LITERATURE AND THE INTERCARDINAL AXIAL COMPASS

Using the intercardinal axial compass of bisecting diagonals as a model for sensual and sensible distinctions on both noumenal and phenomenal planes, we can plot a distinction between drama and poetry as female and pseudo-male options vis-à-vis philosophy and prose as male and pseudo-female options, as though the former pairing corresponded to the sensuality of noumenal and phenomenal objectivity coupled to pseudo-subjectivity at the northwest and southwest points of the said compass, while the latter pairing corresponded, by contrast, to the sensibility of noumenal and phenomenal subjectivity coupled to pseudo-objectivity at the northeast and southeast points of the compass in question.

As I tend to distinguish the northwest from the southwest in terms of metachemistry and pseudo-metaphysics (from out of antimetaphysics) vis-à-vis chemistry and pseudo-physics (from out of antiphysics), I will allow for a noumenal contrast between elemental particles and pseudo-elemental wavicles in respect of the former pairing and for a phenomenal contrast between molecular particles and pseudo-molecular wavicles in respect of the latter pairing, the former commensurate with will and pseudo-soul, the latter with spirit and pseudo-ego.

Therefore, in literary terms, a distinction between the short (elemental particle) drama of metachemical will and the short (pseudo-elemental wavicle) poetry of pseudo-metaphysical pseudo-soul must be contrasted with the long (molecular particle) drama of chemical spirit and the long (pseudo-molecular wavicle) poetry of pseudo-physical pseudo-ego, with female and pseudo-male distinctions in each category relative to the noumenal/phenomenal dichotomy that exists between the northwest and southwest points of the intercardinal axial compass.

Likewise as I tend to distinguish the northeast from the southeast in terms of metaphysics and pseudo-metachemistry (from out of antimetachemistry) vis-à-vis physics and pseudo-chemistry (from out of antichemistry), I will allow for a noumenal contrast between elemental wavicles and pseudo-elemental particles in respect of the former pairing and for a phenomenal contrast between molecular wavicles and pseudo-molecular particles in respect of the latter pairing, the former commensurate with soul and pseudo-will, the latter with ego and pseudo-spirit.

Therefore, in literary terms, a distinction between the short (elemental wavicle) philosophy of metaphysical soul and the short (pseudo-elemental particle) prose of pseudo-metachemical pseudo-will must be contrasted with the long (molecular wavicle) philosophy of physical ego and the long (pseudo-molecular particle) prose of pseudo-chemical pseudo-spirit, with male and pseudo-female distinctions in each category relative to the noumenal/phenomenal dichotomy that exists between the northeast and southeast points of the intercardinal axial compass.

Doubtless the distinctions between 'short' and 'long', appertaining to elemental and molecular class or axial dichotomies, can be given more concrete interpretation than the above might suggest, with 'short drama' for instance decidedly wilful where the 'long' variety, equating with spirit, would be more verbal and voice-oriented, encouraging a correspondingly long-winded approach to poetry, on the other side of the gender fence, that is more likely to be of the free-verse variety than of anything overly lyrical and metric.

But, whether 'long' or 'short', the drama would be female and concerned primarily with fact, the objective expression of female will and/or spirit, whereas the poetry would be pseudo-male and primarily concerned, lacking a capacity for truth in the female-hegemonic circumstances that dominate it, with illusion or, more correctly, with falsity, being the pseudo-subjective impression of pseudo-male pseudo-soul and/or pseudo-ego.
Likewise, to extend our concrete interpretation into axial sensibility to the right of anything sensually hegemonic, one would have to argue that 'short philosophy', meaning an aphoristic approach to philosophising, will be decidedly soulful where the 'long' variety, equating essayistically with ego, will be more intellectual and knowledge-oriented, encouraging a long-winded approach to prose fiction, on the other side of the gender fence, that is more likely to be novelistic than concerned with telling stories on a short-prose basis, as, one suspects, would be that approach to prose fiction that is properly complementary to aphoristic philosophy.

However, whether 'long' or 'short, the philosophy would be male and concerned primarily with truth, the subjective impression of male ego and/or soul, whereas the prose would be pseudo-female and primarily concerned, lacking a capacity for fact in the male-hegemonic circumstances that dominate it, with fiction, being the pseudo-objective expression of pseudo-female pseudo-spirit and/or pseudo-will.

Thus a broad distinction in literature emerges between the free female fact of drama and the bound male falsity of poetry which contrasts, as sensuality with sensibility, with the free male truth of philosophy and the bound female fiction of prose – a pseudo-male incapacity for truth under female hegemonic fact making for falsity (and hence poetry) no less certainly than a pseudo-female incapacity for fact under male hegemonic truth makes for fiction (and hence prose).

I shall say little at this point of gender-bender cross-overs from poetry into drama and from philosophy into prose, the former sensually up and the latter sensibly down a plane, but clearly most such cross-overs have been the result, traditionally, of male perversity and ambition which, particularly in the case of drama-loving poets, would constitute the worst form of literary crime!

LONDON 2008 (Revised 2012)

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