conservative poets, and extremely anti-magic. However, as he himself is said to have revealed to his biographer, he recognized a very real influence deriving from tales of his older brother’s experiences with Auristics. Kenneth Williams, the biographer in question describes it in his book, The Life and Times of Cornelius Ersting (509), as such: ”He motioned me closer, so I leaned forward, though still a bit nervous to be approaching a plague victim so closely, yet too curious to refuse. ‘I have always been enthralled by magic, you see. That is why I feared it so. My brother, he was an Aurist, and a brilliant one at that. He used to describe to me such marvellous things that the magic allowed him to see. I believe it was these stories that kindled my imagination in the first place. However, my brother became too enraptured with the wonders that he saw. We lost him to a world that only he could sense’.” Of course one must always be wary of such information, viewed as it is through the lens of another. One cannot be sure that the narrator has been true to his source, after all. However, bearing in mind this information as true, one can then much better understand the poet’s predilection towards the darkness hiding within beauty that his work is so well-known for. Such wonder and tragedy entwined so closely obviously influenced the poet’s work to a much greater extent than one could have originally realized. Under this new light, let us now consider a poem of Ersting’s that I believe showcases most starkly this contrast, namely ‘Within Bright Lights’ (501): ”Within bright lights, a darkness lies Within the soul a mist. They do not care who lives or dies, The very worst, or best. Within all beauty death awaits, Knight and Fool in glee. Both accepting of their fates One moment’s grace to see.” The references to “bright lights” and “mist” may in fact be references to the aura seen by Aurists, however one cannot be sure. Still, the poem fits very much thematically with what was previously noted about the dark side of the magical discipline. On the one hand, the beauty of this new perception, on the other the darkness it can allow to infiltrate its beholder’s brain. The interesting part of the poem, in my opinion, is how in its final verse the poet recognizes the attraction felt by the brave (“Knight”) and the foolish for the beauty, almost like moths to the flame. Truly, in all magical disciplines it is that very need that is the most deadly, the desire for this power is what easily consumes the thoughtless.

[Castor Riley]

Conclusion In conclusion, it should by now be obvious to the reader what a rich subject the interconnectedness of magic and literature can be. Simply by investigating Auristics and Poetry already we can make out a whole new vista in the realm of literary criticism. An understanding and acceptance of magic on both sides, both artists and critics, can allow for the arts to be expanded to unbelievable heights; for depths of meaning to be hidden and retrieved; for deeper understanding and greater inspiration to be achieved. Therefore, let us allow the self-imposed blindsides to fall away and let us look upon magic as the powerful component of art that it can truly be. Whether the negative or positive side of magic, both can be used for a greater understanding and appreciation of the world we live in, and only by investigating both can we truly understand it. References Ersting, Cornelius. 501. ‘Within Bright Lights’. In A Poetic Anthology. Zeltiva: University of Zeltiva Press, p. 24. Firguse, Jolen. 504. First Glances into New Sights and Sounds. Zeltiva: University of Zeltiva Press. Leocole, Wynne. 500. Auristics and Djed. Zeltiva: University of Zeltiva Press. Remnik, Julius. 494. ‘A Rose’. In Beautiful Things: A Collection of Poetry. Zeltiva: University of Zeltiva Press, p. 19. Remnik, Julius. 507. The Life of a Poet. Zeltiva: University of Zeltiva Press. Williams, Kenneth. 509. The Life and Times of Cornelius Ersting. Zeltiva: University of Zeltiva Press. OOCEdit: Typo in one of the names

[Castor Riley]

Satisfied with the work he'd produced, Castor lay the pages carefully on his desk, to allow them to dry in their own time overnight. In the mean time, he would be heading for his bed, to finally empty his mind of any more thoughts of auras and verses, at least for a little while. Completely unceremoniously, and without even taking the time to change, Castor fell heavily upon his bed and slept.

[Paragon]

Castor Riley

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Writing	2
Organisation	2
Research	3
Memorisation	3

Lores

•	Lore Earned
•	Avoiding Ink Smudging
•	Books and Poems: The Life of a Poet
•	The Life and Times of Cornelius Ersting
•	'A Rose'
•	'Within Bright Lights'
•	Aurist Poetry: Emotive Senses

Legend Becomes Reality

Another well written solo/essay combo! If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can work from there.