ATDTDA (5): The dogs went crazy, 141-144

[Paul Nightingale]

Deconstruction of FV's certainties continues, beginning with: "It took some
moments to interpret what the curious camera lucida was revealing. At first
all was a blurry confusion of strange yellowish green ..." etc. Scientific
inquiry is dependent on interpretation, leaving FV and his Journal account
wanting; when studying "the Figure", there is "little agreement among us as
to its 'facial' features". It is important that "the Figure" be made
knowable: "its 'facial' features" might be obscure, but have to be brought
into a known classification system (even if the quotation marks round
"facial" betray some discomfort at this). Hence, "some [describe] them as
'Mongoloid', others as 'serpent-like'". The fear is that "it" might return
their interrogatory gaze. However, they suppress all consideration that "[it
might be] 'alive' or 'conscious'" in favour of a "decision to recover it":
hence, the focus shifts back from the enigma to the activities of rational
thinkers (eg, "[p]ractical matters").

Subsequently, on 142, causal explanation is also elusive, a separation of
signifier ("the dogs went crazy") from signified ("real-life explanations")
than undermines rational thought. Eventually: "And on occasion they did not
bark when they should have". Animals fail to behave naturally; and the
current phase ends with the group "watching the dogs more closely" (143).
Effectively, the gaze humanises "the Figure" through the interpretation of
"its 'facial' features" (141); similarly, the dogs, under scrutiny, begin to
act as humans. But their behaviour isn't that of 'just' any human agent:
they bring into the Journal the working-class agent (subversive or
otherwise) that, thus far, has been absent. If crew-members are rendered
invisible by the class prejudice of FV's writing, the "canine labor union"
(144) might be said to stand in for them.

The arrival of "old Magyakan" (143) is difficult to explain and provokes
scepticism. Hence, Throyle's explanation of "the mysterious shamanic power
known as bilocation". Again, as with "the Figure" (141), there is an attempt
to restore the certainties of science: "'Arctic hysteria,' said Dr. Ghloix,
the expedition's psychomedical officer. 'A sort of Northern melancholia, all
too often a foreshadowing of suicide.'"

The group seek "the Figure" and find Magyakan, who comes and goes
mysteriously. Following his departure, Dr Vormance attempts closure by way
of imposed meaning ("some sort of a prophecy"). Cf: his earlier "[u]neasy
reference ... to the recent misfortunes of certain Egyptologists ..." etc
(141). Throyle resists, as Randolph did earlier: if Throyle is centre-stage
here, we might recall his earlier appearance, opposing "the sizable bloc of
[Quaternionists] aboard the Malus" (132, following his outburst against
Blope, 131).