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Meanwhile, Blogger is making me insane with all its convoluted words. I feel like I'm on a scavenger hunt for rss feeds and follower buttons. So since I've been meaning to write about labyrinths, today felt appropriate. :)
The maze is a traditional symbol for finding the divine or the self. We authors take characters through a labyrinth each time we give them a goal to accomplish or a MacGuffin (thanks, Matt :D) to locate.
Underground cities, castle dungeons, serpentine streets, yellow brick roads...all of them work well and lots of writers (including me) use them at particularly difficult moments in a character arc. Movie directors like them too because true labyrinths are visually striking. My favorite is aptly titled Labyrinth, with David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly. I just thought I'd share the particularly poignant lyrics of the movie song, Within You. It illustrates both the internal and external labyrinths of the story.
How you turn my world
You precious thing.
You starve and near exhaust me.
Everything I've done,
I've done for you.
I move the stars for no one.
You've run so long.
You've run so far.
Your eyes can be so cruel,
Just as I can be so cruel,
Oh I do believe in you.
Yes I do.
Live without your sunlight.
Love without your heartbeat.
I... I...
Can't.. live.. within.. you...
I can't live within you
I...I..Can't live within you
And here's the visual, Escheresque stairs and all...
