the iĄaculty oÍ' Graduate Ątudies April, L96[ - MSpace at the ...

jl ¡L ^
L39.
jlì -^i I n ¡¡rr
¿1rÇ *1_1éY-åå
'I'he ihree books of I(olbenheyeris frilo-qy are
concerned v¿iih .Úhe life-span of a ctaemoni c ind-ividual
who is comoletely a.nd- irrevoca-bly engaged" is indj.-
catecJ vqvv\¿ bv i,he nrclrrdes. PnraCelsust inVolvement ulith
his universe does not reflect the Zoth Century concern
of a Sarrre r,vj-th ihe vo:'-d (le náant), nor" the scepticism
of i,v-riters such as Valdry. i',olbenheyer and the histori-
ca} Pai-aceLsus su¿-gest a. proiound uniif i-n .Lhings; bheir
concern is with the ha.ri¡ronious submission of ihe hlunan
iiilt to a. benevolent fatal-ity. l-t is for this, then,
'that the novel does noi commence ju.sü at the beginning,
but at ihe end as r^¡ell-, íor ihe ooenint, chapter follov¡s
the final fitfu-I hours of a fip;ure hornev¡ard-bound. who
struggles j-n an a.Nmosphere which the future protagonist
has nob yet begun to breathe. ¡t v¡orld is ir-nmeciiately'
brouqht into focu.s: a v¡orld of contes.i,ing pob.rers,
personal gain and cornrnuna-L loss; a r,vorlcl v¡hose cons|ant
rnotion seems onl¡r 'bo be stilled b)' some splritual
qui-essence as yet unciefined, Yet there j-s gentleness
in this strirl of colourr âS rvell- as a cornpelling tensi on"
The approaclr of death lead.s the returning Í'igu-re baci< to
lri s bep'iitif i¡1 rr- r-n rnol'a
- -o-----*--Jù
UL,, llrar\ç ^nn¡ifl¿tiOnS
IJa vir
fOf a-CbiOifS a.SainSt
his or,vn family" ijriven by inner necessity, he fu-Lfils