BASIC CONCEPTS

— When novelists claim they do not invent it, but hear voices and find stories in their head, they are neither joking nor crazy.

— When characters, narrators, or muses have minds of their own and occasionally take over, they are alternate personalities.

— Alternate personalities and memory gaps, but no significant distress or dysfunction, is a normal version of multiple personality.

— normal Multiple Personality Trait (MPT) (core of Multiple Identity Literary Theory), not clinical Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD)

— The normal version of multiple personality is an asset in fiction writing when some alternate personalities are storytellers.

— Multiple personality originates when imaginative children with normal brains have unassuaged trauma as victim or witness.

— Psychiatrists, whose standard mental status exam fails to ask about memory gaps, think they never see multiple personality.

— They need the clue of memory gaps, because alternate personalities don’t acknowledge their presence until their cover is blown.

— In novels, most multiple personality, per se, is unnoticed, unintentional, and reflects the author’s view of ordinary psychology.

— Multiple personality means one person who has more than one identity and memory bank, not psychosis or possession.

— Euphemisms for alternate personalities include parts, pseudonyms, alter egos, doubles, double consciousness, voice or voices.

— Multiple personality trait: 90% of fiction writers; possibly 30% of public.

— Each time you visit, search "name index" or "subject index," choose another name or subject, and search it.

— If you read only recent posts, you miss most of what this site has to offer.

— Share site with friends.

Monday, September 11, 2017

“Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman (post 5): Opening lines are egalitarian; hypnosis induction technique; and declaration that author has multiple personality.

“I celebrate myself, and sing myself, 
And what I assume you shall assume, 
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.”

Egalitarian
I celebrate myself, and, dear reader, since we are equal, and what I say of myself also applies to you, then you should celebrate yourself, too.

Hypnosis Induction Technique
Since the poem is often confusing, and since confusion may induce hypnosis—Milton H. Erickson is famous for using confusion as a hypnosis induction technique (1)—the poem is designed to hypnotize readers into celebrating Walt Whitman.

Multiple Personality
Since only people with the same body can have the same atoms, and only alternate personalities can have the same body, the poem’s “you” must refer to an alternate personality, making the poem’s opening lines a declaration that the author has multiple personality.

1. Wikipedia. “Milton H. Erickson.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_H._Erickson
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thank you for taking the time to comment (whether you agree or disagree) and ask questions (simple or expert). I appreciate your contribution.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)