By
Jason C S Cheung
To be very honest, I hadn’t done my
due diligence and read The Luminaries before I entered
the centre culturel franco-manitobain. After some reasearch, I was fascinated to learn that the novel is set in 19th century New Zealand. It's a mystery and a historical period piece:
one of my favourite types! Eleanor Catton was a true inspiration this evening
as she read, then shared her insights and reflections on her book. She
illuminated us on an epic journey across the ocean to 1860s New Zealand (the
setting of the novel is the gold rush on the west coast of New Zealand, a wild
frontier).
She has
won the Man Booker Prize and the Governor General Award for her bestselling
novel.
An Ambience Set By Giving
The
evening began with greetings from many honoured guests. The most memorable
moment was from elders Clarence and Barbara Nepinak’s blessing of the event, which reminded
us that we were on treaty land, and welcomed us to a sacred place of respect and sharing. They offered our guest a gift that carried significant meaning, as it was prepared by members of the Nepinak's community. Giving, Catton later
told us, is an act bigger than ourselves, and one that defies the laws of nature. Much
like reading a novel and experiencing the gift bestowed by the writer upon us, we
are welcomed and enriched by the characters’ experiences as if they were that
of our own. This theme
inevitably ties in with the economy of worth versus value, which was central to
some of the ideologies in her characters’ development.
Graceful Style, Grateful Audience
In her
dialogue with festival director Charlene Diehl, the discussions of plot structure and archetypes really intrigued me. I
was impressed with her analysis of archetypes versus stereotypes. From what I learned, an archetype is a mould: “a basis for the infinite to be filled,” whereas a
stereotype is a reduction of a person to a series of traits. This is where it gets very interesting: by
incorporating the elements of the twelve zodiacs, each character is generated
through a set of pre-existing characteristics. Catton went on to describe the
Freudian relationship between some of the planets, which was very complicated (beyond my
meager understanding), but nevertheless breathtaking.
As the Planets and Signs Dictate
The way Catton described the interconnectedness and the interdependence of the stars
and planets in motion truly mesmerized the audience.
Personification of archetypes in celestial objects is nothing new, but to learn that she used them to shape
her characters was definitely a breath of
fresh air. The meticulous inner workings of miracles weaved into the magical network of her characters was truly astounding. I felt transformed by the intricacies of her storytelling, and her elegant presence.
Fortune telling as a Career?
I would
like to ask Eleanor a personal question:
I am one
of your archetypes of the constellation characters in the novel: Chinese, male,
and a Virgo. Would you be kind enough to give a personal chart reading? In sharing your story and personal journey in the development of this
astounding work (which I will surely read), it is rare to find a great
novelist, but it is rarer still to find an author with such eloquence in language and
a graceful presence that is still a bit mysterious to me.
Thank
you for travelling to the other side of the ocean to visit us.
Well,
better get started on the long journey of 832 pages. Good for reading on the plane!
Please
join us for more wonderful events at the 18th Winnipeg International
Writers’ Festival, and happy reading!
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