Requiem for an Unpublished Novel

Idea

As mentioned, the purpose of creating this story was self-reflection. There was a period in the author's life when she had time and the need to make a stop and analyse herself, find her essence and driving forces in order to understand what to do next. Usually, a person does not have such a need in moments of elation or at least mental balance. Therefore, an assistant for research had to be sought in what generates a similar condition. Thus, through the prism of the events and characters of the original plot, the author tried to learn and express herself. Despite the fact that only the new character has her own name in the composition, and all the others remain the 'old wizard' or 'headmaster', 'head' or 'professor', 'teacher' (etc.), 'the boy', 'blonde' or 'little leader' (etc.), 'twins' or 'brothers', or even more vague definitions, 'school', 'village', etc., the original is immediately recognised by contemporaries. It has already been recognised, hasn't it? Such an omission is not in order to pass off the world, characters and story as one's own. Conversely, with a scant description of the characters' appearance, the author tries to identify them as accurately as possible through the place of meeting with them, their behaviour, themes and tone of dialogues. From the very beginning, the close connection of the new heroine with the well-known narrative is demonstrated; she is inscribed into it, follows it, although she influences events indirectly, without changing the result, introducing only additional nuances with her presence and actions. Nevertheless, she is motivated by her own problems, so many events serve more as landmarks in time and plot space for the reader and a guide for the heroine. To detect and solve her problems, new situations are created as well as an arsenal of already created ones is used, which certainly leads to a number of conjectures. Although most often it is only a personal opinion about people and developments, physical sensations and mental perception of the heroine, direct speech is also present. Therefore, the author sincerely hopes that her understanding of the world and the characters does not conflict with the intention of their owner.

There are several reasons for this use of the original. When you go outside with a camera, you look for the right composition and angle to tell what you're thinking. And what didn't get into the lens is no less important than what got into it. It is easier to explain your vision to another person when there is nothing superfluous in the frame, and the context is well known to both. This is one of the reasons. Another is the vastness of the context. Jung's 'Archetypes', being read at the same time (in particular, the dream of one of his friends, a theology student), helped to find in it almost all the elements and tools (used freely) necessary for analysis. A steed (winged unicorn) from the very first memory in life as an 'anima' (in this case, 'animus') is a saviour and guardian, a source of life and magic; following which leads the heroine to a deserted cliff - the key to the discovery of individuation. Immersion in water (descent into the dungeons of the castle) as a symbol of the unconscious, in search of the 'shadow' (true self). Two wizards - white and black - are as guides in this unfamiliar world. The first chapter is called 'Two Wizards', although there are four of them in it - two pairs; this is not an accident. In both cases, it is the 'blacks' who become the real helpers, responsible for feelings. The 'whites' are a threat, responsible for the mind. One of them concurrently becomes the 'king' holding the 'anima'. It is only after his death that the heroine is completely freed and finally meets her 'shadow' (at first alleged - her father, and then the real - herself), after which she goes to battle with both of them. Two pairs of parents - biological and spiritual. The first raises questions, the latter provides a moral compass for a journey. The journey is understood not as the process of becoming a character, but as the 'study' of an already established, 'exploration' of the current psychological state. And yet this is not an attempt at scientific psychological analysis, but an artistic perception.

The name of the heroine is revealed to us only in the third chapter, when the sorting by 'houses' takes place. Her appearance is even later - in the third year of study, when the fear of the girl takes on her own form. Exception: an enigmatic comment about her nose, muttered by the 'craftsman' during the selection of a magic wand ("Nose... not only... but the nose comes first..." (Chapter 1 Two wizards)). At the same time, we learn about her origin, though only partially, on the very first page - the 'white' wizard, inviting her to study at the 'school of magic', tells about her real family, the death of relatives and her father as their killer. A hint of how her journey may end is also given in the first chapter, but a little later - on the train, when 'meeting' with the protagonist of the original. Actually, the choice made at the end of this path is the subject of 'analysis'. The present has its roots in the past, so the description of the events that shaped her personality begins with childhood, with an infant memory. The description itself is essentially a flashback; it is conducted in the first person and is spot-on. Since the heroine is the author herself, the characters selected for close interaction reflect real people (often shared by several, and of course only partially), many episodes are transformed cases from real life, and views and interests are her own. Even the choice of the antagonist of the original in the role of the father is due to the self-esteem of the prototype: not only latent vanity, but also passivity, which her 'avatar' will have to face for life and death. There is self-irony, scepticism, and a desire to remain honest with oneself and others. The pleasure of walking alone in nature, lack of interest in the personality of others and self-absorption. If a direct collision with the outside world is inevitable, the preference is to be albeit a close observer of it, but not an active participant, as long as possible. When such an opportunity disappears, the primacy of the principle of 'do no harm'. The heroine's approach to exploring the world is based on understanding sensations, which keeps her from realising feelings for a very long time. In general, this active contemplation (looking closer and harkening to) and passive direct interaction (being forced to witness) with something and someone is one of the important themes-oppositions of the composition. The heroine's ability to do this reveals other characters to her, with minimal verbal contact, better than prolonged useless questioning, and opens up many opportunities. Along with imagination, it becomes a frequently used tool for achieving goals.

Opposition as such is a key principle in the construction of both the work itself and the new character. The title - 'On The Opposite Side' - loudly hints at the antagonism of it with the main character of the source, based on their origin and belonging to houses, but that's not all. In fact, the heroine is opposed to everyone and everything here. In some cases, this is a given for her, in some cases it is her own choice, even more - a mechanism of self-determination. There are a lot of these moments; I will focus on some of them, some of them will be mentioned in passing (they may be obvious and not so much, just in case they will be marked * later in the text). Ironically enough, in this light, her question sounds to the white-haired boy, who with his fellows sat down with her on the train during her first trip to 'school', after involuntarily listening to his opinion about its three 'houses' and representatives of other species inhabiting the magical world: "Excuse me, why are you doing this? ... Opposing yourself to others. You've just done this to at least three-quarters of all wizards in the country and who knows how many other beings, thus narrowing the circle of your potential friends, allies if you like, very much. How are you going to live in such a world you've created?" (Chapter 1 Two wizards).

There is some difficulty in analysis of a work that cannot be pre-read. Therefore, what you will see below is more like a kaleidoscope of episodes, selected in such a way as to illustrate and detail the idea described above.

Disclaimer: The world my heroine lives in and the characters she interacts with belong to J.K. Rowling, and the archetypes and the collective unconscious belong to C.G. Jung.