Atdtda31: Appropriate formulae, 871-872

[Paul Nightingale]

Having failed to read Yashmeen on 869 Cyprian now reads history. From micro
to macro, with Theign placed in the context of "the first phase of their
damned general European war" (871). The "web of intrigue" that begins 60.3
can be juxtaposed to the "inventory" that began 60.2 (869).

Back on 806-807 Theign gave Cyprian and Bevis their orders and a map he
claimed was "perfect for the traveller" and "good enough for the F.O."
(806); when Cyprian complained, Theign said the map "[put] the whole thing
literally in a different perspective ... almost godlike" (807). For Cyprian,
macro to micro, the map ("a toy", 806) failed to adequately represent
'reality'; it signified, not so much the terrain, as a disregard for his
fate. Here, Cyprian has started "looking into Theign's Austrian connections"
(871). Cf. history as spoken discourse, a 'personal view', most recently the
Prince's version on 868: "I was speaking of Venetian history". In that
discussion, to emphasise the point, "an enemy with Imperial resources" was
juxtaposed to "personal honor" (868-869). Here, Cyprian slides from "their
damned general European war" to "he sent me ..." etc (871). Deprived of
agency but, nonetheless, a Foucaultian free subject ("I could take no action
that would not lead to my destruction") Cyprian asserts himself: "I must
kill this evil bastard immediately".

As befitting someone who aspires to omniscience as a narrator, Cyprian is
invisible to Theign (871). As such he can "hover unobserved within
mischief-making distance" (872), inverting their relationship. Here, a
"mismatched dance"; earlier, "Theign launched one of his virile slaps,
Cyprian dodged out of the way ..." etc (811), not to mention "a humorous tap
on the cheek became first, unmistakably, a caress, and then, provoked by
Cyprian's venturesome laughter, a rather sharp slap" (707).

If Cyprian remains "fascinated" by Theign as object of desire, all thought
of sexual desire is, temporarily, repressed: Theign as "this evil bastard"
has become part of the "web of intrigue aimed at refashioning the map of
Europe". Sexual desire is invoked as the section ends, but Cyprian remains
immune: "Once Cyprian might have felt some remorseful twinge at this appeal
to their past" (872). Cf: "Cyprian felt the sadness peculiar to the
contemplation of recent time unrecapturable" when thinking of Yashmeen on
870.