The Psychological Orientation Towards Growth in Lawrence Durrell's "The Alexandria Quartet" Page: 10
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10
Under the heading of "Consequential Data," which
appears as an appendix to Balthazar, Pursewarden, the
Quartet's matured novelist, who provides much guidance
for the maturing Darley, says, "To the medieval world-
picture of the World, the Flesh, and the Devil (each
worth a book) we moderns have added Times a fourth
dimension" (B, p. 2^6). Though this passage is never
directly elaborated in the four novels in the Quartet,
I regard the passage as providing a helpful approach to
the subject matter and descriptive bias of the Quartet's
four books. I take Justine to be the novel of "the
Flesh," characterized by sensuality and sexuality;
Balthazar is the novel of "the Devil," dealing with evil,
destruction, and perverted growth; Mountolive is the novel
of "the World," representing society and impersonal forces;
and Glea is the novel about "Time," representing creativity
and growth.
Darley's love affair with Justine indicates the
preoccupation of the novel Justine with sexuality and
sensuality, a preoccupation Darley testifies to in the
novel's opening pages. In introducing the reader to
Alexandria, Darley is quick to observe that the "sexual
provender which lies to hand is staggering in its variety
and profusion." Alexandria is "the great wine-press of
love," and those who leave this city "have been deeply
wounded in their sex" (J, p. 1^). Throughout the Quartet
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Fordham, Glenn Wayne, Jr. The Psychological Orientation Towards Growth in Lawrence Durrell's "The Alexandria Quartet", dissertation, May 1981; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc330626/m1/16/?q=war: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .