Atdtda29: Personal dreams and wishes, 811-812

[Paul Nightingale]

Theign's justification for not helping Yashmeen rests on his regard for the
big picture. Previously, providing the map that Cyprian failed to
appreciate, he emphasised the "different perspective ... almost godlike as
you'd say" (807), recalling his "axial loads of History" speech on 710.
Here: "... we must all support F.O. in this, set aside our unimportant
little personal dreams and wishes" (811). However, they "[remain] poised at
opposite ends of the Venice flat" (812), trapped: escape for Theign is into
the narrative future indicated by the fast-forward reference to Max
Khautsch, underpinned by the train to Vienna.

The brief exchange between Theign and Khautsch briefly distances the
narrative from Cyprian and effectively prepares the reader for Theign's
departure down the page. Top of 812, Theign's suggestion ("I suppose ..."
etc) is followed by Cyprian's monosyllabic rely. The paragraph in question
then switches abruptly from direct speech to a narrative voice adopting
Cyprian's pov to ponder his motivation; just as abruptly, Theign is
immediately "[d]iscussing it later in Vienna with Max Khautsch". Again, one
thinks of the amount of time characters spend travelling by rail; in this
scene, the relationship between Cyprian and Theign is marked by trains
travelling in different directions.

With the current chapter providing a series of exchanges between two (in the
case of 57.1, three) characters, the intimacy of such scenes is in marked
contrast to any rhetoric concerning what Cyprian apparently sees as "the
whole corrupted project".

The macrocosmic view is represented here by rail networks and maps. Again,
go back to the map Theign forces on the reluctant Cyprian on 806-807: "...
there isn't even room here to spell out their names ..." etc (807). The
confined space of the map is replicated here by the flat, Cyprian and Theign
endeavouring to stay as far apart as possible.