Ewrick's Rabbit Hole

The four­teenth issue of Wisp is released.

Here follows my editorial:

Beyond The Pale

by Éric P. Lemoine

In the latest book of the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind, the eleventh and last of the Wizard’s Rules is revealed —not taught but rather shown, in the form of a highly sought after book. The book is unveiled to be all blank.

[as explained by the Zed­dicus Zu’l Zorander] The rule of all rules. The rule unwritten. The rule unspoken since the dawn of history […] The only way to express it, to make sure that you would grasp what he was intending to tell you, was to give you a book unwritten to signify the rule unwritten.

—Chapter 65, p. 592, U.S. hardcover edition

The use of the blank book as a symbol is hardly any­thing novel; tra­dition has it in runes for instance, with the blank rune, called “wyrd” (fate, destiny) incor­po­rated in the set.

More than being a mere plot twist, what do these remind us of?

First, that far from being a curse, the blank page is also a blessing in the promises of an entirely new uni­verse that you can fill up with your imagination.

Second, that what we per­ceive is irre­me­diably shaped by our inter­pre­tation, our values, our beliefs.

What do we see when we see this cover? A white horse?

Not just a white horse. For instance, does it make us feel good, excited, or cold? Perhaps it makes you feel good —if you have a liking for horses, or if you enjoy the colour white; and perhaps not so much, if you are an Ori­ental or someone living in cold lands for whom white may be a symbol of death and the great beyond. Even if you don’t con­sciously think about the asso­ci­a­tions, they are present nonetheless, and very often are blended in your per­ception so well you don’t even remember you have put them here.

We are com­forted in living behind the familiar paled fences of our asso­ci­a­tions, and yet con­stantly opening a fresh eye onto our world should be a regular endeavour for us.

For we may not notice it or even con­sider it, but every­thing is new each time we look at it. And a new setting means new oppor­tu­nities, even if looking for them seems beyond the pale.

written by Yuki \\ tags: editorial, wisp