Sunnen, Florence - Archetypes
The Centaur. Two chests, human and equine. Does it feel twice the emotions? Perhaps you never considered the centaur. Unlike our author who reflected and wondered how the creature felt about itself.
A beautiful book that contains twenty archetypes, from classic myths to more modern abstracts. From Mermaids to Robots. Gorgon and Angel.
The Gorgon, art school student, drawn to sculpture because of the permanence of the form. She who shuns transitory arts: music or dance. The Gorgon possesses the gift of immobilizing things, life, making them easier to sculpt. Making friends, keeping friends, proves more difficult. She is lonely, also a chronic downer who thinks too much.
Humanity misunderstands the Mandrake, attributing magical powers, not grasping the danger of the root, nor the inevitable disappointment it brings.
Stories weave from thoughtful to sad to humorous. Each archetype is imaginatively, often erotically, illustrated by Dolorosa De la Cruz.
Final thought goes to the Minotaur. With the head of the bull, the body of the adult male, yet the beast is actually a child. Villagers offer meat in the form of sacrifices, but it longs for green grass – and sunshine. It is utterly misunderstood, and unhappy with what Fate ordains.
Such is the magic Sunnen invokes in these clichéd fables. Insight, another perspective, drawing them nearer to our own experience, hoping the reader possesses a trace of humanity, enough to recognize our kindred, no matter the shell.