Fifi and Paisley Discuss the Flow of Time in Mandelbrot

 

Fifi: The way that time unfolds in Mandelbrot is confusing, and it makes the story line hard to follow. 

Paisley: I didn't have a hard time following the narrative, but I found it impossible to follow the story line. 

Fifi: I don't understand the distinction you're making between story line and narrative. 

Paisley: For me, a storyline implies events unfolding in a linear fashion -- like on a line. When I think of the word storyline, I think of a distinct past, present and future. A narrative, on the other hand, is the way in which the events are portrayed. It's a perspective or philosophy of the word

Fifi: So I guess our Noah is trying to show us that the world is fragmented and chaotic, 

Paisley: The Noah does seem like he is very much interested in Chaos Theory. I suspect, however that his conception of chaos is different than the convention. Fragmented, but in a sense connected at the same time. 

Fifi: This reminds me about a time the Noah was listening to Charles Ives' fourth symphony. He was saying something about different melodies forming layers that drifted into each other. The music to me sounded fragmented, but also part of a greater whole. 

Paisley: Perhaps, it was like a musical lasagna that has had time to age in the refrigerator. There are different layers of ingredients, but their flavors interfuse into each other. They are both separate and together.

Fifi: Perhaps with the narrative in Mandelbrot, the Noah is creating a "time lasagna" so to speak. When I think of it that way, I can imagine different layers of time. 

Paisley: Yes, on one level there is time from the perspective of life on this planet that was emphasized at the very beginning of the story

Fifi: To me, that section seemed more like the development of consciousness, not so much biological life.

Paisley: Maybe those are two interfusing layers.

Fifi: I think there is also time from the perspective of Gregor, the main character

Paisley: He's sort of a main character, but then he transforms into that weird "Hectic Norder." 

Fifi; Yes, as I remember Hectic's body was an amalgamation of many different animal parts fusing into each other. It was almost as if he represented the aspect of interfusing itself.

Paisley: There was also time from the perspective of the development of modernity.

Fifi: I think I understand how this interfusing connects with fractals. Themes from each layer repeat themselves on smaller scales throughout the book. That sounds like a difficult undertaking.

Paisley: I wonder what inspired him to write a book in such a complex manner.

Fifi: Why don't we explore that at another time.