Elements of the Court Masque in "The Magus" by John Fowles

Wojciech Boryszewski

Elements of the Court Masque in "The

Magus" by John Fowles

Prace Literaturoznawcze 3, 67-83

2015 67-83 WOJCIECH BORYSZEWSKI

UWM w Olsztynie

E le m e n ts o f th e C ourt M asque

in

The M agus b y J o h n F o w les

E lem e n ty m a sk i d w o rsk iej w Magu J o h n a F o w lesa

Key w ords: masque, Fowles, Magus, theatre

Slow a k lu czow e: maska, Fowles, Mag, teatr

T h e M a g u s b y J o h n F o w le s is o fte n a n a ly z e d a s a n e x a m p le of

a p o stm o d e rn ist novel. A lth o u g h it is n o t a s ex p e rim e n ta l a s th e w orks of J o h n B a rth or Italo C alvino, it does c o n ta in c e rta in fe a tu re s o f p o stm o ­ d e r n is t w ritin g , one of th e m b e in g g r e a t g en e ric sy n cretism . T h e novel co n tain s c h a ra c te ristic fe a tu re s a n d m otifs ta k e n from v a rio u s g en res, su ch a s th e ro m an ce in its m a n y v a ria tio n s, th e gothic novel, th e d etective novel, th e B ild u n g sro m a n , th e novel of m a n n e rs , a s w ell a s th e m asque.

T he la s t of th e above m en tio n ed g e n re s p lay s a v ery im p o rta n t role a t th e level of th e w orld p re s e n te d in th e novel - i t h elp s th e m a in p ro ta g o n ist u n d e r s ta n d h is o rd eal - a s w ell a s a t th e level of th e im p lied re ad er, since th e m a sq u e p a te n tly sh a p e s th e novel’s co n stru c tio n a n d in te rp re ta tio n . The a im o f th e follow ing a rtic le is to tra c e th e e le m e n ts o f th e m a s q u e in F o w les’s novel a n d to ex a m in e th e e x te n t to w h ich th e y in flu en c e th e in te rp re ta tio n of th e ev e n ts by th e m a in p ro ta g o n ist a n d th e in te rp re ta tio n o f th e w hole book by th e re ad er. Since th e m a sq u e h a s b ee n e x tin c t as a g en re for a few c e n tu rie s, th e firs t p a r t of th e a rtic le w ill be devoted to a sh o rt d esc rip tio n of th e g en re itself, w ith p a rtic u la r a tte n tio n p a id to tho se c h a ra c te ristic s w hich w ill re a p p e a r in th e stu d y of th e novel. T he second p a r t of th e p a p e r w ill be devoted to tra c in g th e e le m e n ts of th e m a sq u e in

T he M a g u s in its tw o form s, n a m e ly th e m asq u e a s a th e a tric a l g en re (the

m asque-in-perform ance) a s w ell as a lite ra ry one (th e lite ra ry m asque). The an aly sis of th e m asq u e elem e n ts in Fow les’s book would n o t be com plete w ith o u t references to S h a k e sp e a re ’s The Tempest, a s th is p lay - w hich also co ntain s m an y elem e n ts of th e m asq u e - is th e m o st im p o rta n t in te rte x t in th e novel. Finally, th e a u th o r will try to exam ine th e influence of th e m asque elem e n ts on th e w ay th e novel is perceived an d in te rp re te d by th e reader.

W h a t is m e a n t by th e m a sq u e in th e novel a n d th e follow ing p a p e r is th e c o u rt m asq u e, w hich w as a th e a tric a l g en re p o p u la r in th e 1 6 th an d 1 7 th c e n tu rie s in E n g la n d - especially d u rin g th e re ig n of J a m e s I an d C h a rle s I 1 - a s w ell a s in Ita ly a n d F ran c e. T he m a sq u e w as a v ery eclectic form com prised o f v e rb a l a n d n o n -v e rb al ele m e n ts, a m ix tu re of poetry, dialogue an d m onologue, p an to m im e , dance an d m usic. I t w as also v ery s p e c ta c u la r a s i t re q u ire d s u m p tu o u s co stu m es a n d m a sk s, co m plicated stag e design, som etim es even in cluded special effects c re a te d by m e a n s of in g en io u s m ach in e ry 2. As a re s u lt, show s like th is w ere e x tra o rd in a ry an d un iq u e. H ow ever, n o t everyone could enjoy th e m a s m a sq u e s w ere a form of co u rtly e n te r ta in m e n t a n d th e y w ere n o t sta g e d in public th e a tre s .

I n a ty p ic a l m a s q u e p ro f e s s io n a l a c to r s a n d c o u r tie r s p e rfo rm e d d isg uised as m ythological figures an d p a rtic ip a te d in a sim ple plot w ith a n allegorical m ean in g , followed by th e rem ov al of m a sk s an d a jo in t d ance kn ow n a s re v els3, in w hich som e m em b ers o f th e au d ien ce took p a r t 4 along w ith th e co u rtiers. M asq u es re q u ire d th e p resen ce of th e K ing o r/an d som e o th e r m em b ers of th e Royal Fam ily, a s th e m a in aim o f th e m a sq u e w a s to c e le b ra te th e m o n a rc h a n d h is or h e r divine q u a litie s. T h e th ro n e w as u su a lly placed opposite th e stage, on th e o th e r side of th e dance floor, th u s providing th e m o n arc h w ith th e b e s t view an d u n d e rlin in g h is o r h e r role as th e g u e st o f honour. I t w as th e m o n arc h w ho w a s th e focal p o in t of th e m a sq u e an d th e re c ip ie n t of th e allegorical m essag e b eh in d th e show. H e could also in te rfe re in th e show or ev en stop it a t an y m o m en t5.

Sym bolically a lm o st alw ay s m a sq u e s re p re s e n te d o rd e r a n d harm ony, w h e re a s a n tim a s q u e s - in tro d u c e d by B e n J o n s o n 6 - w e re g ro te sq u e , h u m o ro u s a n d p re s e n te d a lack of h a rm o n y w h ich w as re sto re d in th e m a sq u e proper. In th e a n tim a s q u e or a n tim a s q u e s p re c e d in g th e m a in m a sq u e p ro fe ssio n a l a c to rs u s u a lly f e a tu re d a s b iz a r re c h a ra c te rs (e.g. w itches, p e a sa n ts, even objects) re p re s e n tin g v a rio u s vices su ch a s ig norance or gluttony. T h e ir perfo rm an ce w as in te rru p te d by loud m usic an d th e acto rs w ere re p la ced by co u rtie rs w ho em bodied v irtu e s su ch as c h a s tity or bravery. A fter t h a t th e m a sq u e p ro p e r sta rte d , in w hich dialogues a n d m onologues m ixed w ith m usic a n d songs. L a te r th e in d iv id u a ls on stag e cam e dow n an d

1 See J. Limon, The Masque of the Stuart Culture, 1990, p.17.

2 See D. Daniell, The Tempest. An Introduction to the Variety of Criticism, London, 1989, p. 19.

3 See A. Daye, Youthful Revels, Masks, and Courtly Sights: an introductory study of the

revels within the Stuart masque,“Historical Dance”,1996, 3 (4), pp. 5-22.

4 See C. Baldick, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms, New York, 2001, p. 148.

5 See J. Limon, The Masque of the Stuart Culture, op. cit., p. 28.

6 The purpose of introducing antimasques was to create a foil to the main masque or to allow the main masque to provide a resolution. See S. Orgel, The Jonsonian Masque, New York, 1981, p. 76.

ask e d som e m em b ers o f th e au d ien ce to d ance w ith th e m , w hich led to c h a ra c te ristic “b re ak d o w n of th e b a r r ie r b etw e en stag e a n d sp e c ta to r”7. A fter th e d an ce th e m a s q u e rs w ere called b ac k to th e s ta g e w ith a song or a m onologue, a n d left th e stag e soon afte rw a rd s.

O f course, th e m a sq u e g en re evolved a n d took slig h tly d iffe ren t form s8 a t d iffe ren t s ta g e s of its developm ent, b u t in its p rim e tim e (th e S tu a r t m asq u e) it h a d th e form described above. T h u s, th e s tru c tu re o f th e m asq u e ca n be su m m a riz e d a s follows: 1. in tro d u c tio n / prologue 2. a n tim a s q u e or a n tim a s q u e s 3. th e m a sq u e p ro p e r 4. co m m u n al d ance (revels) 5. epilogue. T he la s t e le m e n t w as n o t alw ays p re s e n t, so m etim es th e re v els w ere th e fin a l a c t of th e show. T h ere w ere also a few m a sq u e s w ith o u t revels, b u t su ch in sta n c e s w ere ex tre m ely ra re.

As w as said, ea ch m asq u e w as a n o rig in al a n d u n iq u e phenom enon; ra re ly w as it stag ed m ore th a n once, m a in ly b ec au se it re q u ire d a lot of p re p a ra tio n a n d th e coo peration of a n u m b e r of p ro fessio n als - a poet, an a rc h ite c t, a com poser, a ch o reo g ra p h er - w o rk in g u n d e r th e su p erv isio n of th e m a sq u e m an ag er. M asq u es w ere p erform ed a t co u rt a n d in a r is to c ra ts ’ ho uses, so th is form o f e n te r ta in m e n t w a s re se rv e d for a sm all g rou p of view ers. M oreover, su ch p erfo rm an ces w ere often p re p a re d a t th e re q u e s t of th e m o n arc h or a n o b lem an (a n d sponso red by th e m 9), u s u a lly to celeb rate a n im p o rta n t e v e n t such a s a w ed d in g o r a v is it of foreign d ig n ita rie s 10. A llegorical fig u res a p p e a rin g in th e m a sq u e - u s u a lly ta k e n from th e G reek or R om an m ythology - w ere su pposed to sym bolize m em b ers of th e court, so th e y w ere a good m e a n s of self-prom otion a n d self-glorification of th e cou rt a n d th e m on arch , who w as p re se n te d a s a God fig u re w ith th e pow er to unify a n d b rin g harm ony.

W h a t is m ore, th is p ro g ress from chaos in to o rd e r w a s p re s e n te d in th e form of a ritu a l. T he m a sq u e w a s h ig h ly ritu a lis tic a n d it w as th e m a in fe a tu re d istin g u ish in g it from a tra d itio n a l d ra m a 11 - it w as n o t a d ra m a , b u t “a co u rtly ritu a l (w ith ele m e n ts of d ra m a )”12. T he m a sq u e g en re seem s to resem b le liturgy, it w a s a “sec u la r c o u n te rp a rt to th e c u lt of relig iou s im ag es”13. S u ch a p ercep tio n of th e m a sq u e is su p p o rte d by th e fa ct t h a t th e

7 Ibid., p. 26.

8 Anne Daye proposes a division into six kinds of masques: the march, the professio­ nal masque, the noble masque, the masque with ante-masque, the running masque, the masque to present a banquet. See A. Daye, Youthful Revels, op. cit., p. 8.

9 See E. K. Chambers, The Elizabethan Stage, Volume 1, Oxford, 1951, p. 155.

10 See L. Barroll, Inventing the Stuart Masque, in: The Politics of the Stuart Court

Masque, D. Bevington, O. Holbrook (eds.), Cambridge, 1998, p. 123.

11 See T. Demaubus, Ritual, Ostension and the Divine in the Stuart Masque, “Literatu­ re & Theology”,2003, 17 (3), pp. 299-301.

12 Ibid., p. 304.

13 D. Norbook, The Reformation of the Masque, in:The Court Masque, D. Lindley (ed.), Manchester, 1984, p. 97.

w orld p re se n te d in it a c tu a lly co n sisted of tw o sp h eres, th e re a l one (th e court) a n d th e m etap h y sica l one, th e la tte r b ein g m u ch m ore p ro m in en t. T h u s, th e essence o f th e m a sq u e w as - a s S te p h e n O rgel proves - “Allegory, sym bol, a n d m y th ”14.

T h e ab o v e m e n tio n e d f e a t u r e s of th e m a s q u e c h a r a c te r i z e i t a s a th e a tric a l spectacle. H ow ever, it w as n o t th e only form th e m a sq u e took. J e rz y L im on m a k e s a d istin c tio n b etw e en w h a t h e calls th e m asq ue-in - perfo rm an ce a n d th e lite ra ry m asq u e. T he form er is th e re a liz a tio n of th e m a sq u e on stag e, a s described above. T he la tte r is divided in to two typ es, a d ra m a tic a n d n o n d ra m a tic m asq u e. T he d ra m a tic m a sq u e (or th e lite ra ry p re -tex t) w as its w ritte n form before th e p erfo rm an ce a n d it w as p a r t of th e scen ario . T he sce n ario c o n siste d of th e p oetic p a r t of th e m a s q u e (th e d r a m a tic m a s q u e ) - d ia lo g u e s, m o n o lo g u es, ly ric s - a s w ell a s s ta g e d ire c tio n s , d ra w in g s o f s ta g e d e sig n , c o s tu m e s a n d o th e r n o n -v e rb a l e le m e n ts o f th e p e r fo rm a n c e 15, t h u s L im o n d e s c rib e s th e s c e n a rio as “s y n c re tic ”16. I t w a s u s u a lly w r itte n b y se v e ra l people in vo lv ed in th e p ro d u ctio n of th e m a sq u e (a t le a s t four - th e poet, th e stag e designer, th e com poser, th e ch oreographer), w h e re a s th e d ra m a tic m a sq u e h a d only one a u th o r (th e poet). M asq u es w ere h a rd ly e v e r p u b lish ed in su ch a form. The v a s t m ajo rity of th e e x ta n t p rin te d te x ts a re m a sq u e s in th e ir n o n d ra m a tic form (th e p o st-p erfo rm an ce or th e lite ra r y m asq u e). T h ese a re m a sq u e s w ritte n a fte r th e a c tu a l perfo rm an ce took place. T h ey c o n ta in jo u rn a lis tic n a r ra tiv e p a ssa g e s17 - w ritte n in th e firs t p erso n a n d in th e p a s t ten se r e p o r t s of p e r f o r m a n c e s a lr e a d y s e e n - a s w e ll a s m a r g i n a l n o te s , d esc rip tio n s of th e au d ie n c e ’s (a n d th e m o n a rc h ’s) re actio n s. T hey often in c lu d e fo rew o rd s, a u t h o r i a l n o te s , re fe re n c e s to c ritic is m a s w ell a s e x p la n a tio n s of th e allegorical m e a n in g of th e spectacles (so m etim es th e view ers did n o t u n d e r s ta n d or m isu n d e rsto o d m asq ues). T h ere a re no stag e d irectio n s in th e lite ra r y m asq u e, a s it does n o t n ee d to project th e sta g in g of th e m asq u e; it d escribes a p erfo rm an ce w h ich h a s a lre a d y ta k e n place.

T he M a g u s r e in v e n ts 18 th e m a sq u e g en re in its tw o form s described

above - th e m asq u e-in -p erfo rm an ce a n d th e lite ra r y (n o n d ram atic) m asq u e - w hich m u s t be discu ssed sep arately , b ecau se - a s L im on proves - th e se

14 S. Orgel, The Poetics of Spectacle, “New Literary History“ 1971, 2 (3), p. 384. 15 See J. Limon, The Masque of the Stuart Culture, op. cit., p. 36.

16 Ibid., p. 20. 17 Ibid., p. 8.

18 What is meant by «reinvention» here is not “making as if for the first time some­ thing already invented” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online - definition 1) but “remaking or redoing” (definition 2), creating a different, contemporary variant of the genre which ceased to exist in the 17th century. The Magus is not a masque, but alludes to it very extensively and uses many elements of the genres, but not all. The elements which are used, though, play a vital role in the structure of the novel and form an integral part of the action as well as the meaning of the book.

tw o s u b g e n r e s r e p r e s e n t to ta l ly d if f e r e n t s ig n s y s te m s ( t h e a t r e a n d lite ra tu re ) a n d th u s th e y “c re a te m e a n in g s in a d iffe ren t way, b u t also (...) th e se m e a n in g s a re e sse n tia lly d iffe ren t”19. To be precise, th e a tr e cre a te s m e a n in g by m e a n s of o sten sio n - “a n a c t or process of show ing, p o in tin g out, or ex h ib itin g ”20 com bined w ith th e v e rb a l elem e n t, w h e re a s lite ra tu re by describing, ex p lain in g o r defining21, so th e v e rb a l e le m e n t only. A n o th er d iffe ren c e is t h a t t h e a t r e a n d li te r a t u r e a r e a im e d a t to ta lly d is tin c t re cip ien ts, th e sp e c ta to r a n d th e re a d e r respectively. T herefore, th e m asqu e- in-p erfo rm an ce should be a n a ly z ed from th e p ersp ectiv e of th e spectator, w hile th e lite ra ry m a sq u e - from th e persp ectiv e of th e read er.

T he sp e c ta to r in th e case o f th e m a sq u e sta g e d in The M a g u s is N icholas U rfe, th e m a in p ro ta g o n ist a n d th e n a r r a to r of th e novel. T h ro u g h o u t th e book, th e hero g e ts e n ta n g le d in a s tra n g e gam e, a s o rt of a psychological ex p e rim e n t conducted by a ric h a n d eccentric eld erly m a n called C onchis. In th e e x p e rim e n t N ich o las is exposed to a lo t of s tim u li in th e form o f co u n tless lite ra ry w orks (fiction a n d non-fiction) a n d spo k en ta le s, th e m o st p ro m in e n t of w hich is C onchis’s au tobiography, b u t also inexp licab le an d b iz a rre e v e n ts a s w ell a s stu p efy in g spectacles. T he w orld in w hich th e p ro ta g o n ist is im m e rsed is highly th e a tr ic a l a n d ritu a lis tic , a n d a lm o st from th e b eg in n in g of h is experience N icholas re fe rs to it a s “th e m a sq u e ”.

T he analogy b etw e en th e ex p e rim e n t a n d th e m a sq u e is su g g ested by C onchis him self, w h e n h e p re s e n ts N icho las w ith a copy o f L e M asque

F rança is au D ix-h u itièm e Siècle. T he p ro ta g o n is t is a sk e d to re a d a selected

p assa g e d escrib in g th e in h a b ita n ts of S a in t-M a rtin e n te r ta in in g th em selves: Visitors who went behind the high walls of Saint-M artin had the pleasure of seeing, across the green lawns and among the groves, shepherds and shepher­ desses who danced and sang, surrounded by their white flocks.They were not al­ ways dressed in eighteen-century clothes. Sometimes they wore costumes in the Roman and Greek styles; and this way the odes of Theocritus and the bucolics of Virgil were brought to life. It was even said th a t there were more scandalous scenes - charming nymphs who on summer nights fled in the moonlight from strange dark shapes, half man, half goat... 22

F rom th a t m om ent N icholas tre a ts everything he experiences as p a rts of a theatrical play. After reading th e above passage, he says: “A t la st I began to see plain. All th a t happened a t B ourani w as in th e n a tu re of a private m asque C..)”23.

19 J. Limon, The Masque of the Stuart Culture, op. cit., p. 9.

20Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online, http://www.merriam-webster.com/ (definition 1)

21 See K. Elam’s The Semiotics of Theatre and Drama, London, 1980, p. 30. 22 J. Fowles, The Magus, London, 1997, p. 165.

23 Ibid., p. 165. As a well-read person educated at Oxford and specializing in literatu­ re, the protagonist undoubtedly knows the masque genre very well. Thus, he can easily catch the likeness between Conchis’s enterprise and the court masque. He also realizes that the masque is staged specially for him and his role is to be its participant and spectator at the same time.

T he w ord “m a sq u e ” is u se d by N icholas over fo rty tim e s th ro u g h o u t th e novel, w hich in its e lf e m p h asiz es th e im p o rtan ce ofth is gen re, esp ecially in th e p ro ta g o n ist’s p ercep tio n of th e ev en ts. W h en ev er N icholas feels confused or b e w ild e re d , h e p ro c esses h is e x p e rie n c e s th ro u g h th e p ris m of th is th e a tric a l form: “A fter all, it w as a m asq u e, a n d I w a n te d (...) to p lay m y p a r t.”24, “(...) th e m asq u e, th e m asq u e: it fa sc in a te d a n d ir r ita te d m e, like an obscure poem .”25, “(...) he w a s in v e n tin g a n ew stag e of th e m a sq u e .”26, “The m a sq u e h a d m oved o u tsid e th e dom aine(...)”27. W hile d escrib in g h is ordeal, N icholas also u se s o th e r w ords b elonging to th e se m a n tic field of th e th e a tre , su ch as “s ta g e ”, “m a s k ”, “a c to rs”, “p lay ”, “sc rip t”, “co stu m e” “c a s t”, “r e h e a r ­ sa l”, “p lo t”, “ac t”, “seq u el”, “stag e p ro p e rty ”.

T he w orld of illu sio n in w hich th e p ro ta g o n ist is im m e rsed h a s th e sam e fe a tu re s a n d p erfo rm s th e sam e fu n ctio n s a s th e c o u rt m asq u e. F ir s t of all, th e novel ab o u n d s in re fere n ces a n d allu sio n s to classical m ythology, an d m ythological c h a ra c te rs a c tu a lly a p p e a r in a n u m b e r of scenes. T he w orld p re se n te d is also full of p o etry - th e m a in h ero fre q u e n tly re a d s or ev en w rite s poem s, all of w hich a re qu o ted in th e novel - a n d m usic. T he la tte r is m a in ly perfo rm ed by C onchis, w ho often p lay s th e h a rp sic h o rd , on one occa­ sion w ith Lily accom panying h im on th e flute. H ow ever, m u sic in T he M agus m ay be u n d ersto o d in a w ider sen se a s all th e so u n d s w h ich p e n e tra te th e isla n d - in clu d in g th e so u n d s of n a tu r e - a n d m a k e it a u n iq u e, m agical place. T h is special significance of a u r a l se n sa tio n s is em p h asiz ed by Lily w h e n she q u o tes S h a k e sp e a re ’s The Tempest: “Be n o t afeard ; th e isle is full o f noises, / S ounds, a n d sw ee t a irs, t h a t a re deligh t, a n d h u r t n o t”28. M usic is u b iq u ito u s in th e novel a n d fu n ctio n s a s a n ex p ressio n of o rd e r a n d h a rm o n y w hich th e p ro ta g o n ist lacks.

Som e of th e sp ectacles sta g e d by C onchis re sem b le co u rt m a sq u e s n o t only b ec au se of m ythological or s u p e r n a tu r a l c h a ra c te rs - th e w orld is go v ern ed b y fa iry -ta le law s, w h ich m a k e s a n y th in g p o ssib le - b u t also b ec au se th e y a re a s e la b o ra te a n d su m p tu o u s a s m a sq u e s. N ich o las is clearly v ery im p re sse d w ith th e com plexity a n d p recisio n of th e spectacles, he even trie s to ca lc u late how m u ch it m u s t cost C onchis to m ak e su ch an e n te rp ris e work.

A n o th er m a sq u e e le m e n t in th e novel is th e p resen ce of th e m o n arc h figure (C onchis) who in itia te s a n d m a n a g e s th e show w hich also conveys som e allegorical m e a n in g - th e c h a ra c te rs o ften re fe r to th e m a sq u e a s “a m e ta p h o r”. Allegory, sym bol a n d m y th a re a t th e core of th e novel in th e sam e w ay th e y u n d e rlie th e c o u rt m asqu e.

24 Ibid., p. 169. 25 Ibid., p. 192. 26 Ibid., p. 224. 27 Ibid., p. 373. 28 Ibid., p. 204.

W h a t is m ore, th e e x p e rim e n t co n d u cted by C onchis h a s th e sam e pu rp o se a s th e co u rt m asq u e - it is d esig ned to re p re s e n t a p ro g ress from chaos to h arm o n y a n d le a d to th e tra n sfo rm a tio n of th e m a in hero. All th is h a p p e n s in a m asq u e-lik e a tm o sp h e re of a r itu a l in w hich th e w orld o f th e re a l m ixes w ith th e w orld o f th e u n re a l o r m etap h y sica l. C onsequently, th e w orld p re s e n te d in th e novel co n sists of two sp h e re s a n d - lik e in th e m a sq u e - th e m e ta p h y sic a l one is m u ch m ore p ro m in en t.

L ike th e co u rt m asq u e, C onchis’s ex p e rim e n t is u n iq u e, i t is especially tailo re d for t h a t p a r tic u la r p a rtic ip a n t (N icholas). We k now t h a t C onchis h a s b ee n doing th is ex p e rim e n t for m a n y y e a rs a n d N icholas is by no m e a n s th e only “g u in e a pig” he h a s h ad , th e re w ere m a n y o th e rs before h im (o th er te a c h e rs on P h rax o s, e.g. L everrier, M itford) a n d th e re w ill be o th e rs a fte r him . In fact, in th e la s t p a r t of th e novel N icholas m e e ts h is successor an d know s he w ill be subjected to a sim ila r ordeal. T he experience of each m a n is to ta lly d iffe ren t b ec au se th e y a re different, th u s “th e m e a n in g s g e n e ra te d d u rin g th e p a rtic u la r perfo rm an ce a re u n iq u e for th e occasion a n d c a n n o t be re trie v e d ”29.

D e sp ite a ll th e above m e n tio n e d s im ila r itie s to th e c o u rt m a sq u e , how ever, C onchis’s ex p e rim e n t is n o t a ty p ical m a sq u e (a n d n e ith e r is th e novel a s a whole), b u t a re in v e n tio n of th e genre. T he m a in difference is th a t in a ty p ical m a sq u e m usic, dance a n d spectacle w ere m u ch m ore im p o rta n t t h a n w o rd s30, w h e re a s in th e w o rld c r e a te d by C o n ch is w o rd s a r e of p a ra m o u n t im p o rtan ce , especially C onchis’s ow n n a rra tio n , b u t also o th er w ritte n a n d spo k en ta le s . T herefo re, th e sp ec ta cles b e a rin g m asq u e-lik e fe a tu re s a re n o t sta g e d for th e ir ow n sak e, b u t fu n c tio n a s illu s tra tio n s to th o se ta le s a n d h elp th e hero u n d e r s ta n d th e sto ries a s well a s th e e v e n ts on th e island.

As w as said, th e re a re n u m e ro u s scenes in th e novel w hich h av e th e c h a ra c te r o f a p riv a te m asq u e. O ne of th e m is th e “m ythological scene” in c h a p te r 29. W hile C onchis is te llin g N icholas a n d L ily h is biography, his y a r n is su d d en ly in te rru p te d by th e soun d o f a ho rn . T he c h a ra c te rs, who a re se a te d on th e te rra c e of C onchis’s villa, h av e a p erfect view of th e beach, w h ere th e y c a n see a v ery u n u s u a l scene. T h ere a p p e a rs a n a k e d m a n in a la u re l w re a th (Apollo), a n a k e d w om an in a n tiq u e s a n d a ls (a nym ph), a s a ty r (h a lf-m a n , h a lf-g o a t) w ith a n e n o rm o u s a n d e r e c t p e n is, a n d a goddess clad in a g la d ia to r’s o u tfit (A rtem is). T he s a ty r ch a se s th e n y m p h who d isa p p e a rs in th e forest. A rte m is k ills th e s a ty r w ith a n arro w sh o t from h e r bow, a fte r w hich sh e a n d h e r b ro th e r Apollo bow, g re e t th e au d ien ce a n d disap p ear. T h is scene ta k e s place soon a fte r N icholas re a d s th e p a ssa g e from

29 J. Limon, The Masque of the Stuart Culture, op. cit., p. 30.

30 See K. Whitlock, Shakespeare’s The Tempest: Some Thought Experiments, “Sederi” 1999, X, p. 172.

L e M asque... a n d it is u n d o u b ted ly desig n ed to be a n ex am ple of “m ore

scan d alo u s scenes” in w hich “ch a rm in g n y m p h s (...) fled in th e m oonlight from s tra n g e d a rk sh ap e s, h a lf m an , h a lf g o at (...)”31. N icholas sees th e an alo gy v ery well. W h a t he does n o t u n d e r s ta n d y e t is t h a t th e p erform ance is a m e ta p h o r re fe rrin g to h im - it is h im who is th e satyr.

A n o th e r scene like th is occurs in c h a p te r 31. N icholas is com ing b ack to th e v illa a fte r sec retly m e e tin g Lily. S u d d en ly h e sees two figu res on th e te rra c e , a g irl who looks exactly like Lily (he does n o t know y e t t h a t she h a s a tw in siste r) a n d a m y ste rio u s c re a tu re : “(...) th e fig u re w as all in black, sh ro u d e d in th e sun, an d w e arin g th e m o st s in iste r m a sk I h a d e v e r seen: th e h e a d of a n eno rm o u s jack a l, w ith a long m uzzle a n d h ig h p o in ted e a rs ”32. T he fig u re is A nubis, a n E g y p tia n god asso ciated w ith m u m m ificatio n an d th e afterlife. N icholas is a w a re of th e fact t h a t th e scene is j u s t a n o th e r ele m e n t of th e m asq u e a n d th is tim e h e realizes t h a t th e s in is te r figu re of th e god re fe rs to him : “I h a d (...) no b e lie f t h a t th is w as m ore th a n a n o th e r n a s ty tw is t in th e m asq u e, a b lack in v ersio n of th e scene on th e b ea ch ”33.

T he tw o scenes described above u n d o u b ted ly resem b le th e co u rt m asq u e - th e re a re acto rs play in g som e m ythological figures, th e re is a n au d ien ce of som e sp e c ia l peo p le (C onchis o fte n e m p h a s iz e s t h a t h e, a n d p ro b a b ly N icholas as well, a re am ong th e “elect”34), fin ally th e re is a m e ta p h o r b eh in d th e se p erfo rm an ces w hich th e au d ien ce (N icholas) h a s to decipher. M oreover, th e scenes re p re s e n t c e rta in vices a n d lack of h arm o n y in th e p ro ta g o n ist’s m in d an d life35. T hus, th e y ca n be tre a te d as exam ples of an tim a sq u e s.

A n o th e r scene w ith a n tim a s q u e q u a litie s is N ich olas’s e n c o u n te r w ith tw o s tra n g e in d iv id u a ls (a m a n an d a girl) w hom he is expected to re g a rd as g h o sts. T h e in d iv id u a ls in q u e s tio n a r e R o b e rt F o u lk e s a n d th e g irl m u rd e re d by him , a n d th e e n c o u n te r ta k e s place soon a fte r N icholas re a d s F o u lk e s’s a u to b io g ra p h y given to h im by Conchis.

T he th re e scenes described above - th e “m ythological scene”, th e scene w ith A nubis a n d th e scene w ith th e g h o sts - fu n ctio n as p icto rial tab lea u x , as no w ords a re u tte re d a n d N icholas h a s to in te rp re t th e m u sin g only v isu a l se n sa tio n s. T h u s, th e y a re like du m b show s - “sh o rt pieces o f sile n t actio n or m im e included in a play, a com m on device in E liz a b e th a n an d

31 J. Fowles, The Magus, op. cit., p. 165. 32 Ibid., p. 199.

33 Ibid., p. 199.

34 This is strictly connected with Fowles concept of «the few» and «the many», the two groups into which he divides the human race. By saying that Nicholas is «elect», he means that he belongs to «the few», people who are intellectually and morally above the rest of the society.

35 Nicholas’s mental disharmony is particularly evident in his attitude to women. He treats them solely as sexual objects and is unable to experience any deeper feelings. He is unable to love, and one of Conchis’saim is to change that.

Ja c o b e a n d ra m a ”36 - w hich w ere also u se d in th e c o u rt m asq u e. All th ese du m b show s a re u se d to p re s e n t th e p ro ta g o n is t’s vices, b u t also to p re p a re h im for th e e n su in g m asq u e proper. T hey a re w h a t M cN a m a ra calls “scenes of ch aos” w hose p u rp o se is to give “th e co u rtly sp e c ta to rs a b it of a th rill before th e triu m p h of th e m o n arc h over th e now visible en e m y ”37. In th is case th is en em y is N icholas him self, h is vices a n d h is in a u th e n tic ity , b u t also g r e a t sce p tic ism w h ich h e h a s to overcom e in o rd e r to a p p re c ia te th e m asq u e.

T h e m a s q u e p ro p e r - a n d a t th e sa m e tim e th e m o st s p e c ta c u la r m asq u e-lik e scene in th e novel - is p re se n te d in c h a p te r 61, w h ich is devoted to th e sym bolic tr ia l of th e m a in hero. T he scene is p e rm e a te d w ith th e im ag ery a n d sym bols c h a ra c te ristic o f th e co u rt m asq u e. T he place is also d esig ned to resem b le a ty p ical m a sq u e stag e. N icholas is led in to a huge room w ith a p odium on w hich th e re is a th ro n e , he is s e a te d on it b o u n d an d gagged a n d w itn esses a sp e c ta c u la r e n tra n c e of th e m o st b iz a rre c h a ra c te rs w e a rin g so p h istic a te d co stu m es a n d m ask s: H e rn e th e H u n te r, a w itch, a m a n w ith a crocodile h e a d , a n A ztec, a fem ale v a m p ire , a n A frican, a su cc u b u s, a p ie rro t-s k e le to n , a fish -w o m a n -b ird , A n u b is, a m a g ic ia n , a corn-doll, a goat-figure. T h ere is also a coffin-sedan w ith th e sym bols of A rte m is-D ia n a, w hich is c a rrie d in to th e room by fo u r m a n in gro tesqu e m ask s. A fter a w hile of an tic ip a tio n , N icholas sees th e fig u res rem ove th e ir m a sk s a n d costum es. A group of s tu d e n ts e n te rs th e room a n d N icho las’s tr ia l begins, w hich tu r n s o u t to be a pseudo-psychological a n a ly sis of h is p e rso n a lity a n d th e people b e h in d th e m a s k s a p p e a r to be sp ec ia lists in psychology a n d psychiatry.

U ndoubtedly, th e scene described above is h ig h ly ritu a listic . I t is also c o n stru c te d a s a m a sq u e in m in ia tu re . H ow ever, th e g en re is s u b v e rte d an d p aro d ie d here. A lth o u g h on th e surface it re sem b le s th e m a in m a sq u e of th e c o u rt e n te r ta in m e n t - th e p a rtic ip a n ts ta k e off th e ir m a sk s a n d N icholas is g iven th e role of th e m o n a rc h fig u re - th e scene is also ex tre m ely g ro tesq u e a n d filled w ith b r u ta lity (N icholas is b o u n d to th e th ro n e a n d gagged). T h u s, it is a n o th e r echo of Le M asque... M oreover, th e re a re no rev els a fte r th e rem o v al of th e m a sk s a n d th e show is n o t d esig ned to glorify th e “m o n arc h ”. O n th e co ntrary, N icholas is p re s e n te d w ith a d esc rip tio n of h is p e rso n a lity w hich is fa r from b ein g fla tte rin g . H e is described a s a n egoist, a cynic, a liar, a cow ard a n d a tra ito r. S u ch a p ic tu re of th e p ro ta g o n ist’s p e rso n a lity seem s a b it ex a g g era te d , b u t it is r a th e r ac cu ra te . N icholas h im se lf - desp ite h is w ra th a n d h a tre d - accepts som e a sp e cts o f it: “T h ere w as a g ra in of t r u t h in w h a t she w as say in g ”38. T h u s, N icholas s ta r ts to a p p re c ia te th e

36 C. Baldick, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms, op. cit., p. 73.

37 K. McNamara, Golden Worlds at Court: The Tempest and Its Masque, “Shakespeare Studies”1987, 19, p. 185.

alleg o ric al m e a n in g o f th e m a sq u e , a lth o u g h h e is y e t to re a c h a fu ll u n d e rs ta n d in g of it. T h is is w hy th e ty p ical s tru c tu re o f th e c o u rt m a sq u e is su b v e rte d in th e tr ia l chap ter. A pplying a ty pical m a sq u e s tru c tu re would e n ta il re s to rin g h a rm o n y a n d th e glorification o f th e K in g (N icholas). T hese are, a s w as s ta te d before, th e m a in aim s of th e m a sq u e gen re. N icholas in c h a p te r 61 is fa r from b ein g in h a rm o n y w ith h im s e lf a n d th e r e s t o f th e w orld an d , consequently, he is n o t w o rth glorifying yet.

T he scenes w hich follow th e tr ia l a re ev en m ore v io len t a n d grotesque. F irs t, N icholas is given a chance to flog Lily, w h ich h e e v e n tu a lly declines. L ater, it is N icholas who is b o u n d to th e flogging fram e a n d h e is m ad e to w a tc h a p o rn o g rap h ic film w ith Lily. T h e n h e is co nfronted w ith a live p erfo rm an ce in w hich th e g irl h a s sex w ith Jo e in fro n t of N icho las’s eyes. T he scene is re fe rre d to a s “d isin to x ica tio n ” a n d m ay be in te rp re te d as a m e ta p h o ric a l flogging of th e m a in p ro ta g o n ist a n d its aim is to h elp him overcom e h is in fa tu a tio n w ith Lily. T h ese two scen es, a g a in , h a v e th e q u a litie s of a n tim a sq u e s. P la cin g a n tim a s q u e s a fte r th e m a in m a sq u e is r a th e r u n u s u a l a n d it h elp s to postpo ne th e m asq u e-lik e re so lu tio n o f th e story.

In th e p a ssa g e s a n a ly z ed so fa r N icholas re fe rs to th e m a sq u e g en re explicitly, he openly ta lk s ab o u t th e m a sq u e a n d its elem e n ts. However, th e a n a lo g y b e tw e e n C o n c h is’s e x p e r im e n t a n d th e c o u r t m a s q u e is also s u g g e s te d im p licitly , n a m e ly by n u m e ro u s re fe re n c e s a n d a llu s io n s to S h a k e sp e a re ’s T he Tem pest, a p lay w hich also co n tain s ele m e n ts of th e co urt m asq u e.

T he an alogy is, ag ain , su g g ested to N icholas by C onchis d u rin g th e ir f i r s t e n c o u n te r: “C om e now. P ro s p e ro w ill sh o w y o u h is d o m a in e ”39. C o n ch is’s re fe rr in g to h im s e lf a s P ro sp e ro trig g e rs in N ic h o la s’s m in d a c h a in o f a s s o c ia t i o n s b e tw e e n h i s e x p e r i e n c e s a t B o u r a n i a n d S h a k e sp e a re ’s play. As a re su lt, he o ften looks a t th e e v e n ts on th e islan d th ro u g h th e p rism of The T em pest. T he novel h a s te n d irec t re feren ces to th e play, ev en a q u o tatio n , a s w ell a s n u m e ro u s allusion s. A t one point, for in s ta n c e , w h e n J u lie d is a p p e a rs , N ich o las th e n a r r a t o r say s: “S h e h a d v a n ish e d into th in a ir”40. H e re fe rs to th e sam e p assa g e o f T he Tem pest a fte r discovering C onchis’s grave: “(...) d etective w ork w ould lead m e n o w h ere - to a false grave, to y e t a n o th e r joke, a sm ile fa d in g into th in a ir ”41. O n some o th e r occasion, w h e n he th in k s t h a t th e gam e is over, he com m ents: “(... ) I re m e m b ered C onchis’s fa iry -g o d fath er exit: th e gay farew ell, th e firew orks, th e b o ttle of K rug. O u r rev els a re now e n d e d ”42. All th e th re e p a ssa g e s refer

39 Ibid.,p. 83. 40 Ibid, p. 450. 41 Ibid., p. 559. 42 Ibid., p. 458.

to th e w ords u tte re d by S h a k e s p e a re a n P ro sp ero a t th e en d of h is w edding m asque.

N o t o n ly d o es N ic h o la s p e r c e iv e C o n c h is a s a n i n c a r n a t i o n of S h a k e s p e a re a n m agician, b u t he also a sp ire s to th e role o f F e rd in a n d . In fact, th e re a re m a n y w ays in w hich th e c h a ra c te rs of The M a g u s resem ble th e c h a ra c te rs of T he T em p est: C onchis is like P ro sp ero , N icholas oscillates b e tw e e n th e ro les of F e rd in a n d a n d C alib an , L ily is se e n by th e m a in p ro ta g o n ist as M iran d a , b u t in th e en d it is A lison w ho sh ou ld be tre a te d as P ro sp e ro ’s d a u g h te r. T h e re a re also m a n y s im ila ritie s b e tw e e n th e two w o rk s a t th e ir th e m a tic a n d s tr u c tu r a l levels. H ow ever, tra c in g a ll th e analo gies b etw e en T he M a g u s a n d T he Tem pest is n o t th e aim of th is article. W h a t is im p o rta n t h e re is how th e referen ces to th e p lay h elp th e re a d e r id en tify th e novel as a re in v e n tio n of th e co u rt m asq u e. T h u s, th e focus h a s to be given to th e fig u res of P ro sp ero a n d C onchis a s th e c re a to rs of th e m asq u es.

T he Tem pest co n tain s elem e n ts, im ages a n d fig ures ty p ical of th e co u rt

m asq u e. T h ere a re songs an d d ances (revels), m ythological an d s u p e r n a tu ra l figu res (sp irits, n ym phs, re ap ers). T he play co n tain s scenes w h ich fu nction as m asq u es or a n tim a sq u e s, an d th e w hole p lay follows - a t le a s t according to som e scho lars - th e s tru c tu re of th e m asq u e. T he scene w hich sh ould be tre a te d as a m a sq u e is th e b e tro th a l scene (th e w ed din g m asque), w h e reas a n tim a s q u e s are: th e scene w ith T rinculo, S te p h an o a n d C alib an ch a sed by “dogs an d h o u n d s” a n d th e scene w ith a v a n ish in g b a n q u e t.

T he m o st e la b o ra te of th e se is th e w edd ing m a sq u e in a c t IV, scene i., w hich ca n be tre a te d a s a p lay w ith in a play. In th e scene in q u estio n P ro sp ero p re s e n ts h is g u e sts w ith a n e x tra o rd in a ry p a g e a n t w ith som e m ythological figures (Iris, C eres, Ju n o ) d escen din g from th e sky in o rd e r to p erfo rm som e dialogues an d songs, a n d bless th e u n io n of F e rd in a n d an d M iran d a . P ro sp ero a n n o u n c es th e ir a p p e a ra n c e w ith th e w ords “No tongue! All eyes! Be sile n t”43. L a te r on, th e re a p p e a r som e re a p e rs a n d n y m p h s, who jo in in “a g ra c e fu l d a n c e ”. U p to t h a t p o in t th e sc e n e is a fa ith f u l re p re s e n ta tio n of a ty p ical c o u rt m asq u e. I t is, how ever, in te rru p te d by “a stra n g e , hollow, a n d confused noise” a n d th e c h a ra c te rs o f th e m asq u e “h eav ily v a n is h ”. I t is n o t im p o rta n t h e re w h e th e r or n o t P ro sp ero h a d to b re a k th e m asq u e, w hich he fin ish es w ith th e w ords “O u r re v els a re now ended. T hese o u r actors, / As I foretold you, w ere all s p irits a n d / A re m elted in to air, in to th in a ir”44. W h a t in te re s ts u s is t h a t th e w ed din g m asq u e show s P ro sp e ro as th e c re a to r a n d c o n tro lle r of th e m a sq u e . T h u s, h e fu nctions as a po et an d a n a rc h ite c t on th e one h a n d (he is like B en Jo n so n

43 W. Shakespeare, The Tempest, Walton-on-Thames, 1997, p. 97. 44 Ibid., pp. 103-104.

a n d Inigo J o n e s in one p e rs o n 45 ), on th e o th e r h a n d h e re p r e s e n ts th e m o n arc h figure. As th e la tte r he h a s divine q u a litie s, i t is h is pow er t h a t can e v e n tu a lly re sto re peace a n d harm ony, a n d - j u s t like th e K ing w a tc h in g a ty p ical S tu a r t m a sq u e - h e ca n stop th e m a sq u e a n y tim e. B ecause th e w edding m a sq u e is a m in ia tu re of th e play, th e above m en tio n ed a ttrib u te s o f P ro sp ero c a n be found in th e e n tire p lay a n d th e w hole p lay m ay be tre a te d a s a m asq u e, w h ich is su p p o rte d by th e p lay ’s ending.

T he re so lu tio n of The Tem pest is ty p ical of th e c o u rt m a sq u e - in th e en d th e d iv in e pow er of th e m o n a rc h fig u re (P ro sp ero ) r e s to r e s p ea ce a n d harm ony. T he en d in g is a h a p p y one - M ira n d a a n d F e rd in a n d a re h ap p ily m a rrie d , P ro sp ero forgives h is tre a c h e ro u s b ro th e r a n d h is allies, he re g a in s h is dukedom , w h e re a s A riel g e ts h is longed-for freedom . All th e c h a ra c te rs, a p a r t from A riel a n d C alib an , h ap p ily r e tu r n hom e.

I t is all achieved by m e a n s of th e illu sio n w hich P ro sp ero c re a te s w ith h is a r t a n d w ith th e a s sis ta n c e of A riel a n d h is m usic. P ro sp ero ’s a r t is u su a lly in te rp re te d a s th e a tr ic a l a r t a n d th e p lay is in d eed p e rm e a te d w ith im a g e r y a n d v o c a b u la ry c o n n e c te d w ith a t h e a t r i c a l p ro d u c tio n (e.g. “spectacle”, “p a g e a n t”). T h u s, P ro sp ero fu n c tio n s a s a p la y w rig h t a n d a stag e d ire c to r, w h e re a s A rie l is o fte n s e e n a s h is s ta g e a s s i s t a n t . I n som e in te rp re ta tio n s P ro sp ero is ev en id en tified w ith S h a k e sp e a re h im se lf a n d P ro sp ero ’s fin al w ords a re in te rp re te d a s S h a k e s p e a re ’s farew ell to s ta g e 46.

T he a ttrib u te s ascrib ed to P ro sp ero ca n be also found in C onchis, w hich N icholas is well a w a re of. A t one point, he says: “C onchis h a d tu rn e d aw ay - to ta lk w ith A riel w ho p u t re co rd s on (...)”47. L a te r on, h e re fe rs to C onchis’s ro y al q u alitie s: “H e ra is e d b o th h is a rm s in h is p ec u lia r h ie ra tic w a y (...) th e m o s t a n c ie n t ro y a l pow er. H e a p p e a re d (...) to b le s s , to com m and; d o m in u s a n d h is dom aine. A nd once a g a in I th o u g h t o f P rospero (...)”48. C onchis - j u s t like P ro sp ero - c re a te s som e k in d of illu sio n in o rd e r to

45 Ben Jonson and Inigo Jones created quite a few masques together. Jonson was responsible for the poetic part, whereas Jones was the architect famous for his elaborate set designs and special effects. Their fruitful cooperation eventually ended in a dispute over whose role was more important in the creation of the masque. See D. Norbrook, The

Reformation of the Masque in: The Court Masque, D. Lindley (ed.), Manchester, 1984,

p. 97.

46 For more information on different interpretations of Prospero, see Raymond Po­ well’s Shakespeare and the Critics’ Debate. In Chapter 4 of the book Powell skillfully pro­ ves that it is better not to identify Prospero with Shakespeare, but undoubtedly Prospero “is a dramatist. He wrotethe part which Ariel, transformed into a harpy, delivered to the «three men of sin», and he was there as an audience to applaud it. He also conceived, wrote and directed the masque that dominates Act IV, a «vanity of mine art», as he ter­ med it (IV i 41), which he put on for the benefit of Ferdinand and Miranda.” R. Powell,

Shakespeare and the Critics’ Debate, London, 1980, p. 100.

47 J. Fowles, The Magus, op. cit., p. 136. 48 Ibid., p. 136.

ac h ie v e p a r tic u la r m o ra l a im s 49. H e also re s e m b le s a p la y w r ig h t a n d a d ir e c to r o f a t h e a t r i c a l p ro d u c tio n , in w h ic h th e o th e r c h a r a c te r s - N icholas in p a r tic u la r - a re a c to rs a n d sp e c ta to rs a t th e sam e tim e. C onchis is also a m o n arc h fig u re who h a s divine pow er to c re a te h a rm o n y o u t of chaos. H e openly a d m its to b ein g su ch a fig ure a n d re fe rs to his e x p e rim e n t a s a “godgam e” on sev e ral occasions. W h en N icholas say s “You h o n e s tly do th i n k y o u ’re God, d o n ’t y o u ?”50, h e d oes n o t deny. H e is o m n iscien t a n d o m n ip o ten t, j u s t like God. T h u s, P ow ell’s w ords u se d to describe S h a k e s p e a re a n m ag ician m ay be u se d in reference to C onchis, too, a s h e “h a s ab so lu te power, (...) c a n control th e d e stin ie s of all th e people on it [the island], a n d (...) he seem s to be u sin g h is pow er for b en ig n e n d s ”51 an d “is p la y in g God w ith p eo p le’s liv e s”52. W h a t is m o re, C o nch is is o ften id e n tifie d w ith F ow les in th e sam e w ay a s P ro sp ero is id e n tifie d w ith S h a k e s p e a re 53.

T h e m a s q u e - li k e c h a r a c t e r o f C o n c h is ’s e x p e r i m e n t is f u r t h e r e m p h asiz ed by h is re fe rrin g to it a s “m e ta - th e a tre ” w hich is n o th in g m ore th a n a m o d ern v a ria tio n on th e c o u rt m asq u e. C onchis defines h is m e ta ­ th e a tr e a s a k in d of p erfo rm an ce in w hich th e re is no clear division b etw e en th e ac to rs a n d th e sp ec ta to rs, in w h ich th e re a re no lim its a n d e v e ry th in g c a n h ap p e n . “T h ere is no place for lim its in m e ta - th e a tre ”54 - C onchis boldly s a y s to N ic h o la s a n d h e r e a lly t h i n k s so. T h e w o rld c r e a te d in h is “ex p e rim e n t” h a s no lim its, either.

O ne of th e eld erly in h a b ita n ts o f th e islan d , B a rb a D im itria k i, te lls N icholas a b o u t C onchis’s th e a tr e before th e war. I t a p p e a rs t h a t th e re u sed to be a re a l p lay h o u se in th e g ard en , w h ere n u m e ro u s g u e s ts took p a r t in plays, liste n e d to m usic, sa n g a n d danced. We ca n in fe r from h is account t h a t th e s e w e re n o t o rd in a r y p lay s, b u t m a s q u e s. H e also re m e m b e rs firew o rks in 1938. C onchis clarifies th is d e ta il e x p lain in g t h a t 1938 w a s th e y e a r in w hich he s e t fire to h is th e a tre . T h is m ig h t be a n allu sio n to th e Globe, S h a k e s p e a re ’s th e a tr e w hich b u r n t in 1613, w h ich m ay in d icate t h a t C onchis re g a rd s h im se lf a s a n a r ti s t e q u a l w ith S h ak esp e are .

H ow ever, C onchis’s m a in objective is n o t a s s e rtin g h is pow er or g enius, b u t le a d in g to th e m etam o rp h o sis of th e m a in p ro tag o n ist. U ndoubtedly, he succeeds in e d u c a tin g N icholas, a lth o u g h th e tra n sfo rm a tio n does n o t ta k e place in th e tr ia l scene (th e m a sq u e proper). T h is is w hy th e m a in m a sq u e is

49 The difference between Prospero and Conchis is that the former has a few aims - uniting Ferdinand and Miranda, regaining his dukedom, taking revenge on his persecu­ tors - whereas the latter has only one objective, namely educating Nicholas.

50 J. Fowles, The Magus, op. cit., p. 440.

51 R. Powell, Shakespeare and the Critics’ Debate, op. cit., p. 80. 52 Ibid., p. 96.

53 See S. Loveday, The Romances of John Fowles, London, 1985, p. 45. 54 J. Fowles, The Magus, op. cit., p. 406.

followed by a d d itio n a l a n tim a s q u e s an d th e m a sq u e convention in t h a t scene is su b v erte d . H is tra n s fo rm a tio n ta k e s place m u ch later, in P a r t 3 of th e novel, b ec au se only th e n does he fully u n d e r s ta n d th e m a sq u e a n d th e m e ta p h o rs b e h in d it. E v e n tu a lly , C onchis su cceed s in m a k in g N ich olas a b e tte r a n d m ore a u th e n tic person. T h u s, th e en d in g of th e sto ry is m a s q u e ­ like - th e o rd e r an d h arm o n y a re finally re sto re d th a n k s to th e pow er of th e m o n arc h figure (Conchis).

All th e ele m e n ts of th e m a sq u e d iscussed so fa r a re th e ele m e n ts of th e m asque-in -p erfo rm an ce, p a r ts of a th e a tric a l spectacle of w h ich th e m a in p ro ta g o n ist is a p a rtic ip a n t an d a spectator. T h ese ele m e n ts a re s c a tte re d th ro u g h o u t The M agus, b u t th e e n tire novel - w h ich is divided in to th re e p a r ts - seem s to follow, a t le a s t sym bolically, th e p a tte r n of th e m asq u e, too. L e t u s ex a m in e tw o w ays in w h ich th e s tru c tu re of th e novel m ay be com pared to th e s tru c tu re of th e m asq u e.

In th e firs t v ersio n P a r t 1 of th e book m ay be tre a te d as a n in tro d u c tio n / prologue a n d a n a n tim a sq u e (points 1 a n d 2 in th e m a sq u e s tru c tu re described a t th e b eg in n in g of th e article) - i t in tro d u ce s th e m a in c h a ra c te r an d th e b en eficiary of th e m a sq u e (N icholas) as w ell as it p re s e n ts th e lack of h arm o n y in h is life an d h is n u m e ro u s vices, w hich is th e m a in p u rp o se of th e a n tim a sq u e . P a r t 2 m ay be seen a s th e m a sq u e p ro p e r (p o in t 3), a s it describes a re g e n e ra tiv e process of N ich olas’s tra n sfo rm a tio n . I t is w o rth n o tin g h e re t h a t m o st of th e e le m e n ts o f th e m asq u e-in -p erfo rm an ce are co n tain e d w ith in th is p a r t of th e novel55. Finally, P a r t 3 s ta n d s for th e revels (p o in t 4), w h e re a s th e fin al ep ig ra p h - “c ra s a m e t qu i n u m q u a m a m a v it / qui q u e a m a v itc ra sa m e t”56 - m ay be ta k e n for a n epilogue (p o in t 5). O f course, th e re a re no p hysical dances in th e novel, b u t th e la s t p a r t of th e book fulfils th e sam e fu n ctio n as rev els in th e m asq u e. T h is fu n ctio n w as to re p re s e n t in a concrete w ay th e h arm o n y re sto re d by th e m o narch . T he d an ces w ere v ery carefu lly ch o reographed an d b ase d on ex tre m e precision, th e y ev en involved th e fo rm a tio n of g eom etrical sh a p e s a n d in tric a te p a tte r n s 57. T hey w ere also u sed to tra n s f e r th e re s to re d o rd e r onto th e audience. P a r t 3 of T he M a gu s p re se n ts th e p ro ta g o n ist as a new, b e tte r person, w hich m e a n s th e h a rm o n y in h is life h a s b ee n re sto red .

T he second v ersio n ta k e s in to acco u n t th e fa ct t h a t alth o u g h revels w ere p re s e n t in th e m ajo rity of m asq u es, th e re w ere a few o nes devoid of th em . B ecause th e re a re no p h ysical d an ces in th e book, it is possible to d ra w a n an alo gy b etw e en T he M a g u s a n d a revelless m a sq u e - P a r t 1 m ay be seen as a n in tro d u c tio n / prologue, P a r t 2 as a n a n tim a s q u e a n d P a r t 3 as th e m a in

55 The novel present a struggle between reality and fantasy, which is mirrored in the construction of the book - Part 1 and Part 3 represent the world of reality, whereas Part 2 is the realm of fantasy.

56 J. Fowles, The Magus, op. cit., p. 656.

m a sq u e w ith th e e p ig ra p h p erfo rm in g th e sam e fu n ctio n a s in th e firs t version.

B ecause th e tra n s fo rm a tio n of th e m a in p ro ta g o n ist m e a n s h is becom ing m ore a u th e n tic , we m ay say t h a t he m e tap h o ric ally rem o ves th e m a sk w hich h e h a s b e e n w e a rin g all h is life. In fact, th e n a r r a to r o ften u se s th e w ord “m a sk ” in th is sen se a n d in m an y places in th e novel h e openly a d m its to be w e a rin g a m ask , w hich m e a n s b ein g in a u th e n tic , p re te n d in g to be som eone else. H is m e ta p h o ric a l rem o v al of th e m a sk ta k e s place a fte r P a r t 2, t h a t is w hy th e s tru c tu re p re s e n te d in th e firs t v ersio n seem s m ore p lau sib le - in th e c o u rt m asq u e th e re m o v a l of m a s k s took place b etw e en th e m asq u e an d th e revels. W h a t h a p p e n s to N icholas a s a r e s u lt of ta k in g p a r t in th e e x p e rim e n t is w h a t h a p p e n s in th e c o u rt m a sq u e a fte r th e re m o v a l of m asks:

When the spectator joined in dancing the revels, he was participating in the mimesis; and seeing beneath the disguise, recognizing the identity of the m a­ squers, was the first step toward understanding the wisdom they embodied, because it revealed the relation between the idealization and the reality.58 As a r e s u lt of h is o rd eal N icholas is able to see “b e n e a th th e d isg u ise”, b u t it is h is ow n “d isg u ise” a n d h e discovers h is ow n “id e n tity ”. L ike th e c h a ra c te rs of The Tempest, h e s ta r ts to a p p re c ia te re a lity a s a consequence of b ein g im m e rsed in a n illusion.

So far, th e a n a ly s is of th e m a sq u e e le m e n ts in th e novel h a s b een co n d u c te d from th e p e rs p e c tiv e of th e p ro ta g o n is t w ho d e a ls w ith th e m asq u e-in -p erfo rm an ce a n d h a s to w ork o u t th e m e a n in g of th e m asq u e by i n t e r p r e t i n g t h e la n g u a g e o f t h e t h e a t r e . H is e x p e r ie n c e is m u l t i ­ d im en sio n al a n d all h is sen se s a re involved - h is sig h t, h e a rin g , tou ch, ta s te a n d sm ell - a s well a s h is feelings a n d em otions.

T ak en a s a w hole, how ever, th e novel m ay be tre a te d a s a m o d ern re in v e n tio n of th e p rin te d m a sq u e in its n o n d ra m a tic form (th e lite ra ry m asque). B ecau se N icholas is th e m a in hero a n d th e n a r r a to r o f th e story, th e novel m ay be seen a s a n acco u n t of a n eye-w itn ess to a spectacle w hich took place a t som e tim e in th e p a st. T he novel is n a r r a te d in a w ay sim ila r to th e lite ra r y m asq u e. A p a rt from th e n a rra tiv e - w h ich in th e lite ra ry m a sq u e w a s u su a lly in th e firs t p erso n a n d in th e p a s t te n se - it co n tain s n u m e ro u s pieces of lite ra tu re (poetry a n d prose), v ery d e ta ile d descrip tio n s of th e scenery, m a sk s a n d costum es. M oreover, th e n a r r a to r ex p lain s m an y of th e sym bols a n d em blem s u se d in th e novel, w h ich is a ty p ical fe a tu re of th e lite ra ry m a sq u e (th e sp e c ta to rs o ften failed to u n d e r s ta n d th e m e a n in g of th e spectacle). In fact, som e p a ssa g e s in th e novel look lik e g lo ssaries

giving defin itio n s a n d e x p la n a tio n s of th e m o st p u zz lin g sym bols, objects a n d c h a ra c te rs . I n c h a p te r 70, for in s ta n c e , th e n a r r a t o r c la rifie s th e significance of th e m a g u s (th e so rc erer on th e T a ro t card s), h y p n o tism , ra isin g b o th a rm s above th e h ea d , th e w heel sym bol, th e ribb on on th e leg a n d m a n y o th ers. S u ch e x p la n a tio n s a re to be fo un d in m a n y places in th e novel, w h ich su g g ests t h a t th e n a r r a to r w a n ts th e re a d e r to in te rp re t th e sto ry in a p a r tic u la r way. The M a g u s is provided w ith a forew ord, w h ich is also a n e le m e n t fre q u e n tly fou nd in th e lite ra r y m asq u e. M oreover, th e novel’s h ig h ly in te rte x tu a l c h a ra c te r m ay also be seen as a typ ically m a s q u e ­ lik e phenom enon. As D e m a u b u s w rites, p rin te d m a sq u e s “inclu d e e n tire a p p a r a t u s e s c r itic i w ith e la b o r a te m a r g in a l n o te s , fo o tn o te s , le n g th y q u o tatio n s, a n d references to d ozens o f a n cien t a n d contem porary sources”59. S u ch re feren ces a re in fact th e m o st d istin g u ish in g fe a tu re of th e n a r r a to r ’s id io le c t. W h ile te llin g h is sto ry , h e re f e r s o r a llu d e s to h u n d r e d s of m ythological a n d lite ra r y c h a ra c te rs, su ch a s Circe, O re stes, Zeus, T heseu s, U ly s s e s , O e d ip u s , A lice in W o n d e rla n d , R o b in so n C ru s o e , M e rc u tio , C asanova, to n a m e b u t a few.

As a re s u lt, th e ta s k o f th e re a d e r of th e lite ra r y m asq u e seem s to be m u c h e a s ie r t h a n th e s p e c ta to r’s of th e m asq u e -in -p e rfo rm a n c e , a s th e n a r r a to r provides a lo t of clues concerning th e w ay th e sto ry sho uld be in te rp re te d . H ow ever, c o n tra ry to th e m asq u e, th e novel does n o t h av e only one co rrect in te rp re ta tio n . T he re a d e r’s in te rp re ta tio n c a n n o t be th e sam e as th e sp e c ta to r’s b ecau se th e re a d e r’s experience is to ta lly d ifferen t, i t is o ne­ d im en sio n al a n d w h a t he/sh e h a s to in te r p r e t is th e la n g u a g e of lite ra tu re a n d its signs. T he re a d e rs c a n n o t perceive th e described e v e n ts in th e sam e w ay a s th e p ro ta g o n ist does a n d th e y h av e to u se th e ir im a g in a tio n desp ite v ery d e ta ile d d escriptions. T h is is b ec au se c e rta in m e a n in g s or em otions ex p ressed in th e lan g u ag e of th e a tr e c a n n o t be tr a n s la te d into th e lan g u ag e of lite ra tu re or th e ir tra n s la tio n is n o t precise. As Fow les w rite s in his Forew ord, “novels (...) a re n o t like crossw ord puzzles, w ith one u n iq u e s e t of co rrect a n s w e rs b e h in d th e clues (...)It’s m e a n in g is w h a te v e r re a c tio n it provokes in th e re a d e r”60.

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Streszczen ie

Artykuł analizuje powieść Mag Johna Fowlesa jako uwspółcześnioną wersję maski dwor­ skiej. Część wstępna zawiera opis najważniejszych cech tego gatunku. W części głównej autor analizuje elementy maski w powieści w dwóch jej formach, to znaczy maski teatralnej i maski literackiej. Cechy maski jako gatunku teatralnego analizowane są z punktu widzenia głównego bohatera, natomiast cechy maski literackiej z perspektywy czytelnika. Celem artykułu jest także określenie, w jaki sposób elementy maski wpływają na interpretację powieści.