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New Edition of For Sisyphus Released Matthew Vita
Morte’s For Sisyphus was originally released half a century ago during a period of rampant censorship. The novel has been re-released, now with censored material restored, finally allowing Morte’s masterpiece to be read as it was originally intended. Morte enthusiasts can now indulge in roughly a hundred pages of new material never before seen outside Morte’s estate. The most exciting addition to the text is an entire chapter that occurs just before Aaron’s death. In the previous edition Aaron’s sudden death served as the climax of the novel. The new chapter develops why Aaron makes his ultimate choice and helps to further explain the psyche of an already complex character. The additions to the text explain the source of the emotional stress which plagues Aaron during his final hours. What once seemed to be a noble sacrifice now becomes much more; some can even argue that Aaron accepts his death as an escape. While it is not suicide Aaron certainly seems to accept his fate and does little to avoid his demise. The chapter was left out of the original printing because Aaron spends a large portion of it in a brothel. Another interesting addition is an appearance by Seamus, the protagonist of A Journey of Poets. Morte always felt that the two works were tied together, a feeling described in detail by a diary found in his study a few weeks after his death. Seamus’ appearance can be seen as an attempt by Morte to establish a concrete connection between both novels. They in fact take place at the same time and in the same city. Seamus and Aaron now spend a number of pages discussing Kant’s Transcendental Idealism while drinking at The Blue Moon, a tiny pub which the characters frequent. Other, less crucial, changes have been made to the text as well. While these changes don’t necessarily affect the plot, they do add insight and humor to the text. The long discussion between Vincent and Aaron in chapter fifty two has been expanded. Vincent’s sage-like demeanor is absent from the restored text, instead readers are treated to a character more akin to Lear’s Fool. Vincent, who Aaron assumes is a homeless drunk, spews forth riddles and fortunes that happen to be sprinkled with the insight and wisdom Aaron has spent much of the novel searching for. The text was originally changed because the editors believed no upstanding citizen such as Aaron would heed the advice of a bum. With this new edition, scholars around the world should be posed to rethink their work on Morte. Already seen as a literary icon it seems unlikely that Morte can gain more fame. However, the newly restored text will have more than a few critics rethinking their dissertations. Dr. Henry Litz, a professor of English literature at Camden University, explained that his own thesis, a psychoanalytic interpretation of Aaron, is disproved by the additions to this new edition. “I defended my thesis thirty-two years ago, and now a new chapter proves that most of what I argued was wrong,” said Litz. “Thank God the old editions will still be around; at least I’m right about those.” With the changes to For Sisyphus creating such drastic shifts in interpretation an interesting question has been put forth. Can the two editions, with their different interpretations, be considered the same work of art? Perhaps Dr. Litz and his fellows can shed light on this paradox in the coming months. As for the rest of us, the casual readers and Morte enthusiasts, the new edition is certainly a delight. |
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last updated: Sunday, 10 August 2008
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