Essay on Anne Carson

Some of the texts she quotes from give the reader a deeper understanding into the concept of desire as the basis of love. Other parts of the analysis make the reader understand that which could be happening or has happened in the past. Despite the analysis being relatable to modern life, Carson is quick to dismiss that words in themselves might not convey the meaning. She quotes from Sokrates that reading gives the reader the illusion that they have gained wisdom or understood the writer but in actual sense they could still be ignorant since the written words do not come with instruction (“Damage to the Living”, 131). This realization prompts looking further into the individual texts and cohesively analyzing them combined to get the entire picture of what she is trying to convey.

It is clear in her reading that she advocates for oneness as Eros is a bad thing based on distance between lovers but unknown to many readers is that aspects of her writing indicate her stance that oneness is bad and love should be pursued. In her representation of the bitter aspect of love, Carson points out the correlation between love and evil intentions. She implies that the lover seeks out the beloved out of the feeling of lack and wanting something that they do not have (“Gone”, 10). This in itself is a destructive and selfish basis to base love upon. This implies that the love which the lover bears for the beloved is not centered on the beloved’s attributes but instead in the lover’s need for gratification of a given want.

She quotes “Plato is concerned with two types of damage. One is the damage done by lovers in the name of desire. The other is the damage done by writing and reading in the name of communication” and “The action of the Eros does harm to the beloved when the lover takes a certain controlling attitude, an attitude whose most striking feature is its determination to freeze the beloved in time” (“Damage to the Living”, 130). The use of ‘when’ in the last quote demonstrates the certainty with which the lover becomes controlling. It is not a mere possibility but something that indefinitely occurs after some time. So reasons the lover at the edge of Eros. The presence of want awakens in him nostalgia for wholeness. ” (“Finding the Edge”, 30-31). This feeling of incompleteness can be damaging to the desirer.

It can render them unable to perform given tasks as they are convinced that a part of them is missing. Carson fully acknowledges the sweet aspects of love and desire. This is a contradiction to the prominent portrayal of desire being a feeling that leads to misery and pain to both the lover and the beloved. Metaphorically, she points out on the privacy in the language between the lover and the beloved. In “Folded Meanings” the references made to the reader and writer can be applied in the case of the lover and the beloved. She points out that the language between the reader and writer is such that only the two can understand. It suggests that in lacking sanity, for both parties, the true sweetness of love can be felt.

First she rids the reader of the feeling or perception that being mad is something bad and destructive. “Madness is such a tool of intelligence. ” (“Then ends where Now begins”, 155). This is a very strong assertion by Carson in suggesting that mania or insanity is the best way to seek love. ” (“Then ends where now begins”, 155). Carson explains how a shift in how one views things can change the pain to pleasure. She highlights the view of Sokrates that in loss and damage one can refocus to see profit and growth. That melting ice is in essence growing wings. This outlook enables he reader to approach the bitter part of love with a paradigm shift in order to see and feel the sweetness. Even so, it is evident that she acknowledges the sweet aspects of love.

In fact, she asserts that falling in love madly offers a new limitless beginning. She urges the reader to embrace the moment in which they fall in love without the desire to freeze time. The fear of losing oneself pushes one to wish for the past. The lovers should view it as a new beginning and be insane enough to pursue it while living in the present. Accessed 06 Apr 2018 At: http://www. jstor. org/stable/4350176 Smoot, William. Review: Eros the Bittersweet by Anne Carson. The Georgia Review, Vol.