Returning after a hiatus since late last November. Had technical problems and issues in my personal life that diverted my writing to social media while this site seemed inaccessible to me.
Thoughts today on the ancient Greek and literary theory idea of anagnorisis, meaning the process of a character realizing their true identity, situation, and the significance of their actions. One of the most famous examples is when Oedipus in the play Oedipus Rex realizes he has mistakenly killed his biological father and married his biological mother, but there are many other examples of this literary device.
I think it resonates so much because most of us have had flashes of insight about our identity or past actions. I had them recently about things that have happened to me in the months since my last blog post. It is interesting because it usually leads to a major pivot in the life of the person experiencing anagnorisis. Because I like to tell jokes, something similar occurs when it becomes clear someone has been offended by one. But laughter and irony are essential elements of my life.
In other news, I have had my publishing advisor accept my prospectus for a new book that I hope will be available this summer. It will be a collection of brief essays, poems, and jokes about the same length as my first book.