|
| |
Although the Demontange Saga is fiction, St. Lucia is a real place with a wonderful story of its own. We are psychotherapists with an intimate knowledge of psychological processes and motivations. The columns in this section provide insight into the settings, culture and characters in our works as well as perceptions about the writing process... We want to share this material and our perceptions with other authors but believe that many of our readers will find these columns of interest as well.
Recently we took back all our rights to A Dream Across Time and are now self publishing the Demontagne Saga. It is very gratifying to have the entire publishing process under our control.
If you would like to see what we have been up to and to see some of what we are dealing with as we move to self publish, go to our blog at http://letmedigress.blogspot.com. We want it to be interactive so join in. The columns from the Author to Author section will also appear in the blog.
At the end of the latest column, you'll find clicks for past columns.
Column 5
Marcus Deroche
Sit quietly in the rain forest and listen with a passive ear. If you are very still and have cleared your mind, you can hear the island breathe. The voices of the people from the past whisper. The island, itself, is alive in a way that bears discovery. Only a few people are truly in touch with it. Marcus Deroche is one of those.
Sit quietly on a volcanic peak looking out to sea. Dim your vision and through the mist you can see the shadows of the people who have come before. Marcus Deroche knows their stories.
It may be that it is essential for most of us to leave the place of our birth to be able to see behind ordinary reality. But for some people, such as Marcus, being in touch with mystical forces and the movement of history around them is integral with their existence. He is a descendant of indigenous kings, keeper of stories, possessor of ancestral powers.
Marcus is more than a literary device - much more. He embodies what one can sense in these islands. The heritage, the swirl of human life. The melding of knowledge and power. His people moved up the island chain from South America, were brought in chains from Africa and came as conquerors of a new land. They brought wisdom and sought riches.
What Marcus manifests is real and can be seen in this world if we take the time. Only now in this modern day do we begin to bring acupuncture to medicine, seek the healing of bush medicine and send our scientists out to explore the rain forest for cures we cannot find in laboratories. Marcus is both modern, ancient and eternal.
He also represents a lesson in pride and self-determination. His people were both conquerors and conquered. Marcus stands above it all. He claims for himself only what he wants. He may be "merely" an estate manager or he may be a self-possessed man who holds sway over his domain. Marcus works on the estate because that is what he wants to do. It keeps him close to what he values. He chooses the reality of his life where the secrets of his background have been revealed and rewarded. In the end he is beholden only to himself.
He is a symbol and a real human being. As such, he offers us lessons. To Marcus, all people are one and he would not treat any one person differently from another simply because of where they came from or who they seem to be on the surface. It is possible for him to perceive destiny and talent. He knew who Jamie was.
As a real person Marcus is a true child of the island. As a symbol he is the classic Wise Old Man. Mythologies are redolent with these men. They move with time, not the moment, and convey great wisdom if one will take the time to listen. They look us in the eye unwaveringly but stand above us. We need to pay attention to this wise teacher because there are no fads and fancies here. Only enduring wisdom and stability.
Past Columns
Column 1 - St. Lucia
Column 2 - Jamie Elliott
Column 3 - Andre Demontagne
Column 4 - Paul and Danielle
Column 5 - Marcus Deroche
Column 6 - Bertille Deroche
Column 7 - What It's Like Living in the Tropics, Part 1
Column 8 - What It's Like Living in the Tropics, Part 2
Column 9 - Taylor, Clarisse and Barbara
Column 10 - How Does Our Writing Partnership Work?
Column 11 - Goal, Motivation, Conflict and Creativity
Column 12 - Family Life is a Saga
Column 13 - Toward A Circle of Dreams; I don't believe in ghosts.
Column 14 - A Book Walked in the Door
Column 15 - Every Woman Knows This Story
Column 16 - The Bridge
Column 17 - Why the Mystical Element in A Dream Across Time?
Column 18 - Gaia and myth in the Demontagne Saga
Column 19 - Carl Jung, Mythology and the Demontagne Saga
Column 20 - Carl Jung's Concepts in the Demontagne Saga
Column 21 - Martinique
Column 22 – Janine-Yvette Demontange (Yvie)
Column 23 – Anne-Clarisse Demontagne (Lissa)
Column 24 - Philippe Diamant Demontagne (Philippe)
Copyright© 1987-2006 Annie Rogers LLC dba Bivens and Jensen Publishing. All rights reserved |
|
