'Very well, I contradict myself, I contain multitudes' from Whitman also speaks to this. But I would suggest that duality, though a favorite of the structuralists, is not so much inherent as historical. We are seeing it break down even today, with blurred genders and plural conceptions of 'the' self. Presumably this is one outcome of the binary metaphysics fading out?
Thank you for the enjoyable read and background on the doppelganger. It just so happens that I recently watched the limited TV series, "The Outsider," based on a Stephen King novel. (The show is streaming on HBO). First of all I find it to be one of the most riveting TV series I've ever seen and urge anyone who enjoys thrillers and other shows that entail working through a mysterious case to put it on there watch list. Without giving away too much for those interested in seeing it, I can simply point out that it centers on the inexplicable situation of a person being accused of a crime and supported with clear evidence of their having committed the crime, based on witnesses and even fingerprints, while at the same time the suspect has a firm alibi documenting that they were nowhere near the scene of crime. And so the question the show revolves around is, how can one person be in two different places at the same time? The answer is indirectly given by this post. King and the show makers have clearly drawn on some of the lore around the doppelganger discussed in this post.
Very, very glad you liked the post! I had no idea 'The Outsider' was a series - I read that a few years ago on holiday in France and really enjoyed it (like I do most Stephen King). I will definitely need to check it out - hopefully it's on one of the various channels here in the UK. Thanks again for liking and sharing my post!
“If you’re even remotely interested in this stuff,” you wrote. Why Bryan, that’s why I subscribe! Did you footnote that source with photographs of the matching people? Gotta go back and look
Yes - that was a rather obvious statement, considering who reads my stuff! I'm not sure that I footnoted the source - but I'll have a look and send it your way.
It is worth noting that about 90% of love matches that produce children are still based on class or socio-economic status, its just that over the past two centuries these once rigid boundaries - kindred more with laboring caste in the the West and ethnic based caste in the East - have become much more fluid (though not anywhere near as fluid as Horatio Alger fans would have us believe).
I too have used the double as a plot device but I also added in both Vordergangar and Hintergangar (from Leo Szondi) by volume 4 of Kristen-Seraphim. The 'double of the depths' and that of the 'furthest reaches' speak to the range of extremes each of us harbors within our own ,singular person.
The double/doppelganger plot device is one of my personal favourites. An easy way to explore the inherent duality in human nature - as Blake said, 'Without Contraries, there is no progression' ... and there's always the French proverb that translates to 'We are happiest when we are hidden' ... or something to that effect!
Hello! Glad you liked the post - and you're welcome for the mention because, yet again, LP continues to inspire. Seriously - that Marillion album is haunting my playlist. I've not read 'Klara', but we're choosing the novels for our A level Lit kids to study and both 'Never Let Me Go' and 'The Remains of the Day' are vying for top spot ...
'Very well, I contradict myself, I contain multitudes' from Whitman also speaks to this. But I would suggest that duality, though a favorite of the structuralists, is not so much inherent as historical. We are seeing it break down even today, with blurred genders and plural conceptions of 'the' self. Presumably this is one outcome of the binary metaphysics fading out?
Thank you for the enjoyable read and background on the doppelganger. It just so happens that I recently watched the limited TV series, "The Outsider," based on a Stephen King novel. (The show is streaming on HBO). First of all I find it to be one of the most riveting TV series I've ever seen and urge anyone who enjoys thrillers and other shows that entail working through a mysterious case to put it on there watch list. Without giving away too much for those interested in seeing it, I can simply point out that it centers on the inexplicable situation of a person being accused of a crime and supported with clear evidence of their having committed the crime, based on witnesses and even fingerprints, while at the same time the suspect has a firm alibi documenting that they were nowhere near the scene of crime. And so the question the show revolves around is, how can one person be in two different places at the same time? The answer is indirectly given by this post. King and the show makers have clearly drawn on some of the lore around the doppelganger discussed in this post.
Very, very glad you liked the post! I had no idea 'The Outsider' was a series - I read that a few years ago on holiday in France and really enjoyed it (like I do most Stephen King). I will definitely need to check it out - hopefully it's on one of the various channels here in the UK. Thanks again for liking and sharing my post!
“If you’re even remotely interested in this stuff,” you wrote. Why Bryan, that’s why I subscribe! Did you footnote that source with photographs of the matching people? Gotta go back and look
Yes - that was a rather obvious statement, considering who reads my stuff! I'm not sure that I footnoted the source - but I'll have a look and send it your way.
It is worth noting that about 90% of love matches that produce children are still based on class or socio-economic status, its just that over the past two centuries these once rigid boundaries - kindred more with laboring caste in the the West and ethnic based caste in the East - have become much more fluid (though not anywhere near as fluid as Horatio Alger fans would have us believe).
I too have used the double as a plot device but I also added in both Vordergangar and Hintergangar (from Leo Szondi) by volume 4 of Kristen-Seraphim. The 'double of the depths' and that of the 'furthest reaches' speak to the range of extremes each of us harbors within our own ,singular person.
The double/doppelganger plot device is one of my personal favourites. An easy way to explore the inherent duality in human nature - as Blake said, 'Without Contraries, there is no progression' ... and there's always the French proverb that translates to 'We are happiest when we are hidden' ... or something to that effect!
Fascinating post, and thank you for the mention.
I enjoy Ishiguro’s books too. Have you read his most recent, ‘Klara and the Sun’?
Hello! Glad you liked the post - and you're welcome for the mention because, yet again, LP continues to inspire. Seriously - that Marillion album is haunting my playlist. I've not read 'Klara', but we're choosing the novels for our A level Lit kids to study and both 'Never Let Me Go' and 'The Remains of the Day' are vying for top spot ...