Masked Wives, or what Gray overlooks November 5, 2007
Posted by Ian in Ancient Greek, Deleuze, Ethics, Foucault, Kant, Modern Polytheism, Myth, Religion and Faith, Schopenhauer, Skepticism.add a comment
In Straw Dogs, Gray quotes Schopenhauer from On the Basis of Morality:
“I should liken Kant to a man at a ball, who all evening has been carrying on a love affair with a masked beauty in the vain hope of making a conquest, when at last she throws off her mask and reveals herself to be his wife” (37)
It’s a good quote, I would say a ‘true’ fable. But both Schopenhauer and Gray seem unable to crack open its hard outer shell to enjoy the meaty nut contained within. They think Kant laughable, worthy of derision, for being so foolish as to spend so much time chasing after what was already his.
But imagine that this story is not in the mouth, the pen of bitter Schopenhauer, sitting, lonely, in his study with his dog Atman at his feet. Strip away the cynical laugh he is having at the ‘old fool.’ Instead, imagine Kant telling this story, his wife at his side, in a warm drawing room, with an old friend fresh from the dusty road to Konigsberg.
