Repeating Mamardashvili | Essay 5 – Multilingualism - Structural Analysis as Narration
'Words are ambiguous and meaningful. And thereby chosen.' That's how I had decided to end Essay Four on Multilingualism [1]_Metatext. Intentionally provoking to look further into Merab Mamardashvili's choice of (those) words. I prepared myself for an investigation into both ambiguity and meaningfulness of his chosen multilingualism. With a list of those 'other' words of both lecture series (1981_82 & 1984_85), I started to examine every single one of them in their context.
An attempt. To uncover the possible structure lying underneath, created by those, selected words and/or phrases in another language than the lectures' Russian. To draw the connections to a possible 'why' by highlighting those sparks of other languages separately. To relate them to each other and/or to distinguish their differences. To attempt a structural analysis as narration.
And, to then choose for this essay's venture all German words, allowing these fourteen passages in total to give a sort of blueprint of their use, of foreign language in Mamardashvili's lectures on Proust.
Voice out loud by reading the words in bold only:
In the sense that there is always some note, some, as the Germans would say, Klang - the sound of our existence, which pulls its note (this subtle note) in a sensitized infinite space. / In the sense that there always remains some note, some, as the Germans would say, Klang, the sound of our existence, which pulls its note (this subtile note) in a sensitized infinite space. / In the sense that there is always some note, some, as the Germans would say, Klang is the sound of our existence, which pulls its note (this subtly note) in a sensitized infinite space. (28/1984_85)
Therefore, Proust believes, - for those who are able to continue this journey of discovery into the depths, whose law of development is internal in nature - such people know the feeling of boredom at the end or in the middle of any exciting conversation with a friend. This is also a well-known psychological phenomenon, and probably all of you have experienced it. Indeed, at some point, something that the Germans call Unbehagen, a feeling of some kind of being unable, necessarily comes or appears. / Therefore, Proust believes, - for those who are capable of continuing this journey of discovery into the depths, whose law of development is internal, - such people know the feeling of boredom experienced at the end or in the middle of any fascinating conversation with a friend. This is also a well-known psychological phenomenon, and probably all of you have experienced it. After all, at some point there is bound to come or appear what the Germans call Unbehagen, a feeling, a kind of dullness. / Therefore, Proust believes, for those who are able to continue this journey of discovery into the depths, whose law of development is internal, such people know the feeling of boredom experienced at the end or in the middle of any fascinating conversation with a friend. This is also a well-known psychological phenomenon, and probably all of you have experienced it. After all, at some point necessarily comes or appears what the Germans call Unbehagen, a feeling of some muteness. (12/1981_82)
A lasting impression that is an element of some kind of continuous or unfinished continuum. Its meaning is unclear every time. And he, by the way, is unclear until the last page of the novel. Why? Now I will explain to you. Further, two pages later, Proust combines this sensation with the memory of the room, which is conventionally called the room of the "woman in pink." This room is in the house of our hero's uncle, to whom, when he was little, he sometimes came with errands from his parents or simply visited his maternal uncle. (If we use the German-Yiddish word - what the Germans and Jews call Feinschmecker. Imagine a voluptuous smacking his lips all the time - ah, ah, ah, or - if, if, if, how delicious. not only beautiful objects appeared, but also women.) And now our boy appears in his uncle's room, when a lady leaves this room after a visit. She was in pink. / A lasting impression, which is an element of some continuous or unfinished continuum. Its meaning is not clear every time. And it is, by the way, unclear until the last page of the novel. Why? Let me explain it to you. Further on, two pages later, Proust combines this feeling with a memory of a room conventionally called the room of the "woman in pink." This room is in the house of our hero's uncle, to whom, as a child, he sometimes came to run errands from his parents or simply to visit his maternal uncle. (To use a German-Yiddish word, what the Germans and Jews call Feinschmecker. Here's an image of a voluptuous man, smacking his lips all the time - ah, ah, ah, ah, or - yip, yip, yip, yip, how good it is. And obviously, this fynesmekker had not only beautiful objects, but women as well). And so our boy appears in his uncle's room when some lady leaves that room after a visit. She was wearing pink. / For an impression that is an element of some kind of continuous or unfinished continuum. The meaning of it is unclear every time. And it, by the way, is unclear to the last page of the novel. why? I'll tell you about it. Further, after two pages, this feeling is combined with Proust's memory of the room, which is conventionally called the room "woman in pink." This room in the house of our hero's uncle, to which he, as a child, sometimes came with errands from his parents or just visited his uncle on the maternal line. (If you use the German-Yiddish word - what Germans and Jews call Feinschmecker. And now our boy appears in his uncle's room when a lady leaves this room after the visit. She was in pink. (10/1984_85)
And in this case, according to Proust, it is transparent to the spiritual content. This refers, for example, to a special category of dreams (in hallucinations it occurs more often), which phenomenologists call "performing" or "performing representations." Erfüllung - this term was coined by the Germans, they are generally masters of coming up with terms. But you see that Proust dispensed with terms, he worked with metaphors and, by the way, understood much much better than the German philosophers. / And in this case, according to Proust, it is transparent to spiritual content. What is meant, for example, is a special category of dreams (in hallucinations it occurs more frequently), which phenomenologists call "fulfilling," or "fulfilling representations. Erfüllung is a term coined by the Germans; they are generally masters of coining terms. But you can see that Proust did without terms, he worked in metaphors and, by the way, he understood a lot of things much better than the German philosophers. / And in this case, according to Proust, it is transparent for spiritual content. This includes, for example, a special category of dreams (in hallucinations it occurs more often), which phenomenologies call "performing" or "performing ideas." Erfüllung is a term coined by the Germans, they are generally masters of inventing terms. But you can see that Proust did without terms, he worked metaphors and, by the way, understood much much better than German philosophers. (8/1981_82)
In other words, all phenomena like friendship, social life, intellectual conversations, etc., all these phenomena are, as it were, derivative or secondary, illusory means for us to resolve angoisse. What the French call angoisse and the Germans call Angst. / In other words, all phenomena like friendship, the secular salon, intellectual conversations, etc., all these phenomena are as if derivative or secondary, illusory means for us to resolve angoisse. What the French call angoisse, the Germans call Angst. / In other words, all phenomena like friendship, secular salon, intellectual conversations, etc., all these phenomena are as if derivative or secondary, illusory means for us to allow angoisse. What the French call angoisse, and the Germans call Angst. (13/1984_85)
This is one past. And this past is the one that was in time. Zeitet. I told you: the work of life, or an impression / It is one past. And this past is that which is time. Zeitet. I told you: the work of life, or impression. / This is one past. And that past is the one that was time consuming. Zeitet. I told you: the work of life, or the impression. (10/1984_85)
…some kind of confusion, melancholy overwhelms you, what the Germans call Unbehagen,… / …a kind of confusion, a longing takes hold of you, what the Germans call Unbehagen…, / …some confusion, longing take possession of you, what the Germans call Unbehagen,… (1/1984_85)
So let's, as the Germans say, als ob agree that this is so, but maybe if we agree that way or you agree each with yourself, then other things will be clearer. / Here let us, as the Germans say, als ob agree that this is so, but maybe if we agree like this, or you agree each with yourselves, other things will be clearer. / Let's, as the Germans say, als ob agree that this is the case, but maybe if we agree this way or you agree with each of them, then other things will be clearer. (30/1984_85)
Truth is a unique non-verbal, irreducible and unreproducible place and difference. What the Germans sublimely call ontologische Differenz, ontological difference or ontological difference, that is, not by comparison, the difference obtained, but distinguishing the difference between a thing itself from others. / Truth is a uniquely non-verbal, irreducible and unreproducible place and distinction by anyone else. What the Germans subliminally call ontologische Differenz, ontological difference or ontological difference, that is, not the difference obtained by comparison, but the thing's distinguishing distinction of itself from others. / Truth is a unique non-verbal, unheralded and no one else's unreceivable place and difference. What the Germans sublimely call ontologische Differenz, an ontological difference or ontological difference, that is, not by comparing the resulting difference, but by distinguishing the difference of itself from others. (30/1984_85)
At infinite distances, as Proust says, there are already seeds charged with our subtle or leise states (imperceptible, unattainable states of some strange sadness or strange, light, also inexplicable, fun - what Rilke calls leise, quiet states), which, no one knows how, can explode there. / At infinite distances, as Proust says, there are already seeds, charged with our subtile or leise states (imperceptible, unreceptive states of some strange sadness or strange, easy, also inexplicable, mirth - what Rilke calls leise, quiet states), which, unknown how, can explode there. / At infinite distances, as Proust says, there are already seeds charged by our subtly or leise states (inconspicuous, inconspicuous states of some strange sadness or strange, easy, also inexplicable, fun - what Rilke calls leise, quiet states), which, unknown, can explode there. (28/1984_85)
I also introduced the principle of personality, and the structure of personality fundamentally contains what in German could be called Luft, a gap. Inherent in the personality is the backlash of something unpredictable in advance - something that will itself be, and not something that can be pre-calculated. And in this sense, the structure of personality is in reality the structure of a possible person - not the person who is, and not the structure of an abstract logical possibility, but a possible person. / I also introduced the principle of personality, and the structure of personality fundamentally contains what in German you might call Luft, a gap. There is inherent in the personality the loft of something unpredictable in advance, something that will be itself, not something that can be pre-calculated. And in this sense, the structure of personality is in fact the structure of a possible person-not the person who is, and not the structure of an abstract logical possibility, but a possible person. / I thereby introduced the principle of personality, and the structure of the personality fundamentally contains what in German could be called Luft, a gap. The backlash of something in advance is embedded in the personality, something that will be, not something that can be predicted. And in this sense, the structure of personality is in reality the structure of a possible person - not the person who is, and not the structure of an abstract logical possibility, but a possible person. (25/1984_85)
I will immediately give you the well-known words of Luther: "Here I stand and I cannot do otherwise." He meant the following: he “stands here,” that is, he took the place that was indicated to him by some purpose, but why? And what is it? - He does not know. I do not know why, I cannot prove to you - "I cannot do otherwise." Hier stehe ich und kann nicht anders, here I stand and I cannot do otherwise. Now we intuitively grasp what is at stake. / I will immediately give you Luther's famous words: "Here I stand and I cannot do otherwise. What he meant was this: he "stands here," that is, he has taken the place indicated to him by some destiny, but why? And what is it? - he doesn't know. I don't know why, I can't prove to you - "I can't do otherwise. Hier stehe ich und kann nicht anders, here I stand and cannot otherwise. Now we have intuitively grasped what we are talking about. / I will immediately quote you the famous words of Luther: "Here I stand and cannot otherwise." He meant the following: he "stands here", that is, he took the place that he was assigned by some purpose, but why? And what is it? He doesn't know. I don't know why, I can't prove to you , "I can't do it otherwise." Hier stehe ich und kann nicht anders, here I stand and can't otherwise. Now we have our intuition to see what we are talking about. (36/1984_85)
Now I will try to translate this quote on the fly: “It always seems to me as if our everyday consciousness actually lived at the top of a pyramid, the basis of which is in us (pay attention to the remark in passing, this is in brackets in Rilke) and, accordingly , under them - unter uns (these échasses, Proustian, remember stilts - as if we are on the ground, and they are in us, but they are also under us, under the ground on which we stand) so completely and far goes into their width (the pyramid is hidden under the surface of the earth, "so it goes" - expands to its base, right?), that the further we are able to immerse, the more we are drawn into the reality of the earth, independent of space and time, in the broadest sense of the secular being. […]" / I will try now to translate this quote: "It always seems to me as if our everyday consciousness were actually living on top of a certain pyramid, the base of which is in us (note the remark in passing, it's in parentheses in Rilke's) and, accordingly, under them - unter uns (These échasses, Proust's échasses, remember the stilts - as if we are on the ground, and they are in us, but they are also under us, under the ground on which we are standing) goes so completely and far in its width (the pyramid is hidden under the surface of the earth, "so goes" - it expands to its base, right? ), that the farther we manage to plunge, the more we become involved in the space- and time-independent givenness of earthly, in the broadest sense of secular existence. […]" / I will try now to translate this quote in a hurry: "It always seems to me as if our everyday consciousness would actually live on the top of a pyramid, the basis of which - in us (note the remark in passing, it is in brackets at Rilke) and, accordingly, under them - unter uns (these échasses, the Proust, remember the stilts, as if we were on earth, and they were in us, but they were also beneath us, under the ground on which we stand.) so completely and far in its width (the pyramid is hidden under the surface of the earth, "so goes" - expands to its base, right?), that the further we are able to immerse ourselves, the more we are involved in the independent from space and time given of the earthly, in the broadest sense of secular existence. […]" (22/1984_85)
Lectures 1981_82:
Мераб Мамардашвили. Лекции о Прусте (психологическая топология пути). Ad Marginem. Москва. 1995. (Редакторы: Е.В. Ознобкина, И.К. Мамардашвипи, Ю.П. Сенокосов)
Lectures 1984_85:
Мераб Мамардашвили. Психологическая топология пути. Фонд Мераба Мамардашвили. Москва. 2014. (Редактор: Е.М. Мамардашвили)
AI translations by https://translate.google.com / https://www.deepl.com/en/translator / https://www.collinsdictionary.com/translator
APPENDIX (German occurrences in chronological order)
Erfüllung (8/1981_82), Unbehagen (12/1981_82), Unbehagen (1/1984_85), Feinschmecker (10/1984_85), Zeitet (10/1984_85), Angst (13/1984_85), Klang (18/1984_85), unter uns (22/1984_85), Luft (25/1984_85), leise […] leise (28/1984_85), Klang (28/1984_85), ontologische Differenz (30/1984_85), als ob (30/1984_85), Hier stehe ich und kann nicht anders (36/1984_85)]
Author: Katharina Stadler
