[ilds] off the wall

[Bruce Redwine]

Rony, I think that's the right question — why Balthazar?  I can't answer with respect to Groddeck, but seems to me that Durrell's choices in characterization often have to do with some psychological impulse or need, ultimately based on some biographical reflex.  He's not like Shakespeare in this regard, whose characters don't seem projections of the playwright.  Also, there's a lot of allegory in Durrell, and his use of personal names is an aspect of that.


Bruce


 
On Mar 26, 2011, at 12:37 PM, Rony Alfandary wrote:

> Thanks for the very illuminating piece on Durrell's concept of sexuality. one can see from his writings that he was thinking about all kinds of sexualities, his interest in psychoanalysis supports this and i think that if he was born in a different era he may have been less inhibited in trying out in practice what he tried out in fiction. but that is true for most of us, isn't it?
> anyhow, i had this crazy notion, and this may seem off the wall , that the character of Dr Balthazar was  in fact connected to Durrell's interest in Groddeck.
> i find it interesting that he chose Balthazar of all possible characters to present Darley with the interliner. somehow, it evoke in me Groddeck's letters to Freud where Groddeck insisted on being Freud's disciple.
> Rony